Registered Nurse Jobs in Bakersfield, CA
Registered nurses in Bakersfield earn a median of about $62 an hour, and Kern Medical, Dignity Health and Good Samaritan are all posting RN openings across ICU, emergency and surgery units. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring, what the work pays and how to get licensed.
Current registered nurse Openings in Bakersfield, CA
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Registered Nurse Work in Bakersfield
Bakersfield's RN jobs cluster in three parts of town. The downtown medical corridor holds Dignity Health Memorial Hospital on 34th St, the largest hospital in the county by licensed beds, plus Mercy Hospital Downtown on Truxtun Ave and Adventist Health Bakersfield on Chester Ave. In East Bakersfield, Kern Medical on Mount Vernon Ave runs the county's Level II trauma center and a UCLA-affiliated teaching program, which keeps its emergency, NICU and perianesthesia units hiring. In the Southwest, Mercy Southwest on Old River Rd has a Family Birth Center with 18 NICU suites and is the only hospital west of Highway 99.
The market is not uniform. Dignity Health cut about 30 nursing positions across its two Mercy campuses in summer 2026 while still posting ICU, emergency and labor and delivery openings, and Memorial closed its Grossman Burn Center at the end of June 2026. Outside the hospitals, dialysis clinics, Kaiser and the state prisons in Delano also hire RNs, so it pays to look beyond the downtown campuses.
Top Bakersfield Employers Hiring Registered Nurses
These Bakersfield employers have current RN postings:
- Kern Medical - the county trauma and teaching hospital posts RN roles in emergency, pediatrics, NICU, perianesthesia and the operating room.
- Dignity Health Memorial Hospital - the 385-bed hospital on 34th St hires ICU, neuro ICU, charge and care coordinator RNs.
- Dignity Health Mercy Hospital - the Downtown and Southwest campuses hire for emergency, surgery, ICU, med-surg telemetry and labor and delivery, plus new-graduate resident RNs.
- Good Samaritan Hospital - the 64-bed hospital on Olive Dr hires ICU, med-surg, surgery and geropsych RNs.
- Kaiser Permanente - hires staff RNs for surgery and recovery at its Bakersfield facilities.
- California Correctional Health Care Services - hires correctional facility RNs at North Kern State Prison in Delano.
Registered Nurse Salaries in Bakersfield
- Entry level: about $42 to $49 an hour for new graduates and nurses in clinic or outpatient roles.
- Experienced: roughly $50 to $68 an hour for staff nurses in hospital units.
- Senior / specialty: about $70 to $78 an hour or more for ICU, emergency, surgery and charge roles.
These are estimates drawn from federal wage data for the Bakersfield-Delano area, where the median RN wage is about $61.93 an hour, and from current local postings such as Kern Medical's $41 to $69 hospital scale and Good Samaritan's $55 to $65 ICU range. Bakersfield RN pay runs a few dollars below the California median. Specialty unit, night and weekend differentials, union contracts and years of experience move pay the most.
How to Become a Registered Nurse in Bakersfield
You need an associate or bachelor's degree in nursing, a passing score on the NCLEX-RN, and a license from the California Board of Registered Nursing. California does not belong to the Nurse Licensure Compact, so nurses moving from other states must apply for a California license by endorsement. Locally, Bakersfield College on Panorama Drive offers a four-semester associate degree in nursing and an LVN to RN path, and CSU Bakersfield on Stockdale Highway offers a BSN and an RN to BSN program.
What the Job Involves
Registered nurses assess patients, give medications and IV therapy, monitor vital signs and respond when a patient's condition changes. They write care plans, chart in the electronic health record, coordinate with physicians and therapists, supervise LVNs and nursing assistants, and teach patients and families what to do after discharge. Hospital RNs typically work three 12-hour shifts a week.
Skills Employers Look For
- An active California RN license
- BLS, plus ACLS or PALS for critical care and emergency units
- Strong clinical assessment and prioritization
- Electronic health record charting
- Bilingual English and Spanish communication
- Teamwork across physicians, LVNs and aides
- Flexibility for nights, weekends and holidays
Career Path and Advancement
Many Bakersfield RNs start in a new-graduate residency or on a med-surg floor, then move into ICU, emergency, labor and delivery or the operating room once they have a year or two of experience. From there the path runs to charge nurse, care coordinator and nurse educator roles at the downtown hospitals and Kern Medical. CSU Bakersfield's RN to BSN and nurse practitioner programs let working nurses move into advanced practice without leaving town.
Related Careers in Bakersfield
If nursing interests you, these Bakersfield guides are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do registered nurses make in Bakersfield?
The median RN wage in the Bakersfield-Delano area is about $62 an hour. New graduates and clinic nurses generally start around $42 to $49, and specialty hospital nurses can reach $70 to $78 or more with differentials.
Where can I study nursing in Bakersfield?
Bakersfield College offers an associate degree in nursing and an LVN to RN path at its Panorama campus. CSU Bakersfield offers a BSN, an RN to BSN program and graduate nursing degrees. Both prepare you for the NCLEX-RN.
Can I work in Bakersfield with a nursing license from another state?
Not on a compact license. California is not part of the Nurse Licensure Compact, so you must apply to the California Board of Registered Nursing for licensure by endorsement before you can work as an RN here.
Do Bakersfield hospitals hire new graduate nurses?
Yes. Dignity Health posts National Resident RN positions for new graduates at its Bakersfield hospitals. Expect competition for these spots, so apply early, keep your BLS current and consider clinic or dialysis roles while you wait.
What shifts do Bakersfield hospital nurses work?
Most hospital RNs work three 12-hour shifts a week, days or nights, with weekend and holiday rotation. Clinic, dialysis and outpatient surgery roles more often keep daytime hours.
Ready to apply? Browse all Registered Nurse jobs in Bakersfield, CA on LocalJobPage and apply today.