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WakeMed Health & Hospitals workplace
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WakeMed Health & Hospitals

Trauma Center · Raleigh, NC

See 12 open roles

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WakeMed Health & Hospitals workplace
12
open roles, live count
970
beds

Before you choose a unit

Scheduling

Float pool offers self-scheduling with 4/8/12-hour shifts; no weekends or holidays required for supplemental options; covers Raleigh, Cary, North Hospital, Healthplex EDs

WakeMed Health & Hospitals · employer research

Sources
Floating

Nursing float pool with four pay/availability options; float within skill areas; full-time benefits-eligible float positions also offered with premium pay

WakeMed Health & Hospitals · employer research

Sources
Preceptors and orientation

Specially-trained nurse preceptors provide mentoring and guidance; personalized clinical orientation with experienced preceptors

WakeMed Health & Hospitals · employer research

Sources
More about the team
Nursing leadership

Cindy Boily, MSN, RN, NEA-BC · Sr. Vice President & Chief Nursing Officer

WakeMed Health & Hospitals

Sources

Ask the unit manager

How often is overtime required? Who covers a short shift? Can I meet my preceptor or shadow the team?

Prepare for a manager conversation
Your six-month RN application plan

Start about six months before graduation. Some programs open earlier; use each employer’s application dates.

  1. 6 months before

    Shortlist units

    Check application windows. Gather clinical experience, references and your expected graduation date.

    Find residencies
  2. 4–6 months before

    Apply as windows open

    Apply before graduation when the program allows it. Keep the cohort date and license deadline with each application.

    Explore new grad jobs
  3. 2–3 months before

    Meet the unit manager

    Ask about overtime, a shadow shift, preceptor continuity and the schedule after orientation.

    Prepare your questions
  4. Around graduation

    Confirm your start

    Coordinate NCLEX, the required license and your start date. Get relocation and repayment terms in writing.

    Plan your license
Why start this early?

Advocate describes a 6–9 month application runway for several regional RN programs. These milestones are a planning guide, not deadlines for every employer. See program calendars.

On the floor

What the day-to-day looks like

Setting
Trauma Center
Recognition
Magnet®

Benefits

Full-time benefits-eligible float positions offered with premium pay; supplemental float options can omit required weekends and holidays.

What stands out

  • New graduates

    You enter through a one-year Clinical Nurse Residency with two cohorts a year, specially-trained preceptors, and a reported 90% one-year post-hire retention rate.

    Sources
  • Experienced nurses

    Float pool pay runs from $47.25 to $63.25 an hour depending on hours and skill area, with self-scheduling across 4-, 8-, and 12-hour shifts.

    Sources
  • Experienced nurses

    You can float within Med/Surg/Tele/Stepdown, Critical Care, adult and children’s EDs, and Women Infant Children by your experience, including full-time benefits-eligible float roles.

    Sources
More about working here
  • Moving here

    You land in a 970-bed not-for-profit system that is Wake County’s only Level I Trauma Center, with cost of living about 2% below the national level and a flat state income tax near 4.25%.

    Sources
  • New graduates

    Labor & Delivery postings accept diploma or ADN nurses with no experience required and follow a Patient & Family Centered Care model.

    Sources
  • Experienced nurses

    ED roles ask for two years of nursing or will consider no experience when a BSN is preferred, with diploma or ADN required.

    Sources
  • Moving here

    A planned combination with Atrium Health includes a stated $2B Wake County investment and 3,300-plus new healthcare jobs, so the system’s footprint is still shifting.

    Sources
  • Travel nurses

    Supplemental float options can skip required weekends and holidays and cover Raleigh, Cary, North Hospital, and Healthplex EDs once you meet the two-year hospital experience bar.

    Sources

Starting out and growing here

Nurse residency

WakeMed Clinical Nurse Residency · 2 cohorts per year · Applications: Spring cohort recruitment typically Sept-Nov prior year; Summer cohort typically Jan-March current year

Sources

Published pay and benefits

Hourly pay

$42.29/hr

Registered nurse average from reported salaries

As of 2026

Sources
Hourly pay

$38.67/hr

Nurse average from reported salaries

As of 2026

Sources
Hourly pay

$17.17/hr

Nursing assistant average from reported salaries

As of 2026

Sources
Hourly pay

$47.25/hr

Float pool Option 1 Clinical Nurse Staffing Resources, 32 hrs/month min, all areas, plus shift differentials

As of 2026

Sources
Hourly pay

$52.00/hr

Float pool Option 2 Clinical Nurse Staffing Resources, 40+ hrs every two weeks, all areas except non-clinical, plus shift differentials

