Registered Nurse Jobs in Minneapolis, MN
Registered nurses in Minneapolis earn a metro median of about $51 an hour, and most hospital RNs work under a Minnesota Nurses Association contract. HCMC, Abbott Northwestern and the University of Minnesota Medical Center all hire inside city limits. Here are the current openings, then who is hiring and how to get licensed.
Current registered nurse Openings in Minneapolis, MN
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Registered Nurse Work in Minneapolis
The Minneapolis-St. Paul metro employs about 43,600 registered nurses, and a large share of them work in a few Minneapolis neighborhoods. Downtown, Hennepin Healthcare's HCMC runs the city's Level 1 trauma center with burn, neonatal and hyperbaric units. In Phillips, Abbott Northwestern and Children's Minnesota share the Chicago Avenue and East 28th Street medical campus. Across the river, M Health Fairview's University of Minnesota Medical Center spans the East Bank and West Bank, and the Minneapolis VA Medical Center sits by Fort Snelling.
What sets Minneapolis apart is the union contract. The Minnesota Nurses Association represents RNs at Allina, Children's Minnesota, M Health Fairview, HealthPartners and North Memorial, and its 2025 Twin Cities agreement added 10% over three years. Pay follows a step scale by degree and years of service, so a new grad's rate is set by the contract, not by negotiation. DEED projects RN jobs in the seven-county metro to grow 5.5% from 2024 to 2034.
Top Minneapolis Employers Hiring Registered Nurses
Each of these employers recruits RNs for Minneapolis-area hospitals on its own careers site:
- Hennepin Healthcare - HCMC downtown hires staff nurses across trauma, ICU and clinics and enrolls every new grad in its nurse residency.
- Allina Health - Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Phillips hires new grads year-round through a six-month New Grad Nurse Residency.
- M Health Fairview - the University of Minnesota Medical Center hires acute care and flex team RNs, backed by a 12-month nurse residency.
- Children's Minnesota - the Minneapolis pediatric hospital trains new RNs through its paid Transition to Practice Program.
- Minneapolis VA Health Care System - the VA Medical Center hires RNs for ICU, emergency, surgery, spinal cord injury, psychiatry and its Community Living Center.
- North Memorial Health - the Level 1 trauma hospital in Robbinsdale runs a Nurse Residency Program and PeriOp 101 for new OR nurses.
Registered Nurse Salaries in Minneapolis
- Entry level: about $39 to $45 an hour for new graduates on a hospital step scale.
- Experienced: roughly $46 to $59 an hour, around the metro median of $50.93.
- Senior / top of scale: about $60 to $64 an hour or more for long-tenured and specialty nurses.
These are estimates from DEED's 2026 wage data and federal May 2025 figures for the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro, where the 90th percentile tops $133,000 a year. A bachelor's degree, years of service, night and weekend differentials, and specialty units such as the ICU or OR move pay the most. Union hospitals pay by contract step; clinics and the VA use their own scales.
How to Become a Registered Nurse in Minneapolis
You need an approved nursing degree and a license from the Minnesota Board of Nursing. In the city, Minneapolis College on Hennepin Avenue offers an associate degree in nursing, and the University of Minnesota School of Nursing offers a BSN. Normandale Community College in Bloomington and North Hennepin Community College in Brooklyn Park also run approved associate programs. After graduating, you apply to the Board ($105 plus a criminal background check), complete Minnesota fingerprinting, and pass the NCLEX-RN.
What the Job Involves
Registered nurses assess patients, plan and give care, and coordinate with doctors and therapists. A typical shift means taking report, assessing assigned patients, giving medications and IV therapy, monitoring vital signs and lab results, charting in the electronic health record, teaching patients and families, and directing LPNs and nursing assistants. Hospital RNs usually work 8 or 12 hour shifts, including nights, weekends and holidays.
Skills Employers Look For
- An active Minnesota RN license or eligibility for one
- BLS, plus ACLS or PALS for critical care units
- Sound clinical assessment and prioritization
- Electronic health record charting
- Calm communication with patients and families
- Ability to delegate to LPNs and nursing assistants
Career Path and Advancement
Most Minneapolis RNs start in a hospital residency on a medical-surgical or float unit, then move into specialties such as critical care, emergency, pediatrics or the OR after a year or two. From there, the path leads to charge nurse, nurse educator and manager roles, or to graduate study at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing to become a nurse practitioner. Nurses with an associate degree often finish a BSN while working, which also moves them up the contract scale.
Related Careers in Minneapolis
If nursing interests you, these Minneapolis guides are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get an RN license in Minnesota?
Graduate from an approved nursing program, apply to the Minnesota Board of Nursing, complete the state fingerprint background check, and pass the NCLEX-RN through Pearson VUE. Your authorization to test is valid for 90 days.
How much do registered nurses make in Minneapolis?
The metro median is about $50.93 an hour, according to DEED's 2026 data. New graduates usually start near $39 to $45 an hour, and experienced specialty nurses can top $60.
Do Minneapolis hospitals hire new graduate nurses?
Yes. Hennepin Healthcare, Allina Health, M Health Fairview, Children's Minnesota and North Memorial all run new grad residency or transition programs. Allina notes that its ICU, OR, emergency and mother-baby units hire very few new grads, so a medical-surgical start is common.
Are Minneapolis nurses in a union?
Most hospital RNs are. The Minnesota Nurses Association represents nurses at Allina, Children's Minnesota, M Health Fairview, HealthPartners and North Memorial, and its 2025 contract raised pay 3%, 4% and 3% over three years.
How long does it take to become an RN in Minneapolis?
An associate degree at Minneapolis College takes four semesters in the nursing program after prerequisites, so about two to three years in total. A BSN at the University of Minnesota takes about four years.
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