Registered Nurse Jobs in Denver, CO
Registered nurses in Denver commonly see posted ranges of about $35 to $55 an hour, with sign-on bonuses up to $20,000 for emergency, ICU and float pool roles. Here are the current RN openings across the metro, followed by who is hiring, what it pays and how to get licensed in Colorado.
Current registered nurse Openings in Denver, CO
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Registered Nurse Work in Denver
Denver's RN jobs are concentrated in a handful of big systems. Denver Health, the city's safety-net hospital at 777 Bannock Street, hires across more than 20 specialties from the emergency department to the NICU. Across town, HCA HealthONE Presbyterian/St. Luke's and Intermountain Health Saint Joseph Hospital anchor the East 19th Avenue hospital row in Uptown, and out Colfax and I-225 the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora holds UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and Children's Hospital Colorado.
Demand runs highest for experienced nurses in emergency, critical care, labor and delivery and float pools, which is where the sign-on bonuses cluster. New graduates have structured ways in: Denver Health runs a Nurse Residency Program, UCHealth has a New Graduate RN Residency for metro Denver, and HCA HealthONE offers a New Grad RN Residency. Because Colorado is in the Nurse Licensure Compact, nurses relocating from other compact states can start without a new license.
Top Denver Employers Hiring Registered Nurses
These Denver-area hospitals and health systems are posting RN jobs on their own career sites:
- Denver Health - the safety-net system hires RNs for units including MICU, SICU, labor and delivery, NICU, PICU and the emergency department.
- UCHealth - University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora posts acute care, transplant, surgery and neurosciences RN roles plus emergency fellowships.
- HCA HealthONE - Presbyterian/St. Luke's in Uptown hires RNs for labor and delivery, ICU, NICU, oncology and its float pool.
- AdventHealth Porter - the South Downing Street hospital recruits ED, ICU, pre-surgery and float pool RNs with sign-on bonuses.
- Kaiser Permanente - the health plan hires RNs for ambulatory surgery and care coordination at its Denver medical offices.
- Children's Hospital Colorado - the pediatric hospital on the Anschutz campus lists dozens of open nursing positions in Aurora.
Registered Nurse Salaries in Denver
- Entry level: about $35 to $38 an hour for new graduates and residency nurses.
- Experienced: roughly $40 to $50 an hour for staff nurses with a few years in a specialty.
- Senior: about $50 to $60 an hour for senior ED, ICU, labor and delivery and float pool nurses.
These are estimates drawn from posted ranges at Denver hospitals in 2026, such as $34.60 to $59.83 an hour for an emergency float RN at AdventHealth Porter and $36.68 to $55.53 for labor and delivery at Presbyterian/St. Luke's. Specialty experience, night and weekend shifts, float pool assignments and a BSN all move pay up, and sign-on bonuses of $10,000 or more are common for hard-to-fill units.
How to Become a Registered Nurse in Denver
You need an associate or bachelor's degree from a board-approved nursing program, then a passing score on the NCLEX-RN and a license from the Colorado Board of Nursing in the Division of Professions and Occupations. The Board allows three NCLEX attempts within three years. Local routes include the BS Traditional Pathway at the University of Colorado Anschutz College of Nursing in Aurora, Regis University's Loretto Heights School of Nursing, MSU Denver on the Auraria Campus, and Community College of Denver's LPN-to-BSN and AS-BSN pathways. Many Denver hospitals prefer a BSN.
What the Job Involves
Registered nurses assess patients, give medications and IV therapy, carry out physician orders, monitor vital signs and changes in condition, and chart everything in the electronic health record. They educate patients and families, coordinate with doctors, therapists and case managers, supervise LPNs and nursing assistants, and plan discharges. Hospital RNs usually work 12-hour shifts, including nights, weekends and holidays.
Skills Employers Look For
- Active RN license, Colorado or multistate compact
- BLS, plus ACLS or PALS for critical care and emergency roles
- Specialty experience in ED, ICU, labor and delivery or med-surg
- Electronic health record charting
- Clinical judgment and prioritization on a busy unit
- Clear communication with patients, families and physicians
Career Path and Advancement
Most Denver RNs start in a residency or on a med-surg unit, then move into a specialty such as emergency, critical care or labor and delivery. From there the ladder runs to charge nurse, clinical educator, nurse navigator and nurse manager, all titles currently posted by UCHealth on the Anschutz campus. Saint Joseph Hospital runs a nursing career ladder, and a graduate degree opens advanced practice roles such as nurse practitioner.
Related Careers in Denver
If nursing interests you, these Denver guides are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do registered nurses make in Denver?
Posted ranges at Denver hospitals in 2026 run from about $35 an hour for new graduates to around $60 for senior specialty nurses. Labor and delivery at Presbyterian/St. Luke's, for example, posted $36.68 to $55.53 an hour, before shift differentials and bonuses.
Can I work in Denver with a nursing license from another state?
Colorado is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact, so an RN with a multistate license from another compact state can practice here. Nurses from non-compact states apply to the Colorado Board of Nursing for licensure by endorsement.
Do Denver hospitals hire new graduate nurses?
Yes. Denver Health runs a Nurse Residency Program, UCHealth runs a New Graduate RN Residency for metro Denver, and HCA HealthONE offers a New Grad RN Residency. These programs are built to support the move from school to practice.
Do I need a BSN to be a nurse in Denver?
A BSN is not required for the license; an associate degree from an approved program qualifies you for the NCLEX-RN. Many Denver hospitals prefer a BSN, though, and AdventHealth Porter, for one, lists an associate degree as the minimum with a bachelor's preferred.
Where can I study nursing in Denver?
The University of Colorado Anschutz College of Nursing in Aurora, Regis University's Loretto Heights School of Nursing and MSU Denver on the Auraria Campus all offer BSN programs. Regis also has a one-year Accelerated BSN for people who already hold a bachelor's degree, and Community College of Denver offers pathways into a BSN.
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