Rush University Medical Center
Academic Medical Center · Chicago, IL
On the floor
What the day-to-day looks like
- Setting
- Academic Medical Center
- Recognition
- Magnet®
Benefits
403(b) with 50% match up to 6%; retirement/pension; FSA; health/dental/vision; STD/LTD; same-sex domestic partner coverage; full tuition prepayment at Rush University and assistance elsewhere; $1,000/yr nondegree classes FT ($500 PT); dependent tuition at Rush University (except Medical College); PTO per pay period; child care nearby; Metra shuttle; wellness programs; employee discounts; referral incentives for hard-to-fill nurse and APP roles.
What stands out
New graduates
If you are hired as a qualifying new grad, you are enrolled automatically in the Nurse Residency Program—no separate application—and get six months of support past orientation on safety, critical thinking, communication, and wellness.
As of 2026Source: rush.edu
New graduates
Full tuition is prepaid at Rush University, with generous help for other colleges, $1,000/year for nondegree classes if you are full-time, and dependent tuition coverage at Rush University (except the Medical College).
As of 2026Source 1: rush.eduSource 2: rush.edu
Experienced nurses
All three Rush System hospitals hold Magnet nursing status, and the medical center sits on the U.S. News Best Hospitals Honor Roll with a CMS 5-star rating.
As of 2026 · 2025Source 1: rush.eduSource 2: rush.edu
Experienced nurses
Scheduling is built for real life: 12-hour shifts are common, weekender programs run on many units, PTO accrues each pay period, and coursework can be worked around.
As of 2026Source 1: rush.eduSource 2: rush.edu
More about working here
Moving here
On the Chicago campus you get a shuttle to downtown Metra, Rush-sponsored child care nearby, on-site auto maintenance, a 403(b) with 50% match up to 6%, and a retirement/pension plan.
As of 2026Source: rush.edu
Experienced nurses
Roughly 2,000 nurses here voted to form a union with NNOC/NNU, so you walk into a union shop.
Source 1: reddit.comSource 2: facebook.comSource 3: facebook.com
New graduates
A New Graduate RN Resident posting for Medical/Surgical & Telemetry at Rush Oak Park listed $37.50–$57.19 an hour.
As of 2026Source: indeed.com
Experienced nurses
Shared governance is part of the model, and there are paths into advanced degrees and leadership—though reviews note advancement can involve internal politics.
As of 2026Source 1: rush.eduSource 2: rush.eduSource 3: rush.eduSource 4: glassdoor.com
Working conditions
- Union representation
- Union roles reported
Source 1: reddit.comSource 2: facebook.comSource 3: facebook.com
- Scheduling
- Flexible scheduling to accommodate coursework; weekender programs on many units; PTO accrues per pay period for holidays/vacation/sick; 12-hour shifts common
As of 2026Source 1: rush.eduSource 2: rush.edu
- Pay and benefits
- New Graduate RN Resident-CSO (Medical/Surgical & Telemetry) at Rush Oak Park Hospital
As of 2026Source: indeed.com
Starting out and growing here
- Nurse residency
- Nurse Residency Program · Applications: No separate application; automatic enrollment for qualifying new grads hired monthly
As of 2026Source: rush.edu
- Preceptors and orientation
- Nurse Residency supports graduate nurses for six months beyond orientation; topics include patient safety, critical thinking, communication, leadership, wellness
As of 2026Source: rush.edu
- Career development
- Opportunities for advanced degree training and leadership potential; professional development available though advancement may involve internal politics per reviews
- Tuition support
- Full tuition prepayment at Rush University; generous tuition assistance to other colleges; $1,000/yr nondegree classes FT ($500 PT); dependent tuition coverage at Rush University (except Medical College) at RUMC
As of 2026Source 1: rush.eduSource 2: rush.edu
The city
Living in Chicago, IL
Chicago sits about 4% above the national cost-of-living average. Your RN salary stretches across distinct neighborhoods: Logan Square's late-night al pastor windows and dive bars, or Streeterville high-rises steps from Northwestern Memorial. Rush and UChicago Medicine anchor separate South and West Side corridors, all stitched together by the L.