As of 2026

Sources
Hourly pay

$60.25/hr

Float pool Option 3 Clinical Nurse Staffing Resources, 48+ hrs every two weeks, Med/Surg/Tele Peds Mother/Baby ENDO Pre-Op, plus shift differentials

As of 2026

Sources
Hourly pay

$63.25/hr

Float pool Option 4 Clinical Nurse Staffing Resources, 48+ hrs every two weeks, Critical Care ED L&D PICU NICU SCN PACU IR OR, plus shift differentials

As of 2026

Sources
Benefits

55% of employees satisfied with pay (based on 1,389 reviews)

As of 2026

Sources

The city

Living in Raleigh, NC

Anchored by premier Research Triangle healthcare systems, Raleigh pairs high-acuity nursing careers with living costs about 2% below the national average. Decompress along the shaded Capital Area Greenway, grab craft brews in Glenwood South, or settle among the Victorians of Historic Oakwood. Here, top-tier clinical innovation meets easy Carolina canopy.

Browse roles in Raleigh
Map showing the location of Raleigh, NC
Raleigh, NC on the map · © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap· Open the live map
Metro price level · Raleigh area
2% below the national average
BEA index 98.2 (100 = national)
Median gross rent
$1,572/mo
rent and tenant-paid utilities
Median household income
$85,395/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 joining a 970-bed not-for-profit system headquartered in Raleigh—three full-service acute care hospitals plus a Heart Center, Children’s Hospital, Rehabilitation Hospital, and other specialty sites.

  • Trauma Center · Raleigh
  • Magnet® recognized
More about WakeMed Health & Hospitals

WakeMed is Wake County’s only Level I Trauma Center and sees nearly a million patient visits a year. Cary Hospital alone runs 208 licensed beds as the only full-service hospital in Cary. If you are new to practice, the Clinical Nurse Residency is a one-year path with two cohorts a year, personalized orientation with specially-trained preceptors, and a stated 90% one-year post-hire retention rate. You apply only to Clinical Nurse Resident postings. Labor & Delivery has taken diploma or ADN nurses with no experience; ED postings often want two years or prefer a BSN. If you already have hospital time, the Clinical Nurse Staffing Resources float pool posts four pay and availability options—from $47.25 up to $63.25 an hour plus differentials—with self-scheduling on 4-, 8-, and 12-hour shifts across Raleigh, Cary, North Hospital, and Healthplex EDs. Full-time benefits-eligible float roles sit alongside supplemental options that do not require weekends or holidays. Shared decision-making runs through unit councils and a Clinical Nurse Council; nursing follows a Patient & Family Centered Care model. Pay satisfaction sits around 55% in one large review set, and some ICU feedback has been hard on culture and retention—worth weighing as you pick a unit.

Not-for-profit mission to improve community health and well-being. Nursing uses a Patient & Family Centered Care model (dignity/respect, information sharing, participation, collaboration) and a Division of Nursing Professional Practice model, with shared decision-making through unit councils, Clinical Nurse Council, and Nurse Executive Committee.

Working here

Culture and working life

Themes from public reviews

Summaries of published reviews, with the original sources.

Coworker support and learning
Auditors praised supportive teammates, flexibility, and ongoing learning via seminars and conferences.
Sources
As of 2024-03-02Source: indeed.com
Flexibility and pay vs management responsiveness
Staff noted good flexibility and pay and caring for staff, but said management should be more responsive.
Sources
As of 2021-11-24Source: indeed.com
ICU culture and retention
Former ICU RN described cliquish unit, nepotism, favoritism, and poor work-life balance with weak retention.
Sources
As of 2018-07-30Source: indeed.com
More review themes
Overall ratings
Glassdoor ~4.0/944 ratings with 73% recommend; Indeed ~3.8 overall with management lowest at 3.4 and pay/benefits 3.8.
Sources

What to weigh

A former ICU RN described a cliquish unit with nepotism, favoritism, and weak retention, and broader reviews still put management among the lower-scoring areas.

Sources

The reality check

Before you decide

Quick facts

Relationship
Direct employer
Roles last seen active
Sep 13, 2026
Ask Mira about WakeMed Health & Hospitals

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.

  • ER2 open
  • Patient Case Managers & Advocates2 open
  • Ambulatory Care1 open
  • Endoscopy1 open
  • Infusion1 open
  • L&D1 open
  • Labor & Delivery

    Active RN L&D postings; Diploma or ADN required; no experience required; supports PFCC model.

