Registered Nurse Jobs in Tucson, AZ
Tucson employs about 10,000 registered nurses, and the average RN here earned $46.06 an hour in 2025, according to federal wage data. TMC Health, Carondelet, Northwest Healthcare and the Tucson VA all recruit nurses year-round. Current openings are below, followed by who is hiring, pay and licensing.
Current Registered Nurse Openings in Tucson, AZ
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Registered Nurse Work in Tucson
Nursing jobs in Tucson follow the hospitals. Banner - University Medical Center Tucson, next to the University of Arizona on Campbell Avenue, is Southern Arizona's only Level I trauma center. Tucson Medical Center, the locally governed nonprofit on Grant Road in midtown, runs a 12-month residency for new RNs. Carondelet splits its work between St. Joseph's Hospital on the east side and St. Mary's Hospital on the west side, and Northwest Healthcare covers the northwest with Northwest Medical Center on La Cholla and Oro Valley Hospital on Tangerine Road, plus campuses on Houghton Road and in Sahuarita.
Outside the hospitals, the Tucson VA Medical Center on South Sixth Avenue keeps a nurse recruiter on staff, El Rio Health runs community clinics across the metro, and hospice and skilled nursing providers hire RNs for home visits and long-term care. That spread lets a Tucson nurse move between trauma, clinic, home and post-acute work without leaving Pima County.
Top Tucson Employers Hiring Registered Nurses
These Tucson employers post RN roles on their own careers sites:
- TMC Health - Tucson Medical Center in midtown, hiring RNs for bed control, clinics and inpatient units, with a 12-month new graduate residency.
- Carondelet Health Network - St. Joseph's and St. Mary's hospitals, posting ER, CVICU, cardiac, labor and delivery and orthopedic RN roles.
- Northwest Healthcare - Northwest Medical Center, Oro Valley Hospital and its Houghton and Sahuarita campuses, which list nursing among their hiring areas.
- Southern Arizona VA Health Care System - the Tucson VA Medical Center, which takes RN applications through its own nurse recruiter.
- Casa de la Luz Hospice - hospice RNs for home visits and its inpatient unit, including night and weekend roles.
- El Rio Health - Tucson's community health center network, which names nursing among the clinical roles it hires.
Registered Nurse Salaries in Tucson
- New graduate: roughly $37 to $42 an hour.
- Experienced (2 to 5 years): roughly $42 to $50 an hour.
- Specialty, charge or senior: roughly $50 to $58 an hour for ICU, ER, OR and lead roles.
These are estimates that vary by employer and experience. Federal data put the Tucson RN average at $46.06 an hour in May 2025. Unit, shift and schedule move pay the most: Casa de la Luz posted a full-time hospice RN role at $83,200 to $93,600 a year with a sign-on bonus for outside hires, and Handmaker pays a $2 an hour evening differential. TMC advertises sign-on bonuses for nurses who qualify.
How to Become a Registered Nurse in Tucson
The most common local route is Pima Community College's Nursing associate degree at the West Campus Center of Excellence in Health Professions on Anklam Road, five to six semesters full time. Pima's concurrent enrollment option pairs the associate degree with a BSN from Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University or Grand Canyon University, and the University of Arizona runs its own Collaborative Nursing Education Program with Pima. The UA College of Nursing also offers a BSN on the Health Sciences campus and a master's entry program for people who already hold a degree.
To work, you graduate from an approved program, pass the NCLEX-RN and get licensed by the Arizona State Board of Nursing, which requires a fingerprint background check and renewal every four years. Arizona belongs to the Nurse Licensure Compact, so a multistate license from another compact state is valid here; nurses from other states apply by endorsement.
What the Job Involves
RNs assess patients, give medications and treatments, watch for changes in condition, coordinate with physicians and teach patients and families about care at home. Hospital nurses usually work 12-hour day or night shifts. Clinic and hospice nurses keep more regular hours and spend more time on education, follow-up and home visits.
Skills Employers Look For
- An active Arizona or multistate RN license and current BLS
- ACLS or PALS for emergency, critical care and many inpatient units
- Sound patient assessment and clinical judgment under pressure
- Accurate charting in electronic health records
- Clear communication with patients, families and the care team
- Spanish, which helps with many Tucson patients
Career Path and Advancement
Many Tucson nurses start as a nursing assistant or LPN while finishing Pima's nursing degree, then join a new graduate residency such as TMC's before moving into ICU, ER, labor and delivery or surgery. From there the ladder runs to charge nurse, educator or unit manager, or through a BSN and graduate degree to advanced practice roles that the Arizona State Board of Nursing certifies.
Related Careers in Tucson
These Tucson guides cover the closest alternatives for registered nurses:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a license to work as a registered nurse in Tucson?
Yes. You need an RN license from the Arizona State Board of Nursing, which means graduating from an approved program, passing the NCLEX-RN and completing a fingerprint background check. A multistate license from another Nurse Licensure Compact state also works in Arizona.
How long does it take to become an RN in Tucson?
Pima Community College's nursing associate degree runs five to six semesters full time once prerequisites are done. A BSN takes longer, either through Pima's partner programs or the University of Arizona College of Nursing.
How much do registered nurses make in Tucson?
Federal data put the Tucson RN average at $46.06 an hour in May 2025. New graduates usually start in the high $30s to low $40s an hour, and specialty and charge nurses earn more. Night, evening and weekend differentials add to base pay.
Which Tucson employers hire the most nurses?
The hospital systems post the most RN roles: TMC Health, Carondelet's St. Joseph's and St. Mary's, and Northwest Healthcare. The Tucson VA, El Rio Health and hospice providers such as Casa de la Luz add clinic and home-based roles.
Can new graduate nurses find jobs in Tucson?
Yes. TMC runs a 12-month residency for newly licensed RNs, and Carondelet posts RN openings across units at both of its Tucson hospitals. Watch both systems' careers pages in the months before you finish school.
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