Registered Nurse Jobs in Raleigh, NC
Registered nurses in Raleigh earn a median of about $40.78 an hour, and three health systems, WakeMed, UNC Health Rex and Duke Raleigh Hospital, compete for them inside one county. Here are the current RN openings, followed by who is hiring, what it pays, and how to get licensed in North Carolina.
Current registered nurse Openings in Raleigh, NC
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Registered Nurse Work in Raleigh
About 12,780 registered nurses work in the Raleigh-Cary metro, and most of the hiring runs through three hospital corridors. WakeMed's Raleigh Campus on New Bern Avenue is the region's Level I trauma center, backed by WakeMed North, Cary Hospital and emergency healthplexes in Brier Creek, Garner, Apex and Wendell. UNC REX Hospital anchors Lake Boone Trail in west Raleigh with surgical and outpatient sites across Wake County, and Duke Raleigh Hospital on Wake Forest Road near North Hills feeds Duke's Raleigh cancer center and specialty clinics.
That three-way competition is what sets Raleigh apart from most of North Carolina. Nurses can change systems without changing commutes, the big employers run internal contract and float pools to cover gaps, and the state adds another option: the NC Department of Adult Correction staffs RNs at Central Prison on Western Boulevard and the NC Correctional Institution for Women.
Top Raleigh Employers Hiring Registered Nurses
These Raleigh employers are hiring registered nurses for inpatient, surgical, clinic and correctional care:
- WakeMed Health & Hospitals - the Level I trauma system hires RNs at its Raleigh Campus, North Hospital and Cary Hospital, including internal travel contracts.
- Duke Raleigh Hospital - Duke Health posts RN roles in the emergency department, operating room, oncology, med-surg and infusion in Raleigh.
- UNC Health Rex - the Lake Boone Trail hospital and its ambulatory surgical centers hire operating room and inpatient RNs.
- NC Department of Adult Correction - the state prison system hires staff and lead RNs at Central Prison and NCCIW, with state benefits.
Registered Nurse Salaries in Raleigh
- Entry level: about $35 to $38 an hour for new graduate and early-career staff nurses.
- Experienced: roughly $38 to $50 an hour for staff RNs with a few years on a unit.
- Senior and specialty: $50 to $53 an hour and up for charge, critical care and specialty nurses.
These are estimates based on the federal May 2025 wage survey for the Raleigh-Cary metro, where the middle half of RNs earned about $78,000 to $104,000 a year. Night and weekend differentials, critical care and operating room experience, and internal contract work all push pay higher; WakeMed has posted internal travel contracts at $88 an hour.
How to Become a Registered Nurse in Raleigh
You need a nursing degree, either an associate degree or a bachelor's, and then you pass the NCLEX-RN to be licensed by the North Carolina Board of Nursing. Wake Tech's Associate Degree Nursing program at the Perry Health Sciences Campus on Holston Lane in east Raleigh is the main local entry route, and its Advanced Placement track lets licensed practical nurses move up to the RN. Admission is competitive. North Carolina is a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so nurses holding a multistate license from another compact state can work here, while others apply to the Board for a license by endorsement.
What the Job Involves
Registered nurses assess patients, give medications and treatments, monitor vital signs and lab results, and coordinate care with physicians, therapists and aides. A shift usually means a set patient assignment, charting in the electronic health record, patient and family teaching, and handing off care at shift change. Hospital RNs typically work 12 hour shifts, while clinic and infusion nurses keep weekday hours.
Skills Employers Look For
- An active North Carolina or multistate compact RN license
- BLS certification, plus ACLS or PALS for many hospital units
- Electronic health record charting
- Sound clinical judgement and prioritization
- Clear communication with patients, families and the care team
- Flexibility for nights, weekends and holidays
Career Path and Advancement
Many Raleigh nurses start in a new graduate residency or a med-surg unit at WakeMed, Rex or Duke Raleigh, then move into critical care, the emergency department, the operating room or oncology. From there the ladder runs to charge nurse, clinical educator and nurse manager, or to a graduate degree and advanced practice as a nurse practitioner. Wake Tech graduates with an associate degree often finish a bachelor's while working, which many hospital leadership roles prefer.
Related Careers in Raleigh
If nursing interests you, this Raleigh guide covers the wider field:
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do registered nurses make in Raleigh?
The median RN in the Raleigh-Cary metro earned about $84,830 a year, or $40.78 an hour, in the May 2025 federal survey. New graduates generally start in the mid-$30s an hour, and experienced specialty nurses can earn above $50 an hour with differentials.
Who licenses registered nurses in North Carolina?
The North Carolina Board of Nursing licenses RNs after you graduate from an approved nursing program and pass the NCLEX-RN. North Carolina is a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so a multistate license from another compact state is valid here.
Where can I study nursing in Raleigh?
Wake Tech's Associate Degree Nursing program at the Perry Health Sciences Campus in east Raleigh is the main community college route, and it has an Advanced Placement option for LPNs. Admission is competitive, so check the application window early.
Which Raleigh hospitals hire new graduate nurses?
WakeMed, UNC Health Rex and Duke Raleigh Hospital all hire registered nurses across inpatient, surgical and clinic units, and new graduates usually enter through a residency or a med-surg unit. Check each system's openings for roles marked new graduate or residency.
Do Raleigh nurses work 12 hour shifts?
Most hospital RNs in Raleigh work three 12 hour shifts a week, days or nights, with weekend and holiday rotation. Clinic, infusion and outpatient surgery roles usually run on weekday schedules with no nights.
Ready to apply? Browse all Registered Nurse jobs in Raleigh, NC on LocalJobPage and apply today.