    Sources
    Source location unconfirmedSource: jobs.wakemed.org
  • Emergency Department

    RN ED posting requires 2 years nursing or no experience with preferred BSN; Diploma/ADN required, BSN preferred.

    Sources
    Source location unconfirmedSource: jobs.wakemed.org
  • Mental Health

    WakeBrook Mental Health & Well-Being Hospital serves adults needing inpatient psychiatric care.

    Sources
    Source location unconfirmedSource: jobs.wakemed.org
  • Float Pool / Staffing Resources

    Float within Med/Surg/Tele/Stepdown, Critical Care, Adult and Children EDs, Women Infant Children, and more by experience.

    Sources
    Source location unconfirmedSource: wakemed.org
  • ICU

    Indeed lists RN Neonatal ICU openings in Raleigh and Cary; older ICU staff RN review notes unit culture issues.

    Sources
    Source location unconfirmedSource: indeed.com
  • System / Trauma

    WakeMed is Wake County’s only Level I Trauma Center and largest provider of emergency and trauma services in the region.

    Sources
    Source location unconfirmedSource: netchex.com
  • Cary Hospital

    Only full-service hospital in Cary; 1,300+ employees; 900+ physicians and APPs; Joint Commission accredited.

    Sources
    Source location unconfirmedSource: wakemed.org
  • System

    Three full-service acute care hospitals plus dedicated Heart Center, Children’s Hospital, Rehabilitation Hospital and specialty facilities.

    Sources
    Source location unconfirmedSource: premierinc.com

Open roles

Current openings at WakeMed Health & Hospitals

Refreshed throughout the day.

Location

Raleigh, NC

Registered Nurse (RN) Endoscopy

WakeMed Health & Hospitals logoWakeMed Health & Hospitals

Raleigh, NC · Posted last week

  • Magnet-designated
  • RN
  • ADN accepted
  • Tuition reimbursement
Apply
Location

Raleigh, NC

Licensed Practical Nurse-WPP

WakeMed Health & Hospitals logoWakeMed Health & Hospitals

Raleigh, NC · Posted 2 weeks ago

  • LPN
Apply
Location

Raleigh, NC

Registered Nurse (RN) - Children's Emergency Department

WakeMed Health & Hospitals logoWakeMed Health & Hospitals

Raleigh, NC

  • New grads welcomed
  • RN
  • ADN accepted
  • Magnet-designated hospital
  • New-grad residency
Apply
Location

Cary, NC

Ambulatory Care Nurse, Infusion

WakeMed Health & Hospitals logoWakeMed Health & Hospitals

Cary, NC

  • RN
Apply
Location

Raleigh, NC

Ambulatory Care Nurse I

WakeMed Health & Hospitals logoWakeMed Health & Hospitals

Raleigh, NC

  • New grads welcomed
  • RN
  • ADN accepted
Apply
Location

Fuquay-Varina, NC

Team Lead, Ambulatory Care RN

WakeMed Health & Hospitals logoWakeMed Health & Hospitals

Fuquay-Varina, NC

  • RN
  • ADN accepted
Apply
Location

Chapel Hill, NC

Licensed Practical Nurse-WPP

WakeMed Health & Hospitals logoWakeMed Health & Hospitals

Chapel Hill, NC

  • LPN
Apply
Location

Raleigh, NC

Registered Nurse (RN) - Neonatal ICU

WakeMed Health & Hospitals logoWakeMed Health & Hospitals

Raleigh, NC

  • New grads welcomed
  • RN
  • ADN accepted
  • Magnet-designated hospital
  • New-grad residency
Apply
Location

Raleigh, NC

Registered Nurse (RN) - Mental Health

WakeMed Health & Hospitals logoWakeMed Health & Hospitals

Raleigh, NC

  • New grads welcomed
  • RN
  • Magnet-designated hospital
  • New-grad residency
Apply
Location

Raleigh, NC

Registered Nurse (RN) Labor & Delivery

WakeMed Health & Hospitals logoWakeMed Health & Hospitals

Raleigh, NC

  • New grads welcomed
  • RN
  • ADN accepted
  • Magnet-designated hospital
  • New-grad residency
Apply
Location

Garner, NC

Registered Nurse (RN) Emergency Department

WakeMed Health & Hospitals logoWakeMed Health & Hospitals

Garner, NC

  • New grads welcomed
  • RN
  • ADN accepted
Apply
Location

Raleigh, NC

Clinical Nurse I

WakeMed Health & Hospitals logoWakeMed Health & Hospitals

Raleigh, NC

  • New grads welcomed
  • RN
  • Magnet-designated hospital
  • New-grad residency
Apply
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