RN Jobs in Illinois: Know Your Nursing Career Options

With RN jobs growing at twice the rate as the average for all occupations, there is no shortage of career opportunities for registered nurses.

This guide covers what you need to know about RN jobs in Illinois: where RNs work, how much they make, how to become an RN, and—why not—some fun facts, too.

Where Do RNs Work?

The majority of RNs in Illinois work in hospitals in positions such as the following:

However, many RNs work in outpatient care centers, home healthcare services, nursing care facilities, and physicians’ offices. The following table shows the percentages of RNs employed in diverse industries nationwide, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS):

Industry	Percentage of Registered Nurses
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	30.85%
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	23.43%
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals	16.86%
Outpatient Care Centers	14.87%
Home Health Care Services	11.31%
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	9.28%
Offices of Physicians	7.50%

These national figures are similar to the following findings for Illinois:

Percent of RNs practicing in hospital/acute care settings: 52%
Percent of RNs practicing in ambulatory care settings, including outpatient clinics, private practice, and doctor’s offices: 11%
Percent of RNs practicing in nursing home/extended care/assisted living settings: 9%
Percent of RNs working as school nurses: 4%

These figures provide a general idea of where most registered nurses work, but not all nurses fall in these figures since not all nurses are employed.

Many nurses choose to work per diem or PRN, meaning they pick up shifts at healthcare facilities that need extra coverage. This model allows nurses to work when and where they want to, helping them maintain a flexible schedule and work-life balance. Find out what type of RN-to-patient staffing ratios you can expect in all states. Check out the most popular ways to stay hydrated on the job in our post about the best water bottles for nurses.

How Can I Find PRN Nursing Jobs in Illinois?

Finding PRN nursing jobs is easy with Nursa. Within minutes, nurses can sign up, complete their profiles, upload their Illinois registered nurse licenses for verification, and begin browsing jobs. To learn more about unlocking opportunities, read our article about the ban on noncompetes.

Want to see available per diem RN jobs in Illinois? Click on the links below to find PRN nursing jobs near you:

What Other RN Jobs Are There in Illinois?

Although we have already covered the settings where most RNs work, there are smaller niches where registered nurses may find jobs. For example, 5 percent of RNs nationwide work for the government; 3 percent of RNs offer educational services at the state, local, or private level; approximately 3 percent of RNs work in employment services. Furthermore, the following industries employ less than 1 percent of RNs nationwide:

Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing
Nonscheduled Air Transportation
Merchant Wholesalers/Nondurable Goods

At this point, we have covered practically all the industries where RNs can work. However, this does not mean we have covered all the types of jobs. Although 66 percent of RNs in Illinois provide direct patient care as staff nurses working in acute and non-acute care settings, many registered nurses have non-bedside nursing jobs. These positions include the following:

Nursing Informatics
Legal Nurse Consultant
Nurse Educator
Healthcare Risk Manager
Utilization Review Nurse
Nursing Administrator

Ultimately, registered nurses have an array of career opportunities to choose from.

What Is the Job Outlook for RNs?

Not only do RNs have a vast pool of job opportunities to choose from, but they will be in high demand for the foreseeable future. Whereas the BLS expects most occupations to grow at a rate of 3 percent, it projects that registered nursing jobs will grow 6 percent from 2022 to 2032.

Illinois boasts 129,390 employed registered nurses, which equals 21.99 RNs per 1,000 jobs. The concentration of RNs in Illinois is above the national average. However, according to a 2020 Illinois Nursing Workforce Center survey, 52 percent of registered nurses in Illinois were 55 years or older in 2020. In other words, more than half of the RN workforce in Illinois is at or near retirement age. This statistic indicates that registered nurses will continue to be in high demand in Illinois, as well as in the rest of the country.

How Much Do RNs Make in Illinois?

According to the BLS, RNs in Illinois make a mean annual wage of $82,220 and a mean hourly wage of $39.53, which places Illinois among the highest-paying half of states nationwide. Granted, RNs in Illinois don’t make as high an income as RNs in California or Hawaii, but the cost of living in Illinois is also not as high.

Furthermore, a 2020 RN survey found the following results regarding registered nurse salaries in Illinois:

Illinois’s average staff nurse salary ranges from $55,000 to $85,000.
The average administrator/manager’s salary ranges from $75,000 to $185,000.
The average nursing faculty salary ranges from $65,000 to $105,000.

Although these figures provide a valuable frame of reference, RNs in Illinois can make significantly higher hourly rates by working PRN nursing jobs. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities are willing to pay PRN nurses markedly more per hour to cover shifts at the last minute or pick up other short-term jobs than they pay their staff nurses. This economic advantage has led many registered nurses to leave staff positions and work PRN full-time.

How to Become an RN in Illinois

Aspiring registered nurses in Illinois typically must complete the following requirements to be eligible for RN jobs:

Complete an RN nursing program approved by the Illinois Board of Nursing. Typically, RNs have completed either an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), also called an RN Baccalaureate Program. However, in Illinois, prospective RNs may also opt for a Hospital School of Nursing or an RN Masters Entry Level Degree Program.
Apply to both Continental Testing Services, Inc. (CTS) and Pearson VUE Professional Testing to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).
After receiving the Official Results letter indicating a successful examination, follow the instructions to apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) to obtain an Illinois RN license.

The IDFPR also provides an Illinois RN license lookup tool to verify the status of your nursing license.

Many aspiring registered nurses cannot wait the two to four years required to complete an RN program before starting to make an income. In that case, an excellent alternative to begin making money and acquiring experience while in nursing school is to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA).

If you are already a certified nursing assistant, consider completing a CNA-to-RN program to increase your pay and scope of practice. You can look up the status of your nursing assistant license in the Illinois Nurse Aide Registry.

Illinois RN Workforce Statistics

A 2020 survey conducted by the IDFPR and the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center found the following interesting facts regarding registered nurses in Illinois:

Diversity of RNs in Illinois

Percent of Hispanic/Latinx nurses under 45 years of age: 58%
Percent of male nurses under 45 years of age: 45%
Percent of Asian nurses under 45 years of age: 42%
Percent of nurses who identify as multiracial under 45 years of age: 56%

Age of RNs in Illinois

Percent of the RN workforce 55 years or older: 52%
Percent of RNs between the ages of 55 and 64 years: 31%
Percent of nursing faculty 55 years or older: 70%

Roles of RNs in Illinois

Percent of RNs working full-time at one nursing job: 92%
Percent of RNs providing direct patient care as staff nurses in acute and non-acute care settings: 66%
Percent of RNs who are nurse managers, administrators, or patient care coordinators: 15%
Percent of RNs who are nursing faculty: 3%

RN Education in Illinois

Percent of RNs with either a bachelor, master, or doctoral degree: 58%

Find RN Jobs in Illinois Today

Whether you are interested in hospital, nursing care facility, or outpatient care RN jobs, Nursa can connect you directly with healthcare centers needing your nursing skills and experience. Start making more money today by picking up PRN nursing jobs with Nursa.

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