If you're a registered nurse searching for RN jobs in Atlanta, but you’re looking for more flexibility than a traditional schedule allows, consider using ShiftKey to find RN shifts that fit your life.
ShiftKey is a technology platform and marketplace. Facilities in the Atlanta area post RN shifts to the marketplace. You work as an independent contractor, so you choose which shifts to request, and you propose your own rate.
Facilities review requests, but they never see proposed rates. They choose which independent professionals to engage based on criteria that matters to them, like years of experience.
The easiest place to start is our ZIP code shift search. Enter a ZIP code, then filter by “RN” to see RN shifts that facilities have posted to the ShiftKey marketplace near that area. Keep in mind that what you see will change as facilities fill shifts and post new ones.
At publication, RN activity on ShiftKey in the Atlanta area extended beyond the city limits, so it's worth trying your home ZIP code and any others you'd realistically drive to.
You’ll need a ShiftKey account to see shift details. Once you have an account, you can browse all available RN shifts and see details for those you’re interested in. The shift-details screen gives you:
- The full facility address and a Google Maps pin.
- The shift’s start date, along with shift start and end times.
- The specialty and skill the facility is looking for.
- The facility type, rating and bed count.
- A suggested bid rate.
- Contact information for the facility.
Together, these details help you answer the practical questions. Is this a setting where your experience fits? Does the timing work with the rest of your week? Is the location somewhere you can reach comfortably at the hours listed? If something is unclear, you can call the facility before you request the shift.
The suggested bid rate is a starting point, but when you request a shift, you propose the rate you want. The facility reviews requests and decides whether to accept yours, but they don’t see your proposed rate. They choose independent professionals for shifts based on what’s most important to them, such as experience in a setting or specialty certifications.
Care settings you may see in Atlanta
At the time this article was published, RN shifts on ShiftKey in the Atlanta area were at skilled nursing facilities and behavioral health facilities. The settings you find at any given time depend on what facilities post, and other types of facilities may appear too. The facility type and the listed specialty and skill on each shift will tell you what kind of setting you're looking at before you request it.
License requirements for RNs in Georgia
You can work as an RN in Atlanta if you hold either an active Georgia RN license or an active multistate RN license issued in your primary state of residence, if that state is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC).
Living in an NLC state isn't enough: You must have a multistate license, and the NLC state must be your primary state of residence. The primary state of residence is determined by where you’re registered to vote, where you pay taxes, and the state that issued your driver’s license.
If you have a single-state RN license from another state, you’ll need a Georgia RN license, for which you may be able to apply by endorsement. If you’re moving to Atlanta, see Georgia’s guide to what kind of license you’ll need, and visit the Georgia Board of Nursing for information about Georgia RN licensure.
Before you can use the ShiftKey platform, you must complete a credential verification process, and facilities may have additional requirements for a shift.
Evaluating the commute time is part of evaluating any shift. Metro Atlanta has optional toll express lanes that run alongside several interstates, including I-85 toward and into Gwinnett County, the I-75 South Metro lanes in Henry and Clayton counties and the Northwest Corridor along I-75 and I-575 in Cobb and Cherokee counties.
Tolls are variably priced, so they rise with demand. And the I-75 South Metro and Northwest Corridor lanes are reversible, which means they