How to hire a Nurse Practitioner

How to hire a nurse practitioner, step by step

Here's a step-by-step nurse practitioner hiring guide:

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

What does a Nurse Practitioner do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The nurse practitioner hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a nurse practitioner to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a nurse practitioner that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of nurse practitioners and their corresponding salaries.

   Type Of Nurse Practitioner	Description	Hourly Rate
   Nurse Practitioner	Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners, also referred to as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), coordinate patient care and may provide primary and specialty healthcare. The scope of practice varies from state to state.	$29-77
   Mental Health Nurse	A mental health nurse is responsible for assisting with the diagnosis and treatment plans of patients with mental health complications. Mental health nurses handle high-quality nursing care under mental health professionals' supervision within a hospital or mental health institution... Show More	$29-87
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Patients
   • Diagnosis
   • Home Health
   • Diagnostic Tests
   • Acute Care
   • EMR
   • Medical Care
   • Urgent Care
   • Patient Education
   • Compassion
   • Medical History
   • Health Promotion
   • Rehabilitation
   • Direct Patient Care

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage care of chronic pediatric patients in PICU.
   • Assess, diagnose and medically manage patients with various GI diseases and dysfunctions
   • Manage medical illnesses including diabetes, hypertension, thyroid conditions and asthma and other medical conditions.
   • Manage pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of diabetes and provide prescriptions and education before discharge from the hospital.
   • Manage appropriate changes to individualize care plan to ensure cost and time efficacy in an outpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation office.
   • Document correctly the patients' information in electronic health record and observe HIPAA.

   More Nurse Practitioner duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your nurse practitioner job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A nurse practitioner salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, nurse practitioners' average salary in alabama is 38% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level nurse practitioners earn 61% less than senior-level nurse practitioners.
   • Certifications. A nurse practitioner with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a nurse practitioner's salary.

   Average nurse practitioner salary

   $100,033yearly

   $48.09 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level nurse practitioner salary

   $62,000 yearly salary

   Updated March 26, 2025

   Average nurse practitioner salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$127,474	$61
   2	Washington	$109,414	$53
   3	Oregon	$109,393	$53
   4	New Jersey	$103,435	$50
   5	Nevada	$102,601	$49
   6	Arizona	$101,834	$49
   7	New York	$101,808	$49
   8	New Mexico	$101,613	$49
   9	Massachusetts	$101,420	$49
   10	Connecticut	$100,493	$48
   11	Minnesota	$98,265	$47
   12	Texas	$97,866	$47
   13	Delaware	$96,916	$47
   14	Rhode Island	$95,369	$46
   15	Maryland	$93,832	$45
   16	District of Columbia	$93,789	$45
   17	Colorado	$93,739	$45
   18	New Hampshire	$93,652	$45
   19	Michigan	$91,340	$44
   20	Illinois	$90,673	$44

   Average nurse practitioner salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Pace University	$159,520	$76.69
   2	Apple	$149,151	$71.71
   3	Kansas Medical Center	$143,624	$69.05
   4	Sharecare	$142,758	$68.63	2
   5	Fairview Health Services	$140,521	$67.56	23
   6	Mercy Corps	$137,785	$66.24	14
   7	Valley Children's	$137,394	$66.05
   8	Adobe	$135,896	$65.33	5
   9	HealthRIGHT 360	$134,822	$64.82	10
   10	Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners	$133,666	$64.26	13
   11	The New Jewish Home	$133,496	$64.18
   12	Oregon Medical Group	$133,134	$64.01
   13	Walmart	$131,878	$63.40
   14	Mohawk Valley Health System	$130,824	$62.90	2
   15	Dayton Children's Hospital	$129,342	$62.18	5
   16	Signature Healthcare	$127,945	$61.51	2
   17	Oncology Institute	$127,186	$61.15	3
   18	Hamilton Health Center	$127,042	$61.08	4
   19	Pacific Medical Centers	$126,469	$60.80
   20	The Main Place Inc	$126,325	$60.73

4. Writing a Nurse Practitioner Job Description

   A nurse practitioner job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a nurse practitioner job description:

   Nurse Practitioner job description example

   • Assesses physical and psychosocial status of assigned patients as outlined by Nursing Standard Operating Procedures
   • Prepares and Provides accurate documentation of the visit in a timely manner
   • Provides medical care as needed and with the scope of practice of the Nurse Practitioner
   • Actively participates in the coordination of the patient's hospice care
   • May be asked to perform routine visits to patient homes and/or participate in the on-call nursing schedule

   About You

   • Master's or higher degree in Nursing or related field with primary focus on Nursing (licensed in the state of requested employment)
   • Completion of graduate level nurse practitioner education program accredited by a national accrediting body and documentation of certification by a national credentialing body
   • Must be able to effectively operate nursing assessment tools and office equipment to include, computer and or tablet
   • Sensitivity to feeling of the terminally ill and their families before and after patient's death
   • Knowledge of terminally ill patients and their families along with understanding of the hospice concept

   This role requires full COVID-19 vaccination.

   We Offer

   • Comprehensive Benefits Package: Health Insurance, 401k Plan, Tuition Reimbursement, PTO
   • Opportunity to Participate In a Fleet Program
   • Competitive Salaries
   • Mileage Reimbursement
   • Professional Growth and Development Opportunities

   Legalese

   • This is a safety-sensitive position
   • Employee must meet minimum requirements to be eligible for benefits
   • Where applicable, employee must meet state specific requirements
   • We are proud to be an EEO employer
   • We maintain a drug-free workplace

   Location Hospice Plus

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right nurse practitioner 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 nurse practitioners they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit nurse practitioners 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.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting nurse practitioners requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   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 nurse practitioner

   Once you have selected a candidate for the nurse practitioner 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   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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How much does it cost to hire a nurse practitioner?