How to hire a registered nurse med/surg

How to hire a registered nurse med/surg, step by step

Here's a step-by-step registered nurse med/surg hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a registered nurse med/surg job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new registered nurse med/surg
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a registered nurse med/surg do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the registered nurse med/surg you need to hire. Certain registered nurse med/surg roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A registered nurse med/surg's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, registered nurse med/surgs from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of registered nurse med/surgs and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Registered Nurse Med/Surg	Description	Hourly rate
   Registered Nurse Med/Surg	Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members.	$23-69
   Staff Nurse	Staff nurses are registered nurses who are usually assigned to work in a care home, a company, or in a clinical setting. They advise the physical assessments of patients, employees, and residents... Show more	$20-52
   Emergency Department Registered Nurse	An emergency registered nurse is first in line for patients who need a response. These nurses are first to respond to emergency cases such as trauma, allergic reactions, and injuries... Show more	$23-64

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • BLS
   • Acute Care
   • Acls
   • Direct Patient Care
   • Discharge Planning
   • Telemetry
   • Patient Safety
   • Patient Outcomes
   • Compassion
   • Oncology
   • Rehabilitation
   • Quality Patient Care
   • Home Health

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage respiratory ventilator, EKG equipment, intravenous and oral medication, intravenous pump machine, and blood products transfusion.
   • Achieve telemetry and BLS certification.
   • Interact with professionalism and compassion to consistently achieve confidence in care.
   • Manage and care for medical-surgical ICU patients including neurology and plastic surgery patients.
   • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
   • Provide compassion to patients and family members ensuring optimal levels of comfort and privacy

   More registered nurse med/surg duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the registered nurse med/surg job description is a good way to get more applicants. A registered nurse med/surg salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a registered nurse med/surg in Montana may be lower than in Rhode Island, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level registered nurse med/surg. Additionally, a registered nurse med/surg with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average registered nurse med/surg salary

   $84,812yearly

   $40.77 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level registered nurse med/surg salary

   $49,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 18, 2026

   Average registered nurse med/surg salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$111,118	$53
   2	New York	$103,314	$50
   3	Massachusetts	$98,649	$47
   4	Maryland	$97,793	$47
   5	Michigan	$92,723	$45
   6	Oregon	$91,704	$44
   7	Maine	$88,974	$43
   8	Washington	$87,656	$42
   9	Texas	$87,527	$42
   10	Pennsylvania	$87,439	$42
   11	Illinois	$86,434	$42
   12	Tennessee	$84,116	$40
   13	Florida	$83,909	$40
   14	Wisconsin	$83,884	$40
   15	Vermont	$83,691	$40
   16	Minnesota	$83,624	$40
   17	Oklahoma	$83,035	$40
   18	Georgia	$82,991	$40
   19	Ohio	$82,939	$40
   20	Kentucky	$82,508	$40

   Average registered nurse med/surg salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Dignity Health	$138,489	$66.58	714
   2	Valley Presbyterian Hospital	$126,390	$60.76	8
   3	Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District	$120,082	$57.73	22
   4	Lincoln Surgical Hospital	$111,535	$53.62	10
   5	Express Healthcare Professionals	$110,677	$53.21
   6	Medical City Arlington	$110,030	$52.90	138
   7	RNnetwork	$109,851	$52.81
   8	Cottage Health	$108,578	$52.20	38
   9	University of California-Berkeley	$108,360	$52.10
   10	Soliant	$108,009	$51.93	39
   11	CHATUGE FAMILY PRACTICE	$107,856	$51.85	3
   12	The Arora Group	$105,740	$50.84	86
   13	Stability Healthcare	$105,733	$50.83	2,595
   14	Maxim Healthcare Group	$105,666	$50.80	1,014
   15	Aya Healthcare	$104,719	$50.35	158
   16	Scripps Health	$104,612	$50.29	81
   17	MAS Medical Staffing	$103,890	$49.95	517
   18	Accountable Healthcare Holdings Corp.	$103,365	$49.69	61
   19	Interim HealthCare	$103,242	$49.64	517
   20	Jackson Nurse Professionals	$102,524	$49.29	1,926

4. Writing a registered nurse med/surg job description

   A good registered nurse med/surg job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a registered nurse med/surg job description:

   Registered nurse med/surg job description example

   The 2C Pulmonary Medical Unit is dedicated to providing the highest quality, most compassionate care to every patient and their families. Our diverse nursing team feels and functions just like a family. We are always there for each other to offer support, lift each other up and enable each individual to achieve their personal best. We are always looking for the best team players to join us and make a real difference in our hospital and throughout the community. This is a 17-bed unit offering care for a diverse population of pulmonary medical and acute care patients. Our typical patient population would include: Pneumonia, COPD/Asthma/Bronchitis, Chest Tube, Tracheostomy, ESRD requiring Hemodialysis or Peritoneal Dialysis, Acute Care Cardiac/Telemetry, Intermittent BIPAP at HS and PRN during the day.
   
   The Clinical Supervisor provides direct patient care and supervises the nursing operations of a unit. In the absence of the Manager or Director may assume 24 hour nursing responsibility. Works with a unit specific patient population.
   
   REQUIRED: 1.Graduate from an accredited school of nursing. a. Three (3) years' experience in clinical area with a minimum of one (1) year in area of specialty OR b. Bachelor's in Nursing with Two (2) years experience in clinical area with a minimum of one (1) year in area of specialty 2. Demonstrated ability to set priorities and make appropriate clinical and supervisory decisions. Must possess good problem solving skills. 3. Successful completion of a management course prior to appointment, or within six (6) months of employment. 4. Demonstrated leadership capabilities. 5. Certified in cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). 6. Other certifications such as ACLS, PALS, NRP may be required based on department needs. REQUIRED IV Therapy: 1. Graduate from an accredited school of nursing. 2. Prior IV Therapy Team experience with demonstrate knowledge and proficiency in IV Therapy techniques and procedures. PICC placement competency as described previously. 3. Demonstrated ability to set priorities and make appropriate clinical and supervisory decisions. Must possess good problem solving skills. 4. Demonstrated leadership capabilities. 5. Certified in cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). 6. National Certification in Infusion Nursing (CRNI) or Vascular Access (VA-BC) PREFERRED IV Therapy: 1. Previous management/charge nurse experience. 2. Three (3) years of experience in nursing with minimum of one (1) year in area of specialty. 3. B.S. degree in Nursing. 4. National certification in specialty. 5. Previous management/charge nurse experience. 6. Three (3) years of experience in nursing with minimum of one (1) year in area of specialty. 7. B.S. degree in Nursing. PREFERRED Center for Perinatal Medicine: 1. Previous experience in OB Ultrasonagraphy. 2. Previous experience in physician office environment.
   License/Certification Requirements: Yes
   
   Work Hours: 7p-7a
   
   Weekend Requirements: Yes
   
   On-Call Requirements: No

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right registered nurse med/surg for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your registered nurse med/surg job on Zippia to find and attract quality registered nurse med/surg candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit registered nurse med/surgs, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new registered nurse med/surg

   Once you have selected a candidate for the registered nurse med/surg position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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