
Cardiac Stepdown | Registered Nurse
- Agency
- GHR Healthcare
- Location
- Rockford, IL
- Job type
- Travel
- Profession
- Registered Nurse (RN)
- Industry
- Nursing & Healthcare
- Posted
- Oct 14, 2026
Pay breakdown
- Hourly
- $60.83
- Weekly
- $2,190
- Yearly (full-time)
- $113,880
- Contract length
- 13 weeks
- Start date
- October 26, 2026
This job pays about $60.83/hour — 32% above the median for Registered Nurse (RN) jobs in Illinois ($46.15/hour). The total includes tax-free housing and meal stipends, which staff jobs don't pay, so take-home pay is usually higher than the hourly figure suggests.
Estimated from the weekly pay in the listing, 36 hours a week; yearly = 52 weeks. Median wage: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Registered Nurse (RN) jobs in Illinois right now
- 1,383 open Registered Nurse (RN) jobs in Illinois from 7 agencies, 144 of them in Rockford.
- Pay in these listings: $9.66 – $99.07/hour, median $60.83/hour.
- Typical Registered Nurse (RN) pay in Illinois: $46.15/hour ($95,992/year, BLS).
- Highest median pay: AHS Staffing ($65.50/hour across 425 jobs).
Job description
Cardiac Stepdown Registered Nurse (RN) Travel Nurse Job – 13-Week Assignment in Rockford, Illinois
Join a high-acuity intermediate care team as a Cardiac Stepdown Registered Nurse (RN) in Rockford, Illinois. This 13-week travel nursing assignment offers the opportunity to care for medically complex patients in a 23-bed Intermediate Care Unit (IMCU) serving cardiac, stroke, sepsis, and surgical populations. You’ll work alongside an experienced interdisciplinary team while developing advanced skills in telemetry, respiratory support, and titratable medication management.
Located in northern Illinois, Rockford offers a welcoming community with convenient access to parks, cultural attractions, local dining, and outdoor recreation—providing an enjoyable setting for your next acute care travel nursing opportunity.
Travel RN Job Details
- Specialty: Cardiac Stepdown / Intermediate Care Registered Nurse
- Location: Rockford, Illinois (IL)
- Weekly Estimated Pay: $2,130–$2,250
- Start Date: October 26, 2026
- Assignment Duration: 13 weeks, through January 25, 2027
- Schedule: 36 hours per week, typically three 12-hour shifts
- Shift: 12-hour day shifts, approximately 7:00 a.m.–7:30 p.m.
- Unit: 23-bed Intermediate Care Unit with typical nurse-to-patient ratios of 1:3–4
- Weekend Requirement: Weekend rotation based on unit needs
- Holiday Requirement: Every other holiday
- Call Requirement: None
- Charting: EPIC
Cardiac Stepdown RN Job Requirements
- At least 1 year of recent acute care, stepdown, intermediate care, or critical care nursing experience
- Active Illinois Registered Nurse license, or confirmation that the application process has been initiated
- Current BLS and ACLS certifications from the American Heart Association
- Current NIHSS certification through an approved provider
- Demonstrated experience caring for patients with cardiac conditions, stroke, sepsis, and surgical diagnoses
- Proficiency with tracheostomy care, BiPAP, CPAP, high-flow oxygen, and other respiratory support equipment
- Experience titrating medications such as heparin, nitroglycerin, Cardizem, Levophed, Cardene, and Precedex
- Ability to interpret cardiac rhythms and telemetry strips
- Ability to provide safe, adaptable care while floating throughout the hospital as needed, excluding emergency and obstetric units
Cardiac Stepdown Travel Nurse Responsibilities
- Provide comprehensive nursing care to patients requiring intermediate or stepdown-level monitoring
- Assess, monitor, and manage patients with cardiac, neurologic, infectious, respiratory, and postoperative conditions
- Interpret telemetry rhythms and respond promptly to changes in patient status
- Safely administer and titrate continuous infusions according to clinical protocols and patient response
- Manage patients receiving BiPAP, CPAP, high-flow oxygen, and other advanced respiratory therapies
- Deliver tracheostomy care and monitor for respiratory or hemodynamic complications
- Collaborate with providers, respiratory therapists, monitor technicians, nursing assistants, and other members of the care team
- Document assessments, interventions, and outcomes accurately in EPIC
- Participate in unit-based weekend and holiday rotations
- Float to appropriate inpatient units as assigned while maintaining safe, patient-centered care
Apply now for this Cardiac Stepdown RN travel nursing assignment in Rockford, Illinois, and join a high-acuity healthcare team.
Benefits
401K with Matching, Healthcare, Dental and Vision
Equal Opportunity
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity across our organization. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
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