RN Pediatric ICU

Bakersfield, California

As our Registered Nurse (RN), you will be a pivotal healthcare professional, delivering compassionate, high-quality care that truly impacts our patients' well-being and recovery.

Posted Sep 9 · New grads welcomed

Unit and setting: Pediatric ICU · Hospital RN Pediatric ICU
License: RN license Registered Nurse: CA, upon hire andRegistered Nurse California license
Term: Permanent

Do you qualify?

New grads: Welcomed
License: Registered Nurse California license Registered Nurse: CA, upon hire and Check your license
Education: education level necessary to obtain required licensure and certifications
Experience: 1-2 years of acute med-surg experience or hired through the RN Versant program

Preferred

Education: Bachelor's degree Bachelors Other, upon hire and
Experience: previous PICU experience Previous PICU experience

Your six-month RN application plan

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

Graduation month

6 months before
Shortlist units
Check application windows. Gather clinical experience, references and your expected graduation date.
Find residencies
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
2–3 months before
Meet the unit manager
Ask about overtime, a shadow shift, preceptor continuity and the schedule after orientation.
Prepare your questions
Around graduation
Confirm your start
Coordinate NCLEX, the required license and your start date. Get relocation and repayment terms in writing.
Plan your license

What it pays

Against similar roles: Bakersfield staff RN median is $50/hrBakersfield staff RN postings that state pay run $46/hr to $52/hr, the middle half $47/hr to $50/hr, across 82 postings. This posting's $46/hr to $79/hr is wider than that, so where you land depends on the offer.

The role and schedule

Day to day: provide individualized, comprehensive care, make critical assessments, perform skilled procedures, and implement patient care plans
Day to day: collaborate within an interdisciplinary team You'll collaborate seamlessly within an interdisciplinary team, contributing to a dynamic environment focused on optimal patient outcomes.

The workplace

Bakersfield Memorial Hospital

Hiring organization

Organization profile

Ask Mira

Your fit

Questions to ask

Can you walk me through differentials?
What should I expect for shifts, weekly hours, weekend, holiday, call, 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

Pediatrics is open from year one. Children's hospitals run their own new grad residencies.

See your route →Check first: New-grad residency fine print

Original listing

Read full text

Job Summary and Responsibilities

As our Registered Nurse (RN), you will be a pivotal healthcare professional, delivering compassionate, high-quality care that truly impacts our patients' well-being and recovery.

Every day, you will leverage your expertise to provide individualized, comprehensive care, making critical assessments, performing skilled procedures, and meticulously implementing patient care plans. You'll collaborate seamlessly within an interdisciplinary team, contributing to a dynamic environment focused on optimal patient outcomes.

To thrive in this vital role, you will possess keen assessment skills, acute critical thinking, and a patient-first mindset, driven by a profound enthusiasm to help others. Your sense of urgency and dedication to excellence in a fast-paced environment will not only support patient recovery but also fuel your own career advancement.

Job Requirements

Required

Other Education level necessary to obtain required licensure and certifications and 1-2 years of acute med-surg experience required or hired through the RN Versant program., upon hire and

Registered Nurse: CA, upon hire and

Basic Life Support - CPR, within 60 Days and

Pediatric Advanced Life Support, within 12 - months

Preferred

Bachelors Other, upon hire and

Previous PICU experience

Where You'll Work

Founded in 1956, Dignity Health - Memorial Hospital is a 385-bed, acute care, nonprofit hospital located in Bakersfield, California. Serving nearly 100,000 patients annually, the hospital offers a full complement of services including heart care, maternity care, and orthopedics. Additionally, Memorial Hospital has been recognized as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. It is a Joint Commission-certified Primary Stroke Center, and its Lauren Small Children’s Center is the first comprehensive pediatric program in Kern County.

One Community. One Mission. One California

Pay Range

$45.55 - $79.04 /hour

What's around it?

In Bakersfield, CA

Bakersfield, CAFrom Census ACS 2024.

Living costs about the same as the US average

Median rent: $1,472/mo
Household income: $80,540/yr, all local households, not nurse pay

Life in Bakersfield, CA

NeighborhoodsYoung professionals and many relocating workers land in Southwest Bakersfield (modern developments, homes averaging about $350,000, rentals from $1,500) and Northwest Bakersfield (suburban, homes around $400,000, rentals $1,800–$2,200). Locals most often point newcomers to Southwest or Rosedale as clean, nice, and quiet. Seven Oaks is the premium master-planned golf community around Seven Oaks Country Club (homes around $650,000, rentals from about $2,500). Downtown is the walkable rental pocket; Laurelglen, CSU Bakersfield, Rio Bravo, Olde Stockdale, The Oaks, Haggin Oaks, Riviera–Westchester, and Brimhall span ranch houses, river-adjacent new builds, and established tree-lined streets.

Young professionals and many relocating workers land in Southwest Bakersfield (modern developments, homes averaging about $350,000, rentals from $1,500) and Northwest Bakersfield (suburban, homes around $400,000, rentals $1,800–$2,200). Locals most often point newcomers to Southwest or Rosedale as clean, nice, and quiet.

