GHR Healthcare logo

Cardiac Stepdown | Registered Nurse

GHR HealthcareRockford, ILTravel
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).

All Registered Nurse (RN) jobs in Illinois →

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.

Applying is free. ReferHire lists openings from staffing agencies; when you are hired through our link, the agency may pay us a referral fee. It never reduces your pay. Never pay anyone for a job offer.