A practical look at which RN specialties are hiring most actively, what each role requires, and where the demand is coming from
I get a lot of questions from nurses about where the actual demand is in Kansas right now. Some are starting to think about a permanent move. Some are curious. Some are just trying to figure out what their specialty is worth in this market.
So I put together a practical breakdown of the five RN specialties that are in highest demand across Kansas hospitals right now. For each one, I’ve included what hospitals are typically looking for, why the demand is what it is, and roughly how many jobs are out there.
If your specialty is on this list, the market is in your favor.
1. Med-Surg RN
The biggest specialty by volume, and one of the slowest to fill.
Medical-surgical nursing is the largest nursing specialty in the United States, with more than 650,000 practicing RNs nationally, or roughly 21% of all RNs. In Kansas, Med-Surg roles consistently rank among the most posted RN positions on major job boards. Glassdoor lists more than 6,000 active RN job openings in Kansas right now, with Med-Surg roles being one of the most common categories.
Typical requirements:
- ADN or BSN (BSN preferred at many hospitals)
- Active RN license in Kansas (or NLC compact state license)
- BLS-AHA certification
- At least one year of hospital experience preferred (some rural hospitals will consider LTAC, LTC, or skilled nursing experience)
- CMSRN certification optional but often pay-bumped
Why it’s in demand: Med-Surg has an 18% annual turnover rate and one of the longest time-to-fills in the industry. Hospitals rely on Med-Surg nurses for the bulk of inpatient acute care, so vacancies hit fast and hard. This specialty also serves as a feeder pool for ICU, ER, and specialty units, which means hospitals are constantly recruiting.
What we’re working on: I currently have multiple Staff RN openings on Medical units across southwest Kansas, including 0.9 FTE day and night shifts. Sign-on bonuses, relocation assistance, and tuition reimbursement are typically included.
2. Emergency (ER) RN
One of the highest-turnover specialties in the country, and one of the most-recruited.
ER nursing has a 20.7% annual turnover rate nationally, the second highest of any specialty. Over a five-year period, ERs essentially turn over their entire RN staff. Hospitals know this and compete hard for experienced ER talent.
Typical requirements:
- ADN or BSN
- Active RN license in Kansas (or NLC compact license)
- BLS, ACLS, and PALS certifications often required
- TNCC and ENPC preferred
- Two or more years of ED experience for senior or coordinator roles
Why it’s in demand: Demand has been steady for years, but two factors keep ER RN hiring active. First, ER nurses are highly mobile and often move into travel nursing or higher-paying specialty roles. Second, HRSA projects a 24% RN shortage in non-metropolitan areas by 2027, and rural ERs feel that gap most acutely.
In Kansas specifically, rural ERs offer something many urban ERs can’t: a wider scope of practice. You’ll see traumas, behavioral health, pediatrics, and chest pain workups in the same shift, often with the same team.
What we’re working on: I’m currently filling Nurse Manager (ER), RN Clinical Coordinator (ER), and Staff RN ER roles in southwest Kansas. The Clinical Coordinator role specifically offers a $10,000 sign-on bonus and clinical ladder progression.
3. ICU / Critical Care RN
Stable, high-acuity demand with some of the strongest pay in nursing.
ICU and Critical Care nurses sit at an 18.3% turnover rate nationally. Demand is steady rather than spiking, but the pay is consistently among the highest in nursing because of the technical demands of the role.
Typical requirements:
- ADN or BSN (BSN preferred)
- Active Kansas RN license (or NLC compact)
- BLS, ACLS, and PALS often required
- CCRN certification preferred (not always required)
- One to two years of bedside RN experience minimum, often more for night shift positions
Why it’s in demand: ICU staffing is tight everywhere, but rural ICUs face a specific challenge. Smaller hospitals still need 24-hour intensivist coverage and advanced critical care, but they have a smaller candidate pool. The result is that experienced ICU nurses willing to work in rural settings are some of the most actively recruited candidates in the state.
What we’re working on: I’m currently filling Nurse Manager (ICU) and Staff RN ICU roles in southwest Kansas. The ICUs we work with typically have 24-hour intensivist coverage, broad case mix (sepsis, COPD, post-op, GI bleeds, overdoses), and meaningful clinical ladder progression.
