Registered Nurse (RN) - Neonatal ICU
Raleigh, North Carolina
- Eligibility
- NICUPediatric
Raleigh, North Carolina
Ask Mira
Schedule and commitments
- Term
- Permanent
The work and the unit
- Unit
- NICU
- Specialty
- NICU · Neonatal · ICU · Pediatric
- Setting
- Hospital
Pay and benefits
- Loan forgiveness
- Free parking
- Tuition reimbursement
- Sign-on bonus
- Relocation incentive
- Career ladder
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- Competitive benefits package
- Professional development opportunities
We don’t have a pay range for this role yet.
We can help you find the number.
Do you qualify?
- New grads
- Welcomed
- License
- RN License
Your six-month RN application plan
Start about six months before graduation. Some programs open earlier; use each employer’s application dates.
6 months before
Shortlist units
Check application windows. Gather clinical experience, references and your expected graduation date.
Find residencies4–6 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 jobs2–3 months before
Meet the unit manager
Ask about overtime, a shadow shift, preceptor continuity and the schedule after orientation.
Prepare your questionsAround 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.
What's around it?
Living costs about 2% below the US average
- Median rent
- $1,572/mo
- Household income
- $85,395/yr, all local households, not nurse pay
About this role
At WakeMed, our mission is to improve the health and well-being of our community—and we do it by delivering outstanding, compassionate care. We are hiring a Registered Nurse (RN) for our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to provide comprehensive, family-centered nursing care for premature and critically ill newborns. As part of our Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), you will work alongside an experienced neonatology team to deliver specialized care that supports the health, development, and well-being of infants and their families.
How this role fits you
About the employer
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. WakeMed is Wake County’s only Level I Trauma Center and sees nearly a…
On your path
NICU / Neonatal is open from year one. Residencies hire in directly, and the unit's level sets the work.
Worth asking
- Can you walk me through base pay range and differentials?
- What should I expect for shifts, weekly hours, weekend, holiday, call, and rotation?
More questions to askFewer questions
- What orientation, preceptor time, and ongoing unit support are included?
- How are patient load, floating, and staffing support handled day to day?