Inpatient RN Surg/Operating Room

Rockford, Illinois

You'll work 9:00am to 7:30pm at UW Health Swedish American Hospital in Rockford, IL. UW Health is an academic medical center.

Eligibility: Sign-on bonus

Posted Jun 29

Shift and hours: 9:00am-7:30pm 100% FTE, 9:00am-7:30pm.
Unit and setting: Surg/Operating Room · Hospital Inpatient RN Surg/Operating RoomInpatient surgical patients
License: RN license Current Illinois RN license
Term: Permanent 100% FTE, 9:00am-7:30pm.100% FTE

Do you qualify?

License: Current Illinois RN license Check your license
Certification: CPR certification, bi-annual
Education: Graduate of an accredited nursing program
Also asks: Copy of HS diploma or highest completed degree

Preferred

Certification: Specialty certification in your area of concentration
Certification: ACLS within two years of hire (9th Floor only)

What it pays

Against similar roles: Top of Rockford staff RN payRockford staff RN postings that state pay run $31/hr to $39/hr, the middle half $35/hr to $38/hr, across 99 postings.
Shift differential: +$4/hr
Sign-on bonus: $15,000
Bonus: Sign-on bonus up to $15,000 You may be eligible for a sign on bonus up to $15,000.
Extra pay: $4/hr weekday evenings $4/hr for weekday evenings
Extra pay: $5/hr weekday nights $5/hr for weekday nights
Extra pay: $4.25/hr weekend days $4.25/hr for weekend days
Extra pay: $8.25/hr weekend evenings $8.25/hr for weekend evenings
Extra pay: $9.25/hr weekend nights $9.25/hr for weekend nights

Benefits

BenefitsPTO, medical, dental, vision, retirement, short and long-term disability, paternity leave, adoption assistance, tuition assistance
BenefitsAnnual wellness reimbursementAnnual wellness reimbursement
BenefitsOpportunity for on-site day care through UW Health KidsOpportunity for on-site day care through UW Health Kids
BenefitsTuition reimbursement for career advancement; ask about fully funded programsTuition reimbursement for career advancement--ask about our fully funded programs!
BenefitsCareer growth opportunitiesAbundant career growth opportunities to nurture professional development
PTO

More benefits (10)

Medical
Dental
Vision
Retirement
Short and long-term disability
Paternity leave
Adoption assistance
Tuition assistance
On-site day care through UW Health Kids
Tuition reimbursement

The role and schedule

Weekends: Weekends required
On call: On-call rotation
Details: Strong shared governance structure Strong shared governance structure

Ask Mira

Your fit

Questions to ask

Can you walk me through base pay range and sign-on bonus repayment terms?
What should I expect for weekly hours, holiday, and rotation?
What orientation, preceptor time, and ongoing unit support are included?
How are patient load, floating, and staffing support handled day to day?

Build questions for this role

[data-job-fit-skeleton]{display:none}Answer a few questions to see your fit

On your path

Operating Room is a specialty you move into. Periop programs often train from the ground up.

See your route →Check first: Experience ICU, OR and CRNA ask for

Original listing

Posted on UW Health’s careers page.

Read full text

Work Schedule

100% FTE, 9:00am-7:30pm. You will work at the UW Health Swedish American Hospital in Rockford, IL. You may be eligible for a sign on bonus up to $15,000.

Additional components of compensation may include

Evening, night, and weekend

shift differential

Overtime On-call pay

Shift Differentials:

$4/hr for weekday evenings, $5/hr for weekday nights, $4.25/hr for weekend days, $8.25/hr for weekend evenings, $9.25/hr for weekend nights.

At UW Health in northern Illinois, you will have

Competitive pay and comprehensive benefits package including: PTO, Medical, Dental, Vision, retirement, short and long-term disability, paternity leave, adoption assistance, tuition assistance
Annual wellness reimbursement
Opportunity for on-site day care through UW Health Kids
Tuition reimbursement for career advancement--ask about our fully funded programs!
Abundant career growth opportunities to nurture professional development
Strong shared governance structure
Commitment to employee voice

Qualifications Graduate from an accredited school of nursing program. Required Must provide copy of HS diploma or equivalent, or highest level of completed degree obtained. Required Work Experience Licenses & Certifications Current RN licensure to practice in the State of Illinois.

Required Bi-annual CPR certification. Required Specialty certification in area of concentration. Preferred 9th Floor Only: ACLS certification within two years of hire.

Preferred Our Commitment to Social Impact and Belonging UW Health is committed to fostering a workplace that creates belonging for everyone and is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. Our respect for people shines through patient care interactions and our daily work practices as we work to embrace the knowledge, unique perspectives and qualities each employee and faculty member brings to work each day. It is the policy of UW Health to provide equal opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.

Job Description (ADN) Job Description (BSN) Job Description (MSN) UW Northern Illinois benefits

What's around it?

In Rockford, IL

Rockford, ILFrom Census ACS 2024.

Living costs about 8% below the US average

Median rent: $985/mo
Household income: $54,752/yr, all local households, not nurse pay

Life in Rockford, IL

NeighborhoodsLocals map the city on an east-side hierarchy: east of Mulford is treated as the best in-city pocket, east of Alpine as merely okay, and east of the Rock River as the least desirable. Many nurses and families skip city proper altogether for Roscoe, Rockton, Byron, Stillman Valley, and Winnebago—named as nice communities within 30 minutes or less of Rockford—plus Machesney Park and Cherry Valley as family-oriented suburban alternatives. Those towns function as short-drive bedroom communities rather than a long metro commute.

