Registered Nurse Jobs in Columbus, OH
Registered nurses in Columbus earn a median of about $40 an hour, and the big hospital systems hire new graduates into structured residency programs. Openings at Ohio State, OhioHealth, Mount Carmel and Nationwide Children's are below, followed by pay, schools and Ohio licensing.
Current registered nurse Openings in Columbus, OH
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Registered Nurse Work in Columbus
Registered nurses are the largest licensed workforce in Columbus healthcare, and the jobs are spread across the whole metro. Ohio State Wexner Medical Center hires on the north side of campus at University Hospital, The James and the Ross Heart Hospital, all Magnet hospitals, and at Ohio State East Hospital on Taylor Avenue, where the Neuro and Acute Care unit on Tower 7 was hiring this year. OhioHealth staffs Riverside Methodist on Olentangy River Road and Grant Medical Center Downtown, and Mount Carmel and OhioHealth both run hospitals out past the Outerbelt in Dublin, Grove City and Westerville.
Specialty matters here more than in most Ohio cities. Ohio State recruits for cardiology, critical care, emergency, labor and delivery, oncology, operating room and psychiatric nursing, and Nationwide Children's on the Near South Side is one of the few places in the state to build a full pediatric career, from the bedside to CRNA and nurse practitioner roles.
Top Columbus Employers Hiring Registered Nurses
These Columbus hospital systems recruit RNs for inpatient, emergency, surgical and outpatient units:
- Ohio State Wexner Medical Center - hires RNs across specialties at its campus hospitals and East Hospital, with a program for new graduate nurses.
- OhioHealth - places new acute care RNs in a Nurse Residency Program with med-surg, critical care and emergency, and operating room tracks.
- Mount Carmel Health System - the Trinity Health system hires nurses for Mount Carmel East, Dublin, Grove City, New Albany and St. Ann's in Westerville.
- Nationwide Children's Hospital - the pediatric hospital hires staff RNs, including new graduates for most units, on its Livingston Avenue campus.
Registered Nurse Salaries in Columbus
- Entry level: about $32 to $38 an hour for new graduate and early career RNs.
- Experienced: roughly $38 to $49 an hour, with the metro median near $40 an hour, or about $83,900 a year.
- Senior: $49 to $51 an hour and up for experienced specialty, charge and critical care nurses.
These are estimates from BLS May 2025 wage data for the Columbus metro. Pay rises with experience, a bachelor's degree, specialty certification and unit type, and night, weekend and holiday differentials add to the base rate. Critical care, emergency and operating room nurses generally sit at the top of the range.
How to Become a Registered Nurse in Columbus
You need an associate or bachelor's degree from an approved nursing program, then a passing score on the NCLEX-RN and a license from the Ohio Board of Nursing. Columbus State Community College on East Spring Street runs a five-semester associate degree in nursing, and The Ohio State University College of Nursing and Mount Carmel College of Nursing offer bachelor's programs, with a 13 or 18 month accelerated track at Mount Carmel for people who already hold a degree. Ohio is in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so a multistate Ohio license also covers other compact states. Associate degree nurses can work at Nationwide Children's in most units but must finish a BSN within five years.
What the Job Involves
Registered nurses assess patients, give medications and IV therapy, carry out physician orders, watch for changes in condition and chart everything in the electronic health record. They also teach patients and families, coordinate with doctors, therapists and nurse aides, and delegate tasks to support staff. Hospital nurses typically work three 12 hour shifts a week, with nights, weekends and holidays in the rotation.
Skills Employers Look For
- Active Ohio RN license or multistate compact license
- Basic Life Support, plus ACLS or PALS for critical and pediatric units
- Strong assessment and clinical judgment
- Electronic health record charting
- Calm communication with patients and families
- Teamwork across a 12 hour shift
Career Path and Advancement
Many Columbus nurses start in a medical-surgical residency, move into a specialty such as critical care, emergency or oncology after a year or two, and then take on charge nurse, educator or nurse manager roles. An RN to BSN through Columbus State or Mount Carmel opens more doors, and a graduate degree leads to nurse practitioner or CRNA work, both roles the big Columbus systems hire for.
Related Careers in Columbus
If nursing interests you, these Columbus guides are a good next read:
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do registered nurses make in Columbus?
The median registered nurse in the Columbus metro earns about $40 an hour, or roughly $83,900 a year, according to BLS May 2025 data. New nurses often start in the low to mid $30s, and experienced specialty nurses can earn $49 an hour or more before differentials.
Do Columbus hospitals hire new graduate nurses?
Yes. OhioHealth runs a Nurse Residency Program for new acute care RNs, Ohio State Wexner Medical Center has a new graduate nurse program, and Nationwide Children's hires new graduates for most RN positions and enrolls them in its residency automatically.
Do I need a BSN to be a nurse in Columbus?
No, an associate degree qualifies you for the NCLEX-RN and many jobs. Some employers set limits, though: Nationwide Children's does not hire associate degree nurses into its ICUs or emergency department, and requires a BSN within five years for others.
Can I use my nursing license from another state in Ohio?
If you hold a multistate license from a Nurse Licensure Compact state, you can practice in Ohio, which joined the compact in 2023. Otherwise you apply for an Ohio license by endorsement through the Ohio Board of Nursing.
Where can I go to nursing school in Columbus?
Columbus State Community College offers an associate degree in nursing at its Columbus Campus, and The Ohio State University College of Nursing and Mount Carmel College of Nursing offer bachelor's degrees. Mount Carmel also runs an accelerated second degree program and an online RN to BSN.
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