Registered Nurse Jobs in Wichita, KS
Registered nurses in Wichita earn a median of about $36.80 an hour, and the VA's current float pool posting runs up to $127,807 a year. Ascension Via Christi, Wesley Medical Center and the Robert J. Dole VA are all hiring. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring and how to get licensed.
Current registered nurse Openings in Wichita, KS
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Registered Nurse Work in Wichita
Most Wichita RN jobs sit in two hospital systems. Ascension Via Christi staffs St. Francis on the north edge of downtown, where current postings include PACU recovery, along with St. Joseph on East Harry, St. Teresa on the far west side and the rehabilitation hospital on North Rock Road. Wesley Medical Center on North Hillside, home to Wesley Children's Hospital, hires for intermediate care, pediatric intensive care and surgical units, and Wesley Woodlawn adds acute care on the east side.
Outside the hospitals, the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center on East Kellogg hires RNs on a federal pay scale, and Wichita Public Schools USD 259 hires school nurses. Wichita RN pay runs a little below the Kansas median, and the hospitals compete with sign-on bonuses: Wesley has advertised $7,500 for RNs with two years of hospital experience.
Top Wichita Employers Hiring Registered Nurses
These Wichita employers hire registered nurses for hospital, federal and school roles:
- Ascension Via Christi - the Catholic system runs four Wichita hospitals and posts RN openings such as a weekend-option PACU role at St. Francis.
- Wesley Medical Center - HCA's Wichita flagship hires RNs for intermediate care and pediatric intensive care, and runs a Graduate Nurse Residency for new grads.
- Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center - the East Kellogg VA hires RNs, including intermittent night-shift float pool nurses.
- Wichita Public Schools USD 259 - the district hires RN school nurses with three years of experience and substitute RN school nurses.
Registered Nurse Salaries in Wichita
- Entry level: about $29 to $32 an hour for new graduates and early-career RNs.
- Experienced: roughly $35 to $40 an hour for staff nurses with a few years on a unit.
- Senior: $44 to $48 an hour or more for specialty and senior nurses, and up to $127,807 a year at the VA.
These are estimates drawn from 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data for the Wichita metro, where the RN median is $36.80 an hour against $38.14 for Kansas as a whole, and from current employer postings. Night and weekend shifts, critical care and surgical specialties, a BSN and years of hospital experience all move pay up, and sign-on bonuses at Wesley have ranged from $7,500 to $15,000 with a contract.
How to Become a Registered Nurse in Wichita
You need an associate or bachelor's degree in nursing, a passing score on the NCLEX-RN and a license from the Kansas State Board of Nursing. Kansas is a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so a multistate RN license from another compact state also works here. In Wichita, WSU Tech South on East Harry offers a two-year Associate Degree Nurse program and an LPN-to-ADN bridge, Wichita State University's School of Nursing in Ahlberg Hall offers the BSN and an RN to BSN option, and Newman University offers a BSN. Hospitals also expect BLS, and most add ACLS or PALS by unit.
What the Job Involves
Registered nurses assess patients, give medications and IV therapy, monitor vital signs and telemetry, and chart every intervention in the electronic health record. They carry out physician orders, educate patients and families before discharge, supervise LPNs and nursing assistants, and respond first when a patient's condition changes. Hospital RNs usually work 12-hour shifts with rotating weekends, while school and clinic nurses keep daytime hours.
Skills Employers Look For
- Active Kansas or multistate RN license
- BLS from the American Heart Association, plus ACLS or PALS
- Acute care or specialty unit experience
- Electronic health record charting
- Patient assessment and clinical judgement
- Calm communication with patients, families and physicians
Career Path and Advancement
Many Wichita RNs start as nurse aides or LPNs, finish an ADN at WSU Tech, and then complete the RN to BSN at Wichita State while working. New graduates can apply to Wesley's Graduate Nurse Residency, then build toward ICU, surgery or the ER. The ladder leads to charge nurse, nurse educator and unit manager, or on to graduate school for nurse practitioner and anesthesia roles.
Related Careers in Wichita
If nursing interests you, this Wichita guide covers the wider field:
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do registered nurses make in Wichita?
The median RN wage in the Wichita metro is about $36.80 an hour, or $76,540 a year, based on 2025 BLS data. Most RNs earn between about $31.50 and $39.50, and the top 10 percent earn about $47.85 or more.
Can I work in Wichita with a nursing license from another state?
Yes, if it is a multistate license from a Nurse Licensure Compact state, because Kansas is a compact state. Otherwise you apply to the Kansas State Board of Nursing for a Kansas license by endorsement.
Which Wichita hospitals hire new graduate nurses?
Wesley Healthcare runs a Graduate Nurse Residency, and Ascension Via Christi posts RN openings across its Wichita hospitals, so check each posting's experience requirement. New graduates still need to pass the NCLEX-RN before working as an RN.
Where can I study nursing in Wichita?
WSU Tech South offers the Associate Degree Nurse program and an LPN-to-ADN bridge. Wichita State University and Newman University offer the BSN, and Wichita State also has an RN to BSN option for working nurses.
Do Wichita hospitals offer sign-on bonuses for RNs?
Some do. Wesley has advertised $7,500 for RNs with two or more years of hospital experience and $15,000 with a two-year contract for experienced pediatric nurses. Bonuses change often, so check each posting.
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