What Is a Nurse Recruiter?
Written by:
Wilson College
• Sep 19, 2025
Nearly 42% of acute care hospitals reported that more than 10% of their registered nurse (RN) jobs were vacant, according to the 2025 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report. Job vacancies can impact patient care and increase the stress on other nurses. Nurse recruiters can play a critical role in addressing this issue by staffing healthcare facilities.
What is a nurse recruiter? Nurse recruiters, also known as RN recruiters, help healthcare organizations meet their staffing needs by recruiting and hiring RNs.
It takes an average of 83 days to fill an open RN position, and every time a hospital hires an RN, it saves $79,100, according to the NSI report. Investing in recruitment helps healthcare organizations manage the cost of turnover. Additionally, recruiting offers career growth opportunities for nurse leaders looking to move out of bedside care.
What Does a Nurse Recruiter Do?
Recruiters connect job candidates with employers to fill vacancies. Nurse recruiters specialize in hiring RNs. They must identify and recruit qualified nurses who align with a healthcare company’s needs.
The job duties of a nurse recruiter include the following:
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Evaluating the hiring needs of healthcare organizations, including specialty nursing roles
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Reaching out to potential hires through job boards, career fairs, and social media
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Screening resumes and meeting with candidates to connect nurses with job openings
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Coordinating between job candidates and healthcare organizations to complete the hiring process and onboard new employees
Nurse recruiters also help healthcare organizations hire specialty roles that can be challenging to fill. The NSI report found that hospitals spend an average of 88 days to hire a progressive care unit RN and 87 days to hire a medical-surgical nurse. Recruiters with an RN license and clinical experience can apply their understanding of nursing specialties and job requirements to assess candidates and fill vacancies.
Where Do Nurse Recruiters Work?
Nurse recruiters typically work for hiring agencies or directly for healthcare organizations. For example, hospitals may hire in-house nurse recruiters to manage their staffing needs.
Hiring agencies that specialize in healthcare staffing employ nurse recruiters. These agencies contract with healthcare organizations to assess their hiring needs, implement recruiting plans, and fill vacant roles.
Large healthcare organizations such as hospitals or healthcare centers may employ nurse recruiters directly. Nurse recruiters may also work for nursing homes, home care agencies, and public health agencies.
How to Become a Nurse Recruiter
While some nurse recruiters aren’t RNs, an RN license and clinical experience benefits nurse recruiters. As a result, becoming a nurse recruiter takes several years.
Step 1: Become an RN
Prospective nurse recruiters should pursue an RN license. Students can earn a two-year associate degree in nursing (ADN) or a nursing diploma to qualify for RN licensure. Earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) also prepares graduates for licensure.
Recruiting agencies and hospitals typically prefer to hire RNs with a BSN for recruiting roles. RNs without a BSN can enroll in an accelerated RN-to-BSN program.
In a BSN program, nursing students build on their clinical knowledge to develop leadership skills. Coursework covers health policy, nursing research application, and core nursing skills. BSN students also take courses in healthcare organizations, care coordination, and nursing leadership that can prepare them for recruiting jobs.
RNs complete the licensure process through their state board of nursing. In addition to attending an approved nurse preparation program, candidates must pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Some states also require a background check.
Step 2: Gain Clinical Experience
After completing a nursing degree and earning an RN license, prospective nurse recruiters benefit from gaining clinical experience. New nurses can pursue entry-level roles in hospital settings to expand their clinical skills.
RNs can also consider professional certification in a specialty area, such as emergency nursing, pediatrics, gerontology, and oncology. While these certifications are voluntary, they demonstrate expertise in specialty areas, which can be valuable for nurse recruiters.
Step 3: Consider Earning an MSN
Earning a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) can help RNs specialize in areas such as nurse leadership and management. Graduate-level training in healthcare systems, healthcare finance, and change management can strengthen skills that benefit nurse recruiters.
Nurse Recruiter Salary and Job Growth
Nurse recruiter salaries vary widely depending on experience, location, and job title. Nationally, nurse recruiters earn an average of around $75,000 per year, or $36 per hour, as of July 2025, according to ZipRecruiter. Based on Vivian Health job postings from July 2025, nurse recruiters earn between $1,750 and $2,650 per week.
The job outlook for RNs remains strong. The field will see around 194,500 job openings annually from 2023 to 2033, according to projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Nurse recruiters will play a role in filling many of those vacancies.
Streamlining the recruiting process saves healthcare organizations money. As a result, more than 38% of acute care hospitals surveyed in the NSI report said they planned to increase their recruitment budget.
Advance Your Nursing Career at Wilson College Online
Are you an RN considering the next step in your career? Wilson College Online offers a flexible MSN program. Designed for working nurses, the program emphasizes nursing education or leadership and management. Both the Education and Leadership and Management tracks develop leadership abilities, which can prepare RNs to become nurse recruiters.
Wilson College Online prioritizes individualized attention from mentors and flexible coursework with no set class times. Contact Wilson College Online to learn more about the online MSN program.
Recommended Readings
Can Nurses Increase Their Salary With an MSN?
Why Earn an Advanced Degree in Nursing?
Sources:
Health Carousel, 4 Reasons Nurses Make Great Healthcare Recruiters
Indeed, How to Work With Nurse Recruiters
Indeed, 6 Steps to Become a Nurse Recruiter
NSI Nursing Solutions, 2025 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Registered Nurses
