Registered Nurse - RN

Fairhaven Christian Retirement Center

Rockford, Illinois

Posted Sep 22 · New grads welcomed

Fairhaven Christian Retirement Center workplace

License: RN license
Term: Per Diem

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New grads: Welcomed

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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.

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.
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Around graduation
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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 it pays

Against similar roles: Below most Illinois PRN postingsIllinois PRN postings that state pay run $30/hr to $60/hr, the middle half $37/hr to $48/hr, across 209 postings.

Benefits

Paid holidays
403(b)
403(b) matching

The workplace

Fairhaven Christian Retirement Center

Nursing Home

You would be caring for residents at Fairhaven Christian Retirement Center in Rockford, Illinois. An LPN who worked there said staffing is usually adequate and that residents are treated like family, and listed no cons. A CNA on staff more…

Fairhaven Christian Retirement Center, in its own words

4.7 Google rating

Facility profile Employer website

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Your fit

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About this role

Registered Nurse (RN) – Geriatric Care
Facility: Fairhaven Christian Retirement Center
Location: Rockford, IL
Pay Range: $31.75 - $35.75 / hour (Based on experience + generous

shift differentials)

Shifts Available: 1st (6:30 AM–3 PM) | 2nd (2:30 PM–11 PM) | 3rd (10:30 PM–7 AM) Status: Full-Time, Part-Time, or PRN (Enjoy flexible scheduling)

Why Your Career Will Thrive at Fairhaven

For over 58 years, Fairhaven Christian Retirement Center has been a trusted cornerstone of the Rockford community. We operate on a simple principle: we serve our residents with the utmost dignity and respect—and we care for our nursing staff in the exact same way. If you are tired of feeling like a number and want a supportive, family-like environment with an open-door leadership culture that genuinely protects your work-life balance, we want to welcome you home.

What We Offer (Your Benefits & Perks)

Competitive pay: $31.75 - $35.75/hr base wage.

Shift Premiums: Additional hourly pay for 2nd and 3rd shifts, plus extra shift-pickup incentives.

True Work-Life Balance: Predictable, consistent schedules.

Generous Time Off: Robust Paid Time Off (PTO) plan, 7 Paid Holidays , plus a paid day off for your birthday!

Retirement Security: 403(b) retirement plan with company match options.

Daily Perks: Enjoy heavily reduced-price employee lunches made fresh daily.

Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision packages for full-time staff.

How You Will Make an Impact: As an RN on our team, you will blend clinical excellence with heartfelt compassion. You will directly enrich the lives of our geriatric residents. You will work within a supportive team environment to ensure our residents feel safe and comfortable.

Resident Care: Administer medications, perform clinical assessments, and manage treatments.

Clinical Leadership: Mentor and guide nursing assistants while advocating for resident dignity and safety.

Seamless Collaboration: Participate in smooth shift-to-shift reports to ensure continuity of care.

Accurate Documentation: Maintain streamlined, easy-to-use Electronic Health Records (EHR).

The posting’s own wording (3)

Licensure

Active Registered Nurse (RN) license in the State of Illinois.

Certification

Valid CPR/BLS certification.

Background: Graduate of an accredited school of nursing. New grads with a passion for senior care are welcome!

Values: A genuine love for the geriatric population and comfort working in a supportive, faith-based retirement community.

Stamina: Ability to manage the physical workflows of a standard nursing shift, including lifting up to 50 lbs.

Ready to join a nursing team that feels like family? Apply today!

Job Type: Full-time Pay: $31.75 - $35.50 per hour

Benefits

Dental insurance

Employee assistance program

Flexible schedule

Health insurance

Health savings account

Life insurance

Paid time off

Retirement plan

Vision insurance

Work Location: In person

Sourced from a public job board.

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

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See Rockford, IL

Moving for this role?

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 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

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What We Offer (Your Benefits & Perks)

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Benefits

What's around it?

Rockford, ILiFrom Census ACS 2024.

Life in Rockford, IL

Moving for this role?

From nurses, to nurses

Life in Rockford, IL

Moving for this role?

Rockford, ILFrom Census ACS 2024.