What is a nurse recruiter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted Expert
Dr. James Lampley

Nurse recruiters play an essential role in ensuring a private or public health care facility's successful operation. This is because they are responsible for recruiting qualified nurses. A nurse recruiter advertises job openings, attends job fairs, and organizes in-house recruitment programs.

Nurse recruiters stay informed about new technologies and learning environments. This allows them to evaluate applications and potential training opportunities for new employees. They also support managers and upper-level management through reports and services as needed. And they screen and interview potential candidates and refer them to the appropriate clinical service.

You may be required to have a bachelor's degree and a Registered Nurse license to work as a nurse recruiter. Additionally, potential employers look for you to have at least 2 to 4 years of related experience. Nurse recruiters are typically employed by larger medical institutions like nursing homes and hospitals on a part-time or full-time basis. Nonetheless, there are opportunities to work as a freelance recruiter.

What general advice would you give to a Nurse Recruiter?

Dr. James LampleyDr. James Lampley LinkedIn Profile

Professor, East Tennessee State University

Be willing to go where the jobs are. Many of our graduates are "place-bound". Their family obligations or spouses make it difficult to relocate.
ScoreNurse RecruiterUS Average
Salary
4.2

Avg. Salary $53,189

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
8.0

Growth Rate 8%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
7.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.78%

Asian 7.96%

Black or African American 11.28%

Hispanic or Latino 16.76%

Unknown 5.45%

White 57.77%

Gender

female 78.92%

male 21.08%

Age - 40
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40
Stress Level
8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
8.3

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
7.0

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Nurse Recruiter career paths

Key steps to become a nurse recruiter

  1. Explore nurse recruiter education requirements

    Most common nurse recruiter degrees

    Bachelor's

    63.0 %

    Associate

    18.8 %

    Master's

    9.8 %
  2. Start to develop specific nurse recruiter skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Applicant Tracking Systems11.40%
    HR11.10%
    Recruitment Strategies6.98%
    Patient Care4.89%
    Recruitment Efforts4.71%
  3. Complete relevant nurse recruiter training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New nurse recruiters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a nurse recruiter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real nurse recruiter resumes.
  4. Research nurse recruiter duties and responsibilities

    • Utilize ATS (applicant tracking software) for organizational recruiting efforts, reviewing applicant information and managing open requisitions.
    • Process new hires and transfers using Taleo.
    • Recruit nurses via cold calling, excel lead spreadsheets, indeed, LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, and internal referrals.
    • Complete necessary Taleo procedures including entering requisitions, and responding to online applicants.
  5. Prepare your nurse recruiter resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your nurse recruiter resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a nurse recruiter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Nurse Recruiter Resume templates

    Build a professional Nurse Recruiter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Nurse Recruiter resume.
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  6. Apply for nurse recruiter jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a nurse recruiter job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Nurse Recruiter Job

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Are you a Nurse Recruiter?

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Average nurse recruiter salary

The average Nurse Recruiter salary in the United States is $53,189 per year or $26 per hour. Nurse recruiter salaries range between $38,000 and $74,000 per year.

Average Nurse Recruiter Salary
$53,189 Yearly
$25.57 hourly

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How do nurse recruiters rate their job?

-/5

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Nurse Recruiter reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019
Pros

I like Bonus and helping people. Sometimes our company cover expanse for networking and meeting. More we do networking more we can earn.

Cons

too much pressure. to hire 1 executive vacancy we have to make connections with 100s of people. We work with people and people are sometimes really hard even we are doing our best. After weeks of hard work right before the placement, some firms reject them without any answers


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019
Cons

I don't have anything I don't like.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019
Pros

Learning about the business and candidate journey

Cons

declining under or overqualified candidates


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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