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 walking into an academic medical center on Chicago’s Near West Side where education, research, and bedside care sit on the same campus.
- Academic Medical Center · Chicago
- Magnet® recognized
More about Rush University Medical Center
The main tower is the butterfly-shaped hospital built to cut down how far you walk between patients; rooms are private, and the acute and critical rooms look out toward the skyline. All three Rush System hospitals hold Magnet status, and the medical center is on the U.S. News Best Hospitals Honor Roll with a CMS 5-star rating. If you are a new grad, qualifying hires are enrolled automatically in the Nurse Residency Program—no second application—and residency support runs six months past orientation, covering patient safety, critical thinking, communication, leadership, and wellness. Tuition is a real lever here: full prepayment at Rush University, help for other colleges, and a yearly stipend for nondegree classes. Scheduling tends toward 12-hour shifts, with weekender options on many units and PTO that accrues each pay period so coursework and recovery can fit. Day to day, nurses often praise the people next to them and the shared-governance structure, and the shop is unionized after roughly 2,000 nurses voted to organize with NNOC/NNU. The harder edge is also plain: reviews repeatedly cite understaffing, heavy workload, and upper leadership that feels slow to respond. A New Graduate RN Resident Med/Surg & Telemetry posting at Rush Oak Park listed $37.50–$57.19 an hour; campus perks include a Metra shuttle, nearby Rush-sponsored child care, and a 403(b) with a 50% match up to 6%.
Academic medical center model that blends education, research, and patient care, with a shared governance structure meant to give nurses a voice.
Working here
Culture and working life
Themes from public reviews
Summaries of published reviews, with the original sources.
- Colleague support vs corporate shift
- Staff value collaborative peers but worry the culture is moving toward corporate metrics over care quality.
- Upper management responsiveness
- Reviews cite unresponsive upper leadership and limited transparency, with some describing a toxic climate that sidelines staff wellbeing.
As of 2026Source: glassdoor.com
- Understaffing and workload
- Chronic understaffing and heavy workloads are frequently reported as harming work-life balance despite some flexibility.
As of 2026Source: glassdoor.com
More review themes
- Overall ratings
- Overall Glassdoor rating about 3.6/5 with 68% recommending to a friend across roughly 1,738 reviews; CEO approval around 68%.
As of 2026Source: glassdoor.com
- Union organizing drivers
- Organizing posts reference scheduling problems and inadequate pay as motivations for unionizing.
As of 2026Source: instagram.com
What to weigh
Nurses here frequently report chronic understaffing and heavy workloads that wear down work-life balance, and many describe upper leadership as unresponsive.
As of 2026Source: glassdoor.com
The reality check
Before you decide
Quick facts
- Relationship
- Direct employer
- Roles last seen active
- Aug 16, 2026
- Website
- rush.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?
This page is built from public postings and employer research. Help us get it right: corrections, photos, and the story of the floor itself.
Improve this page →The units
A closer look at the units
Open counts come from the live roles below. Source links show where unit details were reported.
- PACU1 open
Perioperative Care Unit Recovery
RN 2 permanent full-time 12-hr shift (9:00 AM - 9:30 PM) in Perioperative Care Unit Rcvry at Rush University Medical Center.
Source location unconfirmedSource: rush.edu
Medical/Surgical & Telemetry
New Graduate RN Resident-CSO posting for Medical/Surgical & Telemetry at Rush Oak Park Hospital.
Source location unconfirmedSource: indeed.com
Operating Room / Ambulatory / Rehab
Seeking RNs levels 1 and 2 for Operating Room, Ambulatory, and Rehab departments.
Source location unconfirmedSource: facebook.com
Open roles
Current openings at Rush University Medical Center
Refreshed throughout the day.
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