Seven Oaks is the premium master-planned golf community around Seven Oaks Country Club (homes around $650,000, rentals from about $2,500). Downtown is the walkable rental pocket; Laurelglen, CSU Bakersfield, Rio Bravo, Olde Stockdale, The Oaks, Haggin Oaks, Riviera–Westchester, and Brimhall span ranch houses, river-adjacent new builds, and established tree-lined streets.

Sources

As of Sep 11, 2026Source 1: roadwaymoving.com Source 2: reddit.com Source 3: trulia.com Source 4: thebeltergroup.com Source 5: meatheadmovers.com

Getting aroundBakersfield is spread out and built around driving; a car is needed almost everywhere except a small downtown pocket along Chester Avenue. Most trips across town take 10 to 20 minutes outside rush hour, and residents repeatedly cite little traffic as a plus. Golden Empire Transit (GET) buses converge downtown and Amtrak San Joaquins stop at the downtown station, but citywide transit is limited, so hospital shifts would typically mean driving. Downtown street parking is metered and tight at midday; elsewhere parking, not commute length, is what varies block to block.

Bakersfield is spread out and built around driving; a car is needed almost everywhere except a small downtown pocket along Chester Avenue. Most trips across town take 10 to 20 minutes outside rush hour, and residents repeatedly cite little traffic as a plus.

Golden Empire Transit (GET) buses converge downtown and Amtrak San Joaquins stop at the downtown station, but citywide transit is limited, so hospital shifts would typically mean driving. Downtown street parking is metered and tight at midday; elsewhere parking, not commute length, is what varies block to block.

Sources

As of Sep 11, 2026Source 1: trulia.com Source 2: fitmoversllc.com Source 3: reddit.com

OutdoorsThe Kern River Parkway Trail runs about 30 miles along the Kern River for walking, biking, and birdwatching, with river paths also near Riviera–Westchester. Lake Ming is used for boating and fishing, and the Kern River itself offers whitewater rafting. California Living Museum (CALM) is a zoo and native-plant garden; Murray Family Farms just outside town has U-pick fruit, pies, animals, and seasonal festivals. Downtown adds Central Park at Mill Creek; locals also name Heart Park and Sharktooth Hill, while Seven Oaks Country Club supplies a 27-hole course, tennis, and pools.

The Kern River Parkway Trail runs about 30 miles along the Kern River for walking, biking, and birdwatching, with river paths also near Riviera–Westchester. Lake Ming is used for boating and fishing, and the Kern River itself offers whitewater rafting.

California Living Museum (CALM) is a zoo and native-plant garden; Murray Family Farms just outside town has U-pick fruit, pies, animals, and seasonal festivals. Downtown adds Central Park at Mill Creek; locals also name Heart Park and Sharktooth Hill, while Seven Oaks Country Club supplies a 27-hole course, tennis, and pools.

Sources

As of Sep 11, 2026Source 1: theadventuristmagazine.com Source 2: lemon8-app.com Source 3: unitedvanlines.com Source 4: trulia.com Source 5: reddit.com Source 6: thebeltergroup.com

Others hiring in Bakersfield, CA

Check licensing in CA

See Bakersfield, CA

Moving for this role?

Living in Bakersfield

Bakersfield sits at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, a spread-out city of nearly 414,000 built on oil, almonds, citrus, and the Bakersfield Sound. For a nurse, the draw is California living without coastal prices: July 2026 rents around $1,300 for a one-bedroom, Southwest homes near $350,000, and commutes that locals call no-traffic—most drives 10–20 minutes if you have a car, which you will need. Southwest, Rosedale, and Northwest are where people tell newcomers to live; Seven Oaks is the golf-course premium. Distinctly local: Basque family-style dinners at Pyrenees or Noriega's, Buck Owens' Crystal Palace, and 30 miles of Kern River Parkway Trail. Tradeoffs are real. Summers often exceed 100°F with little rain; valley air quality from farm dust and smog can be hard on lungs. Crime is neighborhood-specific—Seven Oaks and Olde Stockdale run well below the city average, while some central areas do not. Nightlife and transit are limited compared with Los Angeles, about two hours south. Healthcare is a growing local employer. Expect a patriotic, sports-heavy, small-town-in-a-city culture, not a walkable urban scene except on downtown Chester Avenue.

AI area guide

Sources

As of 2026Source 1: unitedvanlines.com Source 2: trulia.com Source 3: roadwaymoving.com Source 4: reddit.com Source 5: fitmoversllc.com Source 6: meatheadmovers.com Source 7: lemon8-app.com Source 8: theadventuristmagazine.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

Shortlist units

Apply as windows open

Meet the unit manager

Confirm your start

What it pays

The role and schedule

The workplace

Ask Mira

Your fit

Questions to ask

On your path

Original listing

Job Summary and Responsibilities

What's around it?

Bakersfield, CAiFrom Census ACS 2024.

Life in Bakersfield, CA

Moving for this role?

Nurses on this role

Nurses on this role

Life in Bakersfield, CA

Moving for this role?

Nurses on this role

Bakersfield, CAFrom Census ACS 2024.