Registered Nurse Jobs in Baltimore, MD
Registered nurses in Baltimore can see the pay before they apply: Johns Hopkins posts $39.64 to $61.45 an hour for its staff RN II roles, as Maryland law requires. Here are the current RN openings across the city, followed by who is hiring, what it pays and how to get licensed.
Current registered nurse Openings in Baltimore, MD
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Registered Nurse Work in Baltimore
Few cities pack more acute-care nursing into a few miles. Johns Hopkins Hospital in East Baltimore runs specialty units from the NICU to the Progressive Cardiac Care Unit, Johns Hopkins Bayview in Southeast Baltimore staffs Maryland's only adult burn center, and the University of Maryland Medical Center on the downtown west side houses the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. Mercy Medical Center on St. Paul Place, MedStar Union Memorial on University Parkway and GBMC in Towson, just off the JFX, add community and Magnet hospital jobs.
That mix means Baltimore RNs can specialize early. Postings ask for critical care, psychiatric, perioperative, cardiac and home infusion experience, and nights and rotating 12-hour shifts are the norm on inpatient units. Maryland's wage range transparency law puts a minimum and maximum hourly rate on each posting, so comparing Hopkins, UMMC and GBMC offers is easier here than in most states.
Top Baltimore Employers Hiring Registered Nurses
These Baltimore health systems are posting RN openings now:
- Johns Hopkins Hospital - the East Baltimore flagship posts NICU, cardiac, case management and lead RN roles with pay ranges on each listing.
- Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center - hires RN IIs for its burn ICU and acute psychiatric unit, many on night shifts.
- Johns Hopkins Care at Home - the home care arm hires infusion and home care RNs for one-on-one visits, Monday to Friday with on-call.
- University of Maryland Medical Center - the downtown academic hospital recruits RNs for its main and Shock Trauma PACU and critical care units.
- Mercy Medical Center - the downtown Magnet hospital recruits nurses and runs a 12-month nurse residency for new graduates.
- GBMC HealthCare - the Towson medical center hires RNs across emergency, critical care, perioperative, medical-surgical and maternal child units, some with sign-on bonuses.
Registered Nurse Salaries in Baltimore
- Staff RN: $39.64 to $61.45 an hour, the posted range for RN II roles at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Bayview, which ask for about a year of experience.
- Experienced specialty RN: $43.61 to $67.59 an hour, the posted range for home infusion RNs at Johns Hopkins Care at Home with two years of hospital experience.
- Lead and charge RN: $47.96 to $74.34 an hour, the posted range for a lead RN on the cardiac unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
These are estimates from posted employer ranges; for scale, healthcare practitioners across the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro averaged $53.33 an hour in May 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Where you land in a range depends on years of experience, specialty, a BSN, and night, weekend and rotating shifts. New graduate rates were not posted in the listings checked, so ask during the residency interview.
How to Become a Registered Nurse in Baltimore
You need an associate or bachelor's degree from a nursing program approved by the Maryland Board of Nursing, then a passing score on the NCLEX-RN and a Maryland RN license. Maryland is a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so a multistate license from another compact state also works, and Hopkins postings say so. Locally, the Community College of Baltimore County runs its associate degree RN program at the Catonsville and Essex campuses, with an evening and weekend cohort at Essex and a cohort for EMTs and veterans, and Baltimore City Community College offers an associate degree in nursing on Liberty Heights Avenue. For the BSN, the University of Maryland School of Nursing on West Lombard Street and Coppin State's Helene Fuld School of Nursing in West Baltimore are the city options. Johns Hopkins hires associate degree RNs on the condition that they enroll in a BSN program within a year.
What the Job Involves
Registered nurses assess patients, give medications and IV therapy, monitor vitals and telemetry, chart in the electronic health record, coordinate with physicians and therapists, and teach patients and families before discharge. On specialty units the work adds ventilators, drips, wound and burn care, or psychiatric de-escalation, usually across 12-hour shifts.
Skills Employers Look For
- An active Maryland or compact RN license
- BLS CPR certification
- Unit experience in critical care, cardiac, perioperative or psychiatry
- Electronic health record charting
- Clear patient and family teaching
- Flexibility for nights, weekends and rotating shifts
Career Path and Advancement
Most Baltimore RNs start on a medical-surgical or specialty unit, often through a residency like Mercy's, then move into critical care, cardiac or trauma as experience builds. From there the ladder at Hopkins and UMMC runs to lead RN, case manager, clinical nurse specialist and nurse practitioner, and associate degree nurses typically finish the BSN at the University of Maryland, Towson or Notre Dame of Maryland along the way.
Related Careers in Baltimore
If nursing interests you, these Baltimore guides cover the roles around it:
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do registered nurses make in Baltimore?
Johns Hopkins posts $39.64 to $61.45 an hour for staff RN II roles and up to $74.34 an hour for lead RNs. Specialty, shift and a BSN move you up the range.
Do I need a Maryland license to work as an RN in Baltimore?
You need either a Maryland RN license from the Maryland Board of Nursing or a multistate license from another Nurse Licensure Compact state. Baltimore hospital postings accept either one.
Do Baltimore hospitals hire new graduate nurses?
Yes. Mercy Medical Center runs a 12-month nurse residency for new graduates, and GBMC invites nursing students into acute care. Many specialty postings at Hopkins ask for a year or more of experience, so a residency is the usual way in.
Can I work as an RN in Baltimore with an associate degree?
Yes. Johns Hopkins accepts an associate degree in nursing if you enroll in a BSN or MSN program within a year of hire. CCBC and BCCC both offer the associate degree.
What shifts do Baltimore hospital nurses work?
Inpatient units mostly run 12-hour day, night or rotating shifts at 36 hours a week, while home care and some leadership roles run weekday or 40-hour schedules.
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