RN Staff - 5W Cardiothoracic Surgery ICU - Full Time 12 Hour Nights - (Non-Exempt) (Union)

Keck Medical Center of USC

Los Angeles, California

Keck Medical Center of USC is an academic medical center.

Eligibility: CVICUCritical Care

Posted Jul 27 · New grads welcomed

Shift and hours: 12-⁠hour nights
Unit and setting: 5W Cardiothoracic Surgery ICU · Hospital
License: RN license RN (CA Board of Registered Nursing)
Term: Permanent

Do you qualify?

New grads: Welcomed Req 0-1 year Must have less than 1 year of acute care experience as a Registered Nurse.
License: RN (CA Board of Registered Nursing)

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Your six-month RN application plan

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

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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.

What it pays

Against similar roles: California ICU median is $62/hrCalifornia ICU postings that state pay run $48/hr to $84/hr, the middle half $52/hr to $72/hr, across 166 postings. This posting's $46/hr to $99/hr is wider than that, so where you land depends on the offer.

The role and schedule

Charge: Charge shifts are part of the role
Union: Union position

The workplace

Keck Medical Center of USC

Academic Medical Center

Keck Medical Center of USC is an academic medical center and teaching hospital located in Los Angeles, California, operating as part of Keck Medicine of USC, the clinical enterprise of the University of Southern California. The facility includes specialized intensive…

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On your path

ICU / Critical Care has an opening for new graduates. This employer welcomes new graduates for this role. See the posting’s qualifications and orientation details.

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Original listing

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As an integral part of the interdisciplinary team, the Registered Nurse utilizes the nursing process to provide therapeutic care to patients. The Registered Nurse is accountable for the coordination of patient care and education to the patient and family in accordance with the standards, policies, and practices in a compassionate, supportive, and therapeutic environment.

What's around it?

In Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles, CAFrom Census ACS 2024.

Living costs about 14% above the US average

Median rent: $1,933/mo
Household income: $81,939/yr, all local households, not nurse pay

Life in Los Angeles, CA

NeighborhoodsNurses and young professionals without a car cluster in Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Santa Monica, Venice, West Hollywood, and parts of DTLA and Little Tokyo; mid-budget, transit-rich Koreatown is the workhorse pick and is described as more residential and family-oriented than it feels. Westwood sits beside UCLA; Culver City is growing around tech and media employers; Studio City mixes quieter Valley streets with restaurant access. Safer suburban value shows up in Glendale, Pasadena, Encino, Mar Vista, Playa Vista, and Porter Ranch (the lowest-priced of Extra Space’s 2026 five). You will live inside that pocket: Westside residents do not casually night-hop to Silver Lake.

Nurses and young professionals without a car cluster in Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Santa Monica, Venice, West Hollywood, and parts of DTLA and Little Tokyo; mid-budget, transit-rich Koreatown is the workhorse pick and is described as more residential and family-oriented than it feels. Westwood sits beside UCLA; Culver City is growing around tech and media employers; Studio City mixes quieter Valley streets with restaurant access.

Safer suburban value shows up in Glendale, Pasadena, Encino, Mar Vista, Playa Vista, and Porter Ranch (the lowest-priced of Extra Space’s 2026 five). You will live inside that pocket: Westside residents do not casually night-hop to Silver Lake.

Sources

As of Sep 11, 2026Source 1: reddit.com Source 2: extraspace.com Source 3: simplemoving.us Source 4: quora.com Source 5: thebrassy.com

Getting aroundLocals answer distance in minutes, not miles; rush hour roughly 8-10 a.m. and 4-7 p.m. can stall even short hops, so living near the hospital beats any clever route. For downtown and USC-area shifts, Koreatown’s Purple Line to Metro Center plus the Expo Line is about 15-25 minutes; Chinatown’s Union Station has a free USC shuttle and Red Line access; East Hollywood’s Red Line is about 20-30 minutes; North Hollywood/Universal City is 40-50 minutes on the Red Line with Park-and-Ride. Silver Lake and Los Feliz have weak transit, so a car commute toward downtown is the norm. The Valley is more car-dependent and about 5-10 degrees hotter in summer than neighborhoods south of the hills; Kaiser in East Hollywood is one of the few hospital nodes named in neighborhood advice.

