Registered Nurse Jobs in Jacksonville, FL
Registered nurses in Jacksonville earn a median of about $40 an hour, and Baptist Health, Mayo Clinic and UF Health Jacksonville are all hiring across med-surg, critical care and clinic units. Here are the current RN openings, followed by who is hiring, what it pays and how to get licensed in Florida.
Current registered nurse Openings in Jacksonville, FL
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Registered Nurse Work in Jacksonville
Most Jacksonville RN jobs sit in a handful of hospital campuses. Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville and Wolfson Children's Hospital share the Southbank campus on Prudential Drive, UF Health Jacksonville runs the city's academic medical center in Springfield, Mayo Clinic Florida sits on San Pablo Road off J. Turner Butler Boulevard, and Baptist South serves the Bartram and Mandarin side of I-95. Rehab, skilled nursing and hospice add a second tier of RN work along Beach Boulevard and Sunbeam Road.
The systems are still adding beds and rooms. Baptist has been building a four-story emergency tower downtown and Mayo a five-story hospital expansion, and Baptist was advertising a $3,750 sign-on bonus for night-shift med-surg nurses at Baptist South this summer. Current postings run from pediatric CVICU and progressive care to the OR, dialysis and behavioral health.
Top Jacksonville Employers Hiring Registered Nurses
These Jacksonville hospitals and care providers have RN openings or recruit RNs on their own careers sites:
- Baptist Health - posts RN roles at Baptist Jacksonville and Baptist South, from med-surg and behavioral health to flex pool and dialysis.
- Wolfson Children's Hospital - Baptist's children's hospital on the Southbank hires pediatric RNs for CVICU and pediatric med-surg.
- Mayo Clinic - the San Pablo Road campus hires RNs for clinic, operating room and inpatient units.
- UF Health Jacksonville - the academic medical center in Springfield and its physician practices recruit registered nurses across inpatient and outpatient care.
- Brooks Rehabilitation - hires rehab RNs and runs a residency that brings new graduates on as nurse technicians before the NCLEX.
- Community Hospice & Palliative Care - recruits inpatient, home care, triage and crisis care RNs across Duval and the surrounding counties.
Registered Nurse Salaries in Jacksonville
- Entry level: about $33 to $38 an hour for new graduates and nurses in their first years.
- Experienced: roughly $38 to $48 an hour for staff nurses with a few years and a specialty.
- Senior / specialty: $48 an hour and up for charge, critical care, OR and other specialty nurses.
These are estimates built on federal 2025 wage data for the Jacksonville metro, where the median RN earns about $40 an hour, or roughly $83,500 a year. Night and weekend differentials, a BSN, specialty certification and the unit you work on move pay the most, and Jacksonville hospitals often add sign-on bonuses for hard-to-fill shifts.
How to Become a Registered Nurse in Jacksonville
You need a nursing degree from an approved program, a passing score on the NCLEX-RN and a license from the Florida Board of Nursing, which also requires Livescan fingerprints. Florida State College at Jacksonville offers the Nursing R.N. associate degree at its North Campus, Deerwood Center and Nassau Center, plus a bridge option for LPNs and paramedics. The University of North Florida's Brooks College of Health offers a BSN, and Jacksonville University's Keigwin School of Nursing in Arlington runs accelerated BSN cohorts with Baptist Health, Mayo Clinic and Ascension St. Vincent's. Florida issues multistate compact licenses, and most hospitals also require a current BLS card.
What the Job Involves
Registered nurses assess patients, give medications and IV therapy, carry out physician orders, chart in the electronic health record, watch for changes in condition and teach patients and families how to manage care at home. Hospital nurses usually work 12-hour shifts and supervise LPNs and patient care techs on their unit, while clinic nurses handle triage, procedures and follow-up calls.
Skills Employers Look For
- An active Florida or multistate RN license
- BLS, plus ACLS or PALS for critical care and pediatrics
- Strong assessment and clinical judgment
- Electronic health record charting
- Calm communication with patients and families
- Teamwork across 12-hour day and night shifts
Career Path and Advancement
Many Jacksonville nurses start on a med-surg or progressive care floor, then move into ICU, the emergency department, the OR or pediatrics at Wolfson after a year or two. From there the ladder runs to charge nurse, nurse educator and unit manager, and a graduate degree from JU's Keigwin School of Nursing opens nurse practitioner and leadership roles. Nurses who start with an associate degree often finish a BSN while working, since several large Jacksonville employers prefer or require one for some units.
Related Careers in Jacksonville
If nursing interests you, these Jacksonville guides are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do registered nurses make in Jacksonville?
Federal 2025 data puts the median Jacksonville RN at about $40 an hour, or roughly $83,500 a year. Newer nurses start in the low to mid $30s, while experienced and specialty nurses earn $48 an hour and more with differentials.
Which license do I need to work as an RN in Jacksonville?
You need an RN license from the Florida Board of Nursing, earned by finishing an approved program and passing the NCLEX-RN. Florida also issues multistate compact licenses, and nurses holding a multistate license from another compact state can practice in Florida under it.
Do Jacksonville hospitals hire new graduate nurses?
Yes, though many staff nurse postings ask for a year of clinical experience. Brooks Rehabilitation hires graduates as nurse technicians while they wait for the NCLEX, so ask about new graduate residency programs when you apply.
Is a BSN required for nursing jobs in Jacksonville?
Not for every job. Many postings list an associate degree as the minimum and a BSN as preferred, but some units and flex pools ask for a BSN. FSCJ, UNF and JU all offer routes to finish one locally.
What shifts do Jacksonville RNs work?
Hospital RNs commonly work three 12-hour shifts a week, days or nights, with a share of weekends. Clinic, outpatient and hospice roles are more likely to run 8-hour weekday schedules.
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