Registered Nurse Jobs in Dallas, TX
Registered nurses in Dallas earn a median of about $48.76 an hour, and a single stretch of Harry Hines Boulevard holds Parkland, UT Southwestern and Children's Medical Center Dallas. Here are the current RN openings, followed by who is hiring, what it pays and how to get licensed in Texas.
Current registered nurse Openings in Dallas, TX
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Registered Nurse Work in Dallas
Dallas runs on hospital nursing. The Southwestern Medical District, tucked between Stemmons Freeway and Love Field, puts the county safety-net hospital, an academic medical center and a major children's hospital within a few blocks of one another. Baylor University Medical Center anchors Gaston Avenue on the edge of Deep Ellum, Texas Health Dallas sits on Walnut Hill Lane at Central Expressway, Medical City Dallas runs an 899-bed campus on Forest Lane near LBJ, and Methodist Dallas Medical Center serves North Oak Cliff from North Beckley Avenue.
That density means Dallas RNs can choose between Level I and Level II trauma centers, transplant and pediatric specialty units, Magnet hospitals and a long list of outpatient clinics. It also means hospitals compete hard for new graduates, which is why several run formal nurse residency programs with set start dates every year.
Top Dallas Employers Hiring Registered Nurses
These Dallas health systems post registered nurse openings on their own career sites:
- Parkland Health - Dallas County's public hospital on Harry Hines hires RNs for inpatient units, labor and delivery, oncology and its community clinics.
- UT Southwestern Medical Center - the academic medical center employs about 3,400 nurses across Clements University Hospital and nearly 100 clinics.
- Baylor Scott & White Health - Baylor University Medical Center on Gaston Avenue, a Magnet hospital, hires RNs in specialties from labor and delivery to ECMO.
- Texas Health Resources - Texas Health Dallas on Walnut Hill Lane, a roughly 900-bed Magnet hospital, posts RN roles in progressive care, cardiac ICU and trauma surgery.
- Methodist Health System - Methodist Dallas Medical Center in Oak Cliff, a Level I trauma center, hires ED, NICU, labor and delivery and med-surg nurses.
- Children's Health - Children's Medical Center Dallas hires pediatric RNs for critical care, NICU, emergency and surgery.
Registered Nurse Salaries in Dallas
- Entry level: about $35 to $39 an hour for new graduates and nurses in their first years.
- Experienced: roughly $45 to $53 an hour for staff nurses with a few years on a unit.
- Senior: $55 to $62 an hour and up for specialty, charge and highly experienced nurses.
These are estimates based on federal wage data for the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area, and they move with specialty, shift and employer. Night and weekend differentials, critical care or OR experience and a BSN all push pay up. Federal jobs at VA North Texas post RN ranges from about $78,700 to $181,700 a year and can include student loan repayment.
How to Become a Registered Nurse in Dallas
You need a nursing degree and a Texas license. Dallas College offers a two-year Associate Degree Nursing program at its Brookhaven, El Centro, Mountain View and North Lake campuses. For a BSN, Texas Woman's University teaches nursing at its T. Boone Pickens Institute of Health Sciences in the Medical District, and Baylor University's Louise Herrington School of Nursing sits on North Washington Avenue beside the Baylor hospital campus. The Texas Board of Nursing licenses RNs: you pass the NCLEX-RN, the Texas Nursing Jurisprudence Exam and a fingerprint background check. Texas belongs to the Nurse Licensure Compact.
What the Job Involves
Registered nurses assess patients, give medications and treatments, monitor vital signs and lab results, chart in the electronic health record and coordinate care with physicians, therapists and case managers. They teach patients and families about diagnoses and discharge plans, supervise LVNs and patient care technicians, and respond first when a patient's condition changes. Hospital nurses usually work three 12-hour shifts a week; clinic nurses work weekday hours.
Skills Employers Look For
- Active Texas or compact RN license
- BLS, plus ACLS or PALS for acute and pediatric units
- Clinical judgment and fast patient assessment
- Electronic health record charting
- Clear communication with patients, families and care teams
- Spanish, which some Dallas postings list as preferred
Career Path and Advancement
Many Dallas nurses start in a hospital residency, such as Methodist's programs that begin in February, July and October or the one-year Children's Health residency for new BSN graduates. From staff nurse, the ladder runs to charge nurse, specialty certification, nurse educator or manager, and with a graduate degree to nurse practitioner or CRNA roles at the Medical District's academic centers.
Related Careers in Dallas
If registered nursing interests you, these Dallas healthcare guides are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do registered nurses make in Dallas?
Federal wage data puts the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington median at about $48.76 an hour, or roughly $101,400 a year. New graduates typically start in the mid to high $30s an hour, and experienced specialty nurses can pass $60 an hour with differentials.
Who licenses registered nurses in Texas?
The Texas Board of Nursing. You need to graduate from an approved program, pass the NCLEX-RN and the Texas Nursing Jurisprudence Exam, and clear a fingerprint criminal background check. Texas is a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so a multistate license from another compact state is accepted.
Do Dallas hospitals hire new graduate nurses?
Yes. Methodist runs nurse residencies that start three times a year, and Children's Health runs a one-year residency for new BSN graduates at its Dallas and Plano hospitals. Residencies pair classroom work with a preceptor on the unit.
Do I need a BSN to work as an RN in Dallas?
No. An associate degree from a program like Dallas College's qualifies you for the NCLEX-RN and a Texas license. Some employers and residency programs prefer or require a BSN, so many ADN nurses finish a bachelor's degree while working.
What shifts do Dallas hospital nurses work?
Most inpatient units schedule three 12-hour shifts a week, days or nights, with rotating weekends. Clinic and ambulatory nurses usually work weekday business hours, and night and weekend shifts pay a differential.
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