Locals answer distance in minutes, not miles; rush hour roughly 8-10 a.m. and 4-7 p.m. can stall even short hops, so living near the hospital beats any clever route. For downtown and USC-area shifts, Koreatown’s Purple Line to Metro Center plus the Expo Line is about 15-25 minutes; Chinatown’s Union Station has a free USC shuttle and Red Line access; East Hollywood’s Red Line is about 20-30 minutes; North Hollywood/Universal City is 40-50 minutes on the Red Line with Park-and-Ride.

Silver Lake and Los Feliz have weak transit, so a car commute toward downtown is the norm. The Valley is more car-dependent and about 5-10 degrees hotter in summer than neighborhoods south of the hills; Kaiser in East Hollywood is one of the few hospital nodes named in neighborhood advice.

Sources

As of Sep 11, 2026Source 1: quora.com Source 2: thebrassy.com Source 3: simplemoving.us

OutdoorsThe Santa Monica Pier, wide beach, and beach bike path south through Venice skate park, Muscle Beach, the Venice Canals, and Marina del Rey’s North Jetty—or north toward Malibu Pier and El Matador State Beach—are the everyday outdoor circuit. Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood Sign hike, Barnsdall Park, Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, Los Leones, and the Getty Villa’s ocean-cliff gardens are the in-city trail-and-view hits. Foothill and canyon neighborhoods add runoff and fire-season exposure. Catalina Island and a PCH drive between Palos Verdes, Long Beach, and Malibu are classic weekend escapes; California’s nine national parks sit within a day’s drive.

The Santa Monica Pier, wide beach, and beach bike path south through Venice skate park, Muscle Beach, the Venice Canals, and Marina del Rey’s North Jetty—or north toward Malibu Pier and El Matador State Beach—are the everyday outdoor circuit. Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood Sign hike, Barnsdall Park, Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, Los Leones, and the Getty Villa’s ocean-cliff gardens are the in-city trail-and-view hits.

Foothill and canyon neighborhoods add runoff and fire-season exposure. Catalina Island and a PCH drive between Palos Verdes, Long Beach, and Malibu are classic weekend escapes; California’s nine national parks sit within a day’s drive.

Sources

As of Sep 11, 2026Source 1: discoverlosangeles.com Source 2: bloggeratlarge.com Source 3: thebrassy.com Source 4: thebrassy.com Source 5: thehonestlocal.com

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Check the commute at your shift’s start and end, upfront housing costs, and whether moving assistance must be repaid if you leave.

Living in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is a 469-square-mile region pretending to be one city: you will spend most of life within a few miles of home, so choose the neighborhood that matches your hospital and shifts. Santa Monica and Venice buy marine-layer summers, the pier, and the beach bike path at roughly $3,000-$5,000 rents; Koreatown, Chinatown, East Hollywood, and DTLA/Little Tokyo put nurses on the Purple, Red, or Expo lines (about 15-30 minutes toward downtown and USC). Los Feliz and Silver Lake offer Griffith Observatory, greener streets, and food from Ye Rustic Inn to Grand Central Market, with weaker transit. Encino, Porter Ranch, Glendale, and Pasadena trade heat and a car for space, schools, and higher safety scores (Porter Ranch safer than 94% of the city). Tradeoffs are steep housing, 8-10 a.m. and 4-7 p.m. gridlock, canyon wildfire risk, and visible homelessness—offset by 260-plus sunny days, mild winters, and a food-and-outdoors density few U.S. cities match.

AI area guide

Sources

As of 2026Source 1: thebrassy.com Source 2: extraspace.com Source 3: simplemoving.us Source 4: quora.com Source 5: reddit.com Source 6: thehonestlocal.com Source 7: bloggeratlarge.com

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Original listing

What's around it?

Los Angeles, CAiFrom Census ACS 2024.

Life in Los Angeles, CA

Moving for this role?

Nurses on this role

Nurses on this role

Life in Los Angeles, CA

Moving for this role?

Nurses on this role

Los Angeles, CAFrom Census ACS 2024.