Northwestern University
Health system employer · Based in Chicago, IL
- 1
- open role, live count
- 4.5
- Google rating
On the floor
What the day-to-day looks like
Benefits
$10,000 tuition reimbursement per year ($5,700 part-time), $10,000 student loan repayment ($5,000 part-time), and $1,000 professional development per year ($500 part-time) for Northwestern Medicine employees; these figures may not apply to Northwestern University research-nurse roles.
What stands out
New graduates
You start in the New Graduate Nurse Residency Program, which mixes education, hands-on work, and a mentor as you move toward independent practice.
As of 2026Source: jobs.nm.org
Experienced nurses
You would be working in an academic health system where nine hospitals hold Magnet designation and nursing jobs are posted at hundreds of Illinois sites.
As of 2026Source: jobs.nm.org
Experienced nurses
If you are a Northwestern Medicine employee, the careers page lists $10,000 a year in tuition reimbursement and $10,000 in student loan repayment, or about half those amounts if you work part-time.
As of 2026Source: jobs.nm.org
Experienced nurses
You can opt into the Internal Agency Nursing Team and rotate across all Northwestern Medicine hospitals instead of staying on one unit.
As of 2026Source: jobs.nm.org
More about working here
New graduates
Student nurse intern and extern roles run in the summer, and applications for summer 2027 open in December 2026.
As of 2026Source: jobs.nm.org
Experienced nurses
NM describes a shared decision-making model that gives nurses an active voice, and lists $1,000 a year ($500 part-time) for professional development for NM employees.
As of 2026Source: jobs.nm.org
Moving here
You would be choosing a Chicago-headquartered academic health system with nursing roles advertised throughout Illinois, not a single-building job.
Working conditions
- Charting system
- Epic
From employer postings
- Floating
- Optional Internal Agency Nursing Team float pool providing care at all Northwestern Medicine hospitals on a rotating basis.
As of 2026Source: jobs.nm.org
- Pay and benefits
- $10,000 tuition reimbursement per year ($5,700 part-time) for Northwestern Medicine employees
As of 2026Source: jobs.nm.org
- Pay and benefits
- $10,000 student loan repayment ($5,000 part-time) for Northwestern Medicine employees
As of 2026Source: jobs.nm.org
- Pay and benefits
- $1,000 professional development per year ($500 part-time) for Northwestern Medicine employees
As of 2026Source: jobs.nm.org
- Pay and benefits
- $10,000 sign-on bonus for night-shift Respiratory Care Practitioner at NM Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital
As of 2026Source: linkedin.com
- Pay and benefits
- Relocation bonuses referenced for Respiratory Care Practitioner roles at NM Lake Forest; amount not stated
As of 2026Source: linkedin.com
Starting out and growing here
- Preceptors and orientation
- New graduate residency includes professional mentorship intended to support transition to independent practice.
As of 2026Source: jobs.nm.org
- Career development
- NM cites professional/academic growth and a shared decision-making model giving nurses an active voice; student nurse intern/extern program (summer 2027 apps open Dec 2026).
As of 2026Source: jobs.nm.org
- Tuition support
- $10,000 tuition reimbursement per year ($5,700 part-time)
As of 2026Source: jobs.nm.org
The city
Living in Chicago, IL
Chicago delivers big-city energy with lakefront charm along Lake Michigan, world-class medical centers, and neighborhoods like Lincoln Park and Wicker Park that blend dining, culture, and community. Nurses relocating here will find a metro area rich in career opportunity, transit access, and Midwestern character.
Browse roles in Chicago
- Metro price level · Chicago area
- 4% above the national average
- BEA index 103.6 (100 = national)
- Median gross rent
- $1,440/mo
- rent and tenant-paid utilities
- Median household income
- $77,902/yr
- all local households, not nurse pay
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · 2024 metro Regional Price Parities · Census ACS 2024
Who they are
You would be stepping into Northwestern Medicine, the academic health system around this Chicago campus. Nursing jobs are advertised at hundreds of Illinois locations, and nine of the hospitals hold Magnet designation.
More about Northwestern University
You chart in Epic. If you are new, the New Graduate Nurse Residency Program pairs education and hands-on work with a mentor as you move toward independent practice. If you already have experience, you can stay on one unit or join the Internal Agency Nursing Team and rotate across the system's hospitals. For Northwestern Medicine employees, the nursing careers page lists $10,000 a year in tuition reimbursement, $10,000 in student loan repayment, and $1,000 for professional development — about half those amounts if you are part-time. Those numbers are written for NM employees and may not apply to Northwestern University research-nurse roles. Nurses on Glassdoor rate the system 3.8 from about 3,029 reviews, with 69% saying they would recommend it; the 240 RN-tagged reviews sit at 4.0. It is not the same at every site. McHenry reviews fall to 3.5, and only 39% there would recommend the employer.
NM describes itself as an academic health system where the patient comes first, aiming for quality, cost-effectiveness, and satisfaction.
Working here
Culture and working life
Themes from public reviews
Summaries of published reviews, with the original sources.
- Overall Glassdoor recommendation
- Northwestern Medicine sits at 3.8 from about 3,029 reviews, with 69% saying they would recommend the employer and 68% seeing a positive outlook.
- Registered nurse ratings vs company overall
- RN-tagged reviews are stronger: 4.0 overall, 76% would recommend, and 77% positive outlook across 240 nurse reviews.
As of 2026Source: glassdoor.com
- Large site-to-site rating gap
- McHenry IL reviews drop to 3.5 with only 39% recommending and 51% positive outlook (37 reviews), well below the system average.
As of 2026Source: glassdoor.com
More review themes
- Demographic rating disparities
- Glassdoor scores are lower for Black staff (3.6), women (3.6), LGBTQ+ (3.0), disabled employees (3.0), caregivers (2.9), and trans/non-binary staff (3.0) than for Asian (4.2) or men (3.9).
As of 2026Source: glassdoor.com
- Offers below posted pay ranges
- A public Facebook thread asked whether Northwestern Hospital offers came in much lower than the posted range.
As of 2026Source: facebook.com
What to weigh
Reviews are not even across the system: McHenry, Illinois sits at 3.5 with only 39% recommending the employer, well below the system average.
As of 2026Source 1: glassdoor.comSource 2: glassdoor.comSource 3: glassdoor.co.uk
The reality check
Before you decide
Quick facts
- Relationship
- Umbrella organization
- Roles last seen active
- Aug 25, 2026
- Website
- northwestern.edu ↗
Weighing a first job here?
The license clock and the job hunt run at once, and new-grad windows do the deciding. Residency commitments carry fine print worth reading before you sign.
Work here?
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A closer look at the units
Open counts come from the live roles below. Source links show where unit details were reported.
- Higher Education1 open
System-wide nursing (Northwestern Medicine)
NM says nursing jobs exist at hundreds of Illinois sites and that nine hospitals hold Magnet designation.
Source location unconfirmedSource: jobs.nm.org
Internal Agency / system float pool
NM Internal Agency Nursing Team is a float pool rotating across all Northwestern Medicine hospitals.
Source location unconfirmedSource: jobs.nm.org
Open roles
Roles from Northwestern University
Refreshed throughout the day.
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