Registered Nurse Jobs in Chicago, IL
Registered nurse jobs in Chicago run through the Illinois Medical District, Streeterville and Hyde Park, and posted hospital ranges start around $36 to $38 an hour. Below are the current RN openings, followed by who is hiring, what the work pays and how to get licensed in Illinois.
Current registered nurse Openings in Chicago, IL
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Registered Nurse Work in Chicago
Chicago's RN jobs cluster in a few places. The Illinois Medical District on the Near West Side, the oldest medical district in the country, holds Rush University Medical Center, Stroger Hospital, UI Health and the Jesse Brown VA along the Eisenhower and the Blue and Pink lines. Downtown, Northwestern Medicine, Lurie Children's and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab fill Streeterville, and UChicago Medicine anchors Hyde Park on the South Side. Advocate Illinois Masonic in Lakeview and Insight Hospital on South Michigan Avenue round out the city, while suburban hospitals in Oak Lawn, Maywood, Park Ridge and Evanston widen the search.
Two things make nursing here different from the rest of Illinois. Many city nurses are union members: National Nurses United represents RNs at UChicago Medicine and Cook County Health, and the Illinois Nurses Association represents nurses at UI Health. And the market keeps moving. Ascension's Illinois hospitals became Prime Healthcare in 2025, Weiss Memorial's ER in Uptown closed that August, and West Suburban in Oak Park closed in March 2026, so it pays to check who owns a hospital before you apply.
Top Chicago Employers Hiring Registered Nurses
These Chicago health systems have RN openings or RN hiring programs on their own career sites:
- Northwestern Medicine - the downtown academic system lists more than 100 Chicago nursing jobs, from new-grad RN residencies to ED nurses.
- Rush University Medical Center - the Illinois Medical District teaching hospital hires ambulatory, inpatient and OR nurses, with posted RN ranges up to about $62 an hour.
- Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center - the Lakeview hospital posts specialty RN roles such as cath lab at $38.20 to $57.30 an hour.
- UChicago Medicine - the South Side academic medical center hires union RNs, represented by National Nurses United, at its Hyde Park campus.
- Cook County Health - the public system hires nurses for Stroger Hospital in the medical district and Provident Hospital on the South Side.
- Shirley Ryan AbilityLab - the Streeterville rehabilitation hospital hires RNs for units like spinal cord injury at $35.50 to $53.75 an hour.
Registered Nurse Salaries in Chicago
- Entry level: about $36 to $40 an hour for new graduates and first-year staff nurses.
- Experienced: roughly $42 to $52 an hour for staff nurses with a few years on a unit.
- Senior and specialty: about $53 to $62 an hour or more for OR, cath lab, ICU and senior-step nurses.
These are estimates built from ranges posted this month by Advocate, Rush and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, which Illinois now requires in job ads. For context, BLS puts the average for all Chicago-area healthcare practitioners at $51.06 an hour (May 2025). Pay moves with specialty, shift differentials for nights and weekends, BSN or specialty certification, and whether the contract is union.
How to Become a Registered Nurse in Chicago
You need an ADN or BSN from an approved program, a passing score on the NCLEX-RN, and a Registered Professional Nurse license from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), which works with the Illinois Board of Nursing. Illinois is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so nurses moving from another state apply for an Illinois license by endorsement. The lowest-cost path in the city is the City Colleges ADN at Malcolm X College on West Jackson, a 69-credit program built for six full-time semesters. BSN routes include the UIC College of Nursing on South Damen, Loyola's Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing at the Lake Shore Campus, and Saint Xavier University's 15-month accelerated BSN on West 103rd Street. Rush University offers a two-year direct-entry master's for career changers.
What the Job Involves
Registered nurses assess patients, give medications and IV therapy, watch vital signs for change, and chart everything in the electronic health record. They coordinate with physicians, therapists and techs, teach patients and families before discharge, and respond to codes. Most hospital RNs work 12-hour day or night shifts, with weekends and holidays in the rotation.
Skills Employers Look For
- Active Illinois RN license, or eligibility by endorsement
- BLS, plus ACLS or PALS for acute care units
- Epic or other EHR charting experience
- Sound clinical judgment and prioritization
- Clear communication with patients and care teams
Career Path and Advancement
Many Chicago nurses start in a new-grad residency on a med-surg or step-down unit, then move to ICU, ED, OR or specialty units once they have a year or two. From there the ladder runs to charge nurse, nurse educator and unit manager. Graduate nursing programs at UIC, Rush and Loyola open the next step, advanced practice and nursing leadership roles across the medical district and the suburban systems.
Related Careers in Chicago
If nursing interests you, these related Chicago guides are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Who licenses registered nurses in Illinois?
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) issues RN licenses, working with the Illinois Board of Nursing. You apply to IDFPR, register separately for the NCLEX-RN, and must pass it to practice in Chicago.
Can I work in Chicago on a compact nursing license?
No. Illinois is not a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact, and the 2025 and 2026 bills to join did not pass. Nurses licensed in another state need an Illinois license by endorsement before they can work here.
How much do registered nurses make in Chicago?
Posted ranges at Chicago hospitals this year start around $36 to $38 an hour and run above $57 an hour, with some senior OR roles posted higher. Night and weekend differentials, union steps and specialty units push pay up.
Do Chicago hospitals hire nurses with an ADN?
Yes, though the academic hospitals often prefer a BSN. An ADN from Malcolm X College qualifies you for the NCLEX-RN and an Illinois license, and the UIC College of Nursing offers an online RN-to-BSN you can finish while working.
Are Chicago nurses unionized?
Many are. National Nurses United represents RNs at UChicago Medicine and Cook County Health, and the Illinois Nurses Association represents nurses at UI Health. Ask about representation when you interview, since it shapes pay steps and scheduling.
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