Registered Nurse Jobs in Houston, TX
Houston registered nurses earn a federal-data median of $48.00 an hour, and the hiring runs from the Texas Medical Center to community hospitals in Baytown, Katy, Kingwood and Clear Lake. Every RN here is licensed by the Texas Board of Nursing. Here are the current openings.
Current registered nurse Openings in Houston, TX
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Registered Nurse Work in Houston
Health care, not energy, is Houston's growth industry. The Greater Houston Partnership's 2026 forecast puts 14,000 of the region's 30,900 projected new jobs in health care and social assistance, nearly half of all growth. The center of it is the Texas Medical Center, south of downtown between SH 288 and Main Street, home to Houston Methodist's flagship hospital, MD Anderson, Texas Children's, Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and Harris Health's Ben Taub Hospital. The METRORail Red Line runs through the Med Center, which matters for staff who commute without a car.
The work reaches well beyond it. Houston Methodist runs community hospitals in Baytown, Clear Lake, Cypress, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Katy and Willowbrook; HCA Houston Healthcare runs 13 hospitals from Conroe to Texas City; and Harris Health staffs LBJ Hospital in northeast Houston. Shift work is the norm, and hurricane season from June through November means hospitals run ride-out crews, so storm duty can be part of the job.
Top Houston Employers Hiring Registered Nurses
These Houston health systems are hiring RNs on their own careers sites:
- Houston Methodist - the eight-hospital system is hiring RNs across its network, with current openings in critical care at Willowbrook and in the cath lab and endoscopy at Houston Methodist West.
- MD Anderson Cancer Center - the Med Center cancer hospital is hiring experienced clinical nurses, including for its stem cell unit and nursing resource pool.
- Harris Health - the county's public health system posts RN openings at Ben Taub Hospital in the Med Center and LBJ Hospital, from med-surg telemetry and SICU to NICU charge nurse.
- Memorial Hermann Health System - the metro's largest system by hospital count hires nurses for facilities including TIRR Memorial Hermann and the Red Duke Trauma Institute.
- Texas Children's Hospital - the pediatric hospital on Fannin Street recruits nurses for inpatient, outpatient specialty and leadership roles.
- HCA Houston Healthcare - 13 hospitals across the metro, from Kingwood and Tomball to Pearland and Clear Lake, with a nursing residency program for new graduates.
Registered Nurse Salaries in Houston
- Entry level: about $36 to $42 an hour for new graduate RNs.
- Experienced: roughly $45 to $55 an hour for staff nurses with several years at the bedside.
- Senior / specialty: $56 to $63 or more an hour for charge nurses and specialty units.
These are estimates based on federal BLS data for May 2025 in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro, where RNs earn $35.99 an hour at the 10th percentile, a $48.00 median and $62.71 at the 90th, or about $74,860, $99,830 and $130,440 a year. The Houston median runs above the Texas median. Shift differentials for nights and weekends are standard at the big systems, and specialty units such as ICU, ER, OR, cath lab and NICU pay above med-surg.
How to Become a Registered Nurse in Houston
You need an Associate Degree in Nursing or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from a program approved by the Texas Board of Nursing, then a passing score on the NCLEX-RN and a Texas RN license from the Board. Texas is a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so a multistate license lets you practice in other compact states. Lone Star College teaches ADN nursing at LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris and LSC-Tomball, and San Jacinto College and Houston City College's Coleman College for Health Sciences on Pressler Street also train nurses. For a BSN, the Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston and the Prairie View A&M University College of Nursing on Fannin Street are both inside the Texas Medical Center.
What the Job Involves
Registered nurses assess patients, give medications and treatments, watch vital signs and monitors, and report changes to physicians. They chart in the electronic health record, start IVs, manage wound care, educate patients and families before discharge, and coordinate with therapists, pharmacists and case managers. Hospital RNs usually work 12-hour shifts, including nights, weekends and holidays.
Skills Employers Look For
- Active Texas or compact multistate RN license
- BLS, plus ACLS or PALS for critical care and pediatrics
- Clinical assessment and critical thinking
- Electronic health record charting
- Clear communication with patients and families
- Calm under pressure on busy units
Career Path and Advancement
Many Houston nurses start in med-surg or a new graduate residency, then move into specialty units such as ICU, ER, oncology or NICU, and on to charge nurse and nurse manager roles. ADN nurses often finish a BSN while working; Lone Star College's ADN program has RN-to-BSN articulation agreements, and Prairie View A&M offers an online RN-to-BSN. Graduate programs at the Cizik School of Nursing lead to nurse practitioner, nurse anesthesia and leadership roles.
Related Careers in Houston
If nursing interests you, these Houston health care roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Who licenses registered nurses in Houston?
The Texas Board of Nursing licenses every RN in the state after you pass the NCLEX-RN. Texas is a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so nurses with a multistate license from another compact state can also work here.
How much do registered nurses make in Houston?
Federal BLS data for May 2025 puts the Houston metro median at $48.00 an hour, or about $99,830 a year. The 10th percentile is $35.99 an hour and the 90th is $62.71, before shift differentials.
Should I get an ADN or a BSN in Houston?
Both lead to the same Texas RN license. An ADN from Lone Star College or San Jacinto College is the faster route, and you can add a BSN later through RN-to-BSN programs while you work. A BSN from Cizik or Prairie View A&M opens the door to graduate study sooner.
Are there new graduate nurse programs in Houston?
Yes. HCA Houston Healthcare runs a nursing residency program for new graduates across its 13 Houston-area hospitals. Check each system's careers site for new graduate openings, since start dates and requirements vary.
Where do registered nurses work in Houston besides the Med Center?
Across the whole metro. Houston Methodist has hospitals in Baytown, Clear Lake, Cypress, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Katy and Willowbrook, HCA Houston Healthcare covers Conroe to Texas City, and Harris Health runs LBJ Hospital in northeast Houston.
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