4. LDRP / OB RN
Lower turnover, but real openings, and a niche where experienced nurses have leverage.
OB and women’s health nursing has one of the lowest annual turnover rates, around 13%. Nurses in this specialty tend to stay longer, which sounds like a problem for recruiters, but it actually creates a different kind of demand: when openings come up, qualified candidates are scarce.
Typical requirements:
- ADN or BSN (BSN preferred)
- Active Kansas RN license (or NLC compact)
- BLS, ACLS often required
- NRP (Neonatal Resuscitation Program) certification
- AWHONN Fetal Monitoring certification preferred
- One or more years of OB or LDRP experience preferred
Why it’s in demand: Rural hospitals are particularly squeezed in this specialty. Many smaller hospitals operate single-unit LDRP departments that combine labor, delivery, recovery, postpartum, and sometimes pediatrics and NICU into one team. That breadth of practice is hard to find in larger systems, but it requires nurses who can flex across multiple care areas.
What we’re working on: I’m currently filling Nurse Manager (OB) and Staff RN LDRP roles in southwest Kansas. The LDRP units we work with typically have a 1:1 to 1:3 nurse-to-patient ratio and offer broad scope of practice for nurses looking to stay sharp across multiple specialties.
5. Nurse Manager (Specialty Leadership)
Where experienced clinicians become the people running the unit.
Nurse Manager roles aren’t tracked in traditional turnover surveys the way bedside roles are, but the demand is real and growing. As 25.9% of Kansas RNs plan to retire or leave the profession in the next five years, and many of those retirees are in leadership positions, Kansas hospitals are actively building their next generation of nurse leaders.
Typical requirements:
- BSN required, MSN preferred (some hospitals require MSN within a defined timeframe)
- Active Kansas RN license (or NLC compact)
- BLS-AHA
- Three or more years of RN experience, including at least one year of clinical leadership
- Specialty-specific board certification within six months to two years of hire
Why it’s in demand: Leadership pipelines in healthcare are thin. Many hospitals struggle to promote internally because charge nurses and senior clinicians are reluctant to take on the administrative load that comes with management. Hospitals are increasingly willing to recruit external candidates and offer significant incentives, including base salary increases, short-term incentive program (STIP) bonuses, and signing bonuses up to 10% of base salary.
What we’re working on: I’m currently filling Nurse Manager roles for Emergency Room, ICU, and OB units in southwest Kansas. These are exempt positions with hourly equivalent ranges from $41.50 to $72.11, plus STIP eligibility, sign-on bonuses, and full leadership-track benefits.
The bigger picture
Across the country, hospitals are operating at an 8.6% RN vacancy rate, with 33.1% of hospitals reporting vacancy rates of 10% or higher. Kansas is in line with that pattern. The Kansas Hospital Association’s 2025 Annual Workforce Survey reports an 11.8% overall vacancy rate and a 14.1% RN turnover rate. And the Kansas Department of Labor projects 19,398 total RN openings in the state by 2032.
What that means in practice is that Kansas hospitals are actively competing for nurses, and the offers reflect that. Sign-on bonuses, relocation assistance up to $8,000, loan forgiveness eligibility, tuition reimbursement, and clinical ladder progression are common across the roles I’m working on.
What we’re currently working on
To pull it all together, here’s what’s actively on my desk right now:
- Nurse Manager roles in ER, ICU, and OB
- RN Clinical Coordinator in ER (with $10,000 sign-on)
- Staff RN, ICU (nights)
- Staff RN, ER (nights and days, multiple sites)
- Staff RN, Medical Unit (days and nights, multiple sites)
- Staff RN, LDRP (nights)
These are direct hire positions with rural hospital partners across southwest Kansas in towns like Garden City, Dodge City, and Ulysses. Most include sign-on bonuses, relocation packages, and meaningful long-term benefits.
If your specialty matches any of these, or if you want to talk through what direct hire could look like for your background, feel free to reach out. I’m at adil@zenexpartners.net. We can talk through what’s open, what the pay actually looks like for your specialty, and whether any of it makes sense for what you’re trying to build next. No pressure either way.
Written By
Muhammad Adil
Muhammad Adil is the resident expert on IT and Healthcare delivery at Zenex Partners. He is the one clients call when a placement has to be precise, in two of the toughest hiring markets out there.