Locals map the city on an east-side hierarchy: east of Mulford is treated as the best in-city pocket, east of Alpine as merely okay, and east of the Rock River as the least desirable. Many nurses and families skip city proper altogether for Roscoe, Rockton, Byron, Stillman Valley, and Winnebago—named as nice communities within 30 minutes or less of Rockford—plus Machesney Park and Cherry Valley as family-oriented suburban alternatives.

Those towns function as short-drive bedroom communities rather than a long metro commute.

Sources

As of Sep 11, 2026Source 1: facebook.com Source 2: reddit.com

Getting aroundThe average commute in Rockford is about 17.29 minutes, and daily life is car-dependent rather than transit-based, oriented around Interstate 90 and US Route 20. Roscoe, Rockton, Byron, Stillman Valley, and Winnebago are routinely described as 30 minutes or less from the city, which is how many professionals trade a short drive for quieter towns. Sources do not detail hospital-campus parking, shift-change traffic, or named bus lines to the main medical campuses.

The average commute in Rockford is about 17.29 minutes, and daily life is car-dependent rather than transit-based, oriented around Interstate 90 and US Route 20. Roscoe, Rockton, Byron, Stillman Valley, and Winnebago are routinely described as 30 minutes or less from the city, which is how many professionals trade a short drive for quieter towns. Sources do not detail hospital-campus parking, shift-change traffic, or named bus lines to the main medical campuses.

Sources

As of Sep 11, 2026Source 1: realestate.usnews.com Source 2: reddit.com Source 3: theurbanlivingguide.com

OutdoorsAnderson Japanese Gardens is a 12-acre oasis often described as one of the most authentic Japanese gardens in North America, minutes from Midway Village. Rock Cut State Park, just northeast of the city, is the default for hiking, boating, camping, and wildlife; smaller favorites include Rotary Forest Preserve, Sinnissippi Park, and the Sinnissippi Riverwalk along the Rock River, plus Klehm Arboretum. Summer means Volcano Falls; fall means regional apple orchards with festive activities.

Anderson Japanese Gardens is a 12-acre oasis often described as one of the most authentic Japanese gardens in North America, minutes from Midway Village. Rock Cut State Park, just northeast of the city, is the default for hiking, boating, camping, and wildlife; smaller favorites include Rotary Forest Preserve, Sinnissippi Park, and the Sinnissippi Riverwalk along the Rock River, plus Klehm Arboretum.

Summer means Volcano Falls; fall means regional apple orchards with festive activities.

Sources

As of Sep 11, 2026Source 1: midwayvillage.com Source 2: redfin.com Source 3: reddit.com Source 4: facebook.com Source 5: theurbanlivingguide.com

Others hiring in Rockford, IL

Check licensing in IL

See Rockford, IL

Moving for this role?

Living in Rockford

Rockford, the Forest City on the Rock River, is a manufacturing-rooted midsize Illinois city where an $80k-$150k nursing salary stretches unusually far: median homes sit around $135,000-$136,785, rents are commonly cited near $778, and monthly housing for a single adult is sketched at $810-$1,180. What is distinct is the combination of that price, a roughly 17-minute average commute, and serious outdoor and cultural inventory—Anderson Japanese Gardens, Rock Cut State Park, Sinnissippi Riverwalk, the 1920s Coronado Performing Arts Center, Burpee Museum's Jane the T. rex, and Discovery Center. Locals are blunt about geography: live east of Mulford if you stay in the city; otherwise look at Roscoe, Rockton, Cherry Valley, Machesney Park, Byron, Stillman Valley, or Winnebago, all within about 30 minutes. Tradeoffs are real. Crime comes up constantly, shopping is mostly CherryVale Mall and strip centers, winters are sub-freezing and heat-expensive, and daily life is car-dependent via Interstate 90 and US Route 20. Dining has named keepers—Lucha, Embassy rooftop, Woodfire—plus downtown's Rockford City Market. For a nurse, the pitch is purchasing power and short drives, not nightlife density or urban polish.

AI area guide

Sources

As of 2026Source 1: realestate.usnews.com Source 2: theurbanlivingguide.com Source 3: facebook.com Source 4: reddit.com Source 5: midwayvillage.com Source 6: redfin.com Source 7: facebook.com Source 8: facebook.com

Compare living costs Plan your license move Explore this area

Nurses on this role

Help improve this pageShare what it’s like, leave a heads-up, or fix a detail.

What would you like to do?

What was it really like?

Your connectionWould you recommend it?Your role (optional)Unit (optional)

Add ratings or a short headline

Short headline (optional)StaffingManagementSchedulingOrientationCultureTime there (optional)

I understand that, after review, Nursing Mastery may publish this anonymously.

A person reviews every submission before anything changes.

Do you qualify?

Preferred

What it pays

Benefits

The role and schedule

Ask Mira

Your fit

Questions to ask

On your path

Original listing

Work Schedule

Additional components of compensation may include

At UW Health in northern Illinois, you will have

What's around it?

Rockford, ILiFrom Census ACS 2024.

Life in Rockford, IL

Moving for this role?

Nurses on this role

Nurses on this role

Life in Rockford, IL

Moving for this role?

Nurses on this role

Rockford, ILFrom Census ACS 2024.