Registered Nurse Jobs in San Francisco, CA
Registered nurses in San Francisco see posted staff nurse ranges from about $62 to more than $113 an hour, and per diem pay runs higher. UCSF Health, Kaiser Permanente, Zuckerberg San Francisco General and Dignity Health are all hiring. Here are the current openings, then who is hiring and how to get licensed.
Current registered nurse Openings in San Francisco, CA
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Registered Nurse Work in San Francisco
San Francisco packs a teaching hospital system, a county trauma center, several private hospitals and a VA medical center into a city about seven miles across. UCSF Health staffs nurses across Parnassus Heights, Mission Bay, Mount Zion and Bayfront, Kaiser Permanente runs its San Francisco Medical Center on Geary Boulevard, and the city's Department of Public Health hires nurses for Zuckerberg San Francisco General and Laguna Honda Hospital. Dignity Health adds Saint Francis Memorial, which it calls the city's only downtown hospital, and St. Mary's Medical Center, while Chinese Hospital serves Chinatown.
What sets the city apart is that pay is posted and largely union-negotiated. Kaiser's staff nurse postings name the California Nurses Association, the city's RN postings link the SEIU 1021 nurses agreement, and California's pay-transparency rules mean nearly every posting shows a range. Expect to start on nights at many units, especially at San Francisco General, and expect commuters from the East Bay on BART and from the Peninsula on Caltrain and US-101.
Top San Francisco Employers Hiring Registered Nurses
These employers have posted registered nurse openings in San Francisco on their own career sites:
- UCSF Health - the academic medical center hires RNs for perianesthesia, urgent care, pediatric dialysis and more across Parnassus Heights, Mission Bay and Mount Zion.
- Kaiser Permanente - the San Francisco Medical Center at 2425 Geary posts Staff Nurse II roles, including operating room nurses.
- San Francisco Department of Public Health - recruits RNs continuously for Zuckerberg San Francisco General, Laguna Honda Hospital and city clinics, plus a per diem pool.
- Saint Francis Memorial Hospital - Dignity Health's downtown hospital hires staff nurses for its medical-surgical ICU and acute psychiatric unit.
- St. Mary's Medical Center - Dignity Health's second San Francisco hospital posts telemetry staff nurse roles.
- Chinese Hospital - the Chinatown community hospital hires medical-surgical RNs, including full-time nights.
Registered Nurse Salaries in San Francisco
- Entry level: about $62 to $85 an hour for new graduates and nurses early in their careers.
- Experienced: roughly $85 to $110 an hour for staff nurses with several years of acute care experience.
- Senior and per diem: $110 to $140 an hour or more for top-step and per diem nurses.
These are estimates drawn from ranges San Francisco employers published in their own postings in fall 2026, from Chinese Hospital and Dignity Health at the lower end to Kaiser, the city's top steps and the city's per diem pool at the upper end. Years of experience set your step on union scales such as the city's, and specialty, night and weekend shifts, and per diem status move pay further. Federal VA nurse pay is set separately and is posted as an annual salary.
How to Become a Registered Nurse in San Francisco
You need to complete a nursing program that meets California requirements, pass the NCLEX-RN, and hold a license from the California Board of Registered Nursing, which you apply for through BreEZe with fingerprints. In the city, San Francisco State University runs a prelicensure BSN at Burk Hall on Holloway Avenue, the University of San Francisco offers a BSN on its Hilltop Campus on Fulton Street, and City College of San Francisco offers a Registered Nursing associate degree. Most San Francisco hospital postings also ask for current BLS, and many specialty units want ACLS or PALS.
What the Job Involves
Registered nurses assess patients, give medications and treatments, monitor vital signs and telemetry, and chart everything in the electronic health record. They coordinate with physicians, therapists and case managers, teach patients and families how to manage care at home, and supervise LVNs and nursing assistants on the unit. Twelve-hour shifts are common in hospitals, while clinic and outpatient roles usually run daytime hours.
Skills Employers Look For
- Active California RN license
- BLS, plus ACLS or PALS for acute and specialty units
- Acute care experience in a specialty such as ICU, OR, telemetry or med-surg
- Electronic health record charting
- Clear communication with patients, families and the care team
- Bilingual skills, especially Cantonese, Mandarin or Spanish
- Calm judgement under pressure
Career Path and Advancement
Many San Francisco nurses start on nights or on a general medical-surgical unit, then move into a specialty such as the ICU, the operating room or perianesthesia. From there the ladder runs to charge nurse, assistant nurse manager and nurse manager, and to advanced practice: UCSF, Kaiser and the Department of Public Health all post nurse practitioner roles. A BSN or a master's from SF State, USF or UCSF's graduate programs opens the advanced and leadership tracks.
Related Careers in San Francisco
If nursing interests you, these related San Francisco guides are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do registered nurses make in San Francisco?
Posted staff nurse ranges in San Francisco run from about $62 an hour at the low end to more than $113 an hour at the top of the city's scale, and per diem RNs can earn over $140 an hour. Where you land depends on experience, employer and shift.
Which board licenses registered nurses in California?
The California Board of Registered Nursing issues RN licenses. You complete an approved program, pass the NCLEX-RN, submit fingerprints and apply online through BreEZe.
Are San Francisco nursing jobs unionized?
Many are. Kaiser Permanente's staff nurse postings name the California Nurses Association, and the city's RN postings refer to the SEIU 1021 nurses agreement. On the city's scale, your starting step depends on your years of RN experience.
Do new nurses have to work nights in San Francisco?
Often, yes. The city's RN postings note that many positions at Zuckerberg San Francisco General start on the 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift, and night shifts are a common way into hospital units across the city.
Where can I study nursing in San Francisco?
San Francisco State University and the University of San Francisco both offer BSN programs, and City College of San Francisco offers a Registered Nursing associate degree. UCSF's School of Nursing focuses on graduate programs.
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