How to hire a senior registered nurse

How to hire a senior registered nurse, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior registered nurse hiring guide:

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

What does a senior registered nurse do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a senior registered nurse, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect senior registered nurse also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of senior registered nurses and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Senior Registered Nurse	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Registered Nurse	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.	$23-53
   Nurse Extern	The job of a nurse extern is to assist the mentor nurse in their nursing duties. They help the mentor nurse in various medical procedures such as administering medications or starting intravenous therapies... Show more	$13-22
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Home Health
   • Acute Care
   • Care Coordination
   • Discharge Planning
   • BLS
   • Community Resources
   • Triage
   • Rehabilitation
   • Medical Necessity
   • Appeals
   • Patient Safety
   • Level II
   • CPR

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Code team member, triage, manage a team of 5 patients and 3 providers.
   • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
   • Care for critically ill patients in the ICU.
   • Provide triage, referrals, direct nursing care, and medication administration to incarcerate population.
   • Elbow support for new Cerner EMR system.
   • Implement and coordinate unit education programs covering CPR and newborn care.

   More senior registered nurse duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior registered nurse job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A senior registered nurse can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, senior registered nurses' average salary in south carolina is 55% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior registered nurses 56% less than senior-level senior registered nurses.
   • Certifications. A senior registered nurse with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a senior registered nurse's salary.

   Average senior registered nurse salary

   $74,261yearly

   $35.70 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior registered nurse salary

   $49,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 25, 2025

   Average senior registered nurse salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$127,067	$61
   2	Nevada	$99,049	$48
   3	New York	$92,778	$45
   4	Pennsylvania	$90,092	$43
   5	Massachusetts	$88,850	$43
   6	Virginia	$85,026	$41
   7	Maryland	$82,920	$40
   8	Arizona	$79,863	$38
   9	Michigan	$78,512	$38
   10	Minnesota	$77,119	$37
   11	Idaho	$76,670	$37
   12	Missouri	$73,072	$35
   13	Colorado	$72,775	$35
   14	Texas	$72,663	$35
   15	Indiana	$66,363	$32
   16	North Carolina	$65,661	$32
   17	North Dakota	$63,787	$31
   18	Florida	$61,873	$30
   19	Kansas	$59,034	$28

   Average senior registered nurse salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Dignity Health	$129,981	$62.49	965
   2	Providence Health & Services	$121,491	$58.41	380
   3	Mercy Health	$121,068	$58.21	404
   4	Willamette Valley Medical Center	$112,327	$54.00	2
   5	Highlands Regional Medical Center	$111,754	$53.73	45
   6	University of Maryland Medical System	$111,166	$53.45	240
   7	St. Peter's Health Partners	$110,754	$53.25	92
   8	Capital Health	$109,973	$52.87	49
   9	Fairview Health Services	$108,535	$52.18	114
   10	Molina Healthcare	$105,940	$50.93	222
   11	US Oncology Holdings Inc	$105,194	$50.57	133
   12	East Alabama Health	$104,799	$50.38	41
   13	Houston Methodist	$104,195	$50.09	148
   14	National Park Medical Center	$103,649	$49.83	20
   15	Commonwealth	$102,620	$49.34	8
   16	North Kansas City Hospital	$101,161	$48.64	46
   17	Rochester Regional Health	$100,917	$48.52	26
   18	St. Mary's Health Care System	$100,607	$48.37	26
   19	Kaiser Permanente	$100,071	$48.11	518
   20	Sharp HealthCare	$99,380	$47.78	16

4. Writing a senior registered nurse job description

   A job description for a senior registered nurse role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a senior registered nurse job description:

   Senior registered nurse job description example

   Job DescriptionThis job is knowledgeable and proficient in pre-transplant, post-transplant, and inpatient clinical practice. Acts as a patient advocate and educator while promoting optimum patient independence, self-care, and rehabilitation. This job is an integral member of the transplant team, assisting the transplant physicians by independently monitoring certain patients, managing outpatient clinics and/or inpatient assignments, and periodically reviewing all patients with the physicians. Provides care and service to individuals of all age groups.
   Education Required - Graduate of an accredited school of nursing Preferred - Bachelor's degree in Nursing
   Work Experience
   Required - 5 years experience in a Clinical Transplant setting.
   Certifications Required - Current State of Louisiana RN License, Certified Clinical Transplant Coordinator (CCTC) through the American Board of Transplant Certification (ABTC), Basic Life Support (BLS) through American Heart Association Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs) Must have computer skills and dexterity required for data entry and retrieval of patient information. Must be proficient with Windows-style applications and keyboard. Effective verbal and written communication skills and the ability to present information clearly and professionally to varying levels of individuals throughout the patient care process. Strong public relations skills Strong interpersonal skills Job Duties Manages patients through the transplant process Provides education to patients Educates nursing staff and colleagues Participation in activities for professional growth Ensures compliance and participates in quality initiatives
   Other related duties as required. The above statements describe the general nature and level of work only. They are not an exhaustive list of all required responsibilities, duties, and skills. Other duties may be added, or this description amended at any time.
   Remains knowledgeable on current federal, state and local laws, accreditation standards or regulatory agency requirements that apply to the assigned area of responsibility and ensures compliance with all such laws, regulations and standards.
   This employer maintains and complies with its Compliance & Privacy Program and Standards of Conduct, including the immediate reporting of any known or suspected unethical or questionable behaviors or conduct; patient/employee safety, patient privacy, and/or other compliance-related concerns.
   
   The employer is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.
   Physical and Environmental Demands The physical essential functions of this job include (but are not limited to) the following: Frequently exerting 10 to 20 pounds of force to move objects; occasionally exerting up to 100 pounds of force. Physical demand requirements are in excess of those for sedentary work. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Normal routine involves no exposure to blood, body fluid or tissue, but exposure or potential for exposure may occur.
   
   The incumbent works with patients who have known or suspected communicable diseases and may enter isolation rooms. The incumbent has an occupational risk for exposure to all communicable diseases. Because the incumbent works within a healthcare setting, there may be occupational risk for exposure to hazardous medications or hazardous waste within the environment through receipt, transport, storage, preparation, dispensing, administration, cleaning and/or disposal of contaminated waste. The risk level of exposure may increase depending on the essential job duties of the role.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right senior registered nurse for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with senior registered nurses they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit senior registered nurses who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   To find senior registered nurse candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit senior registered nurses, 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 senior registered nurse

   Once you've selected the best senior registered nurse candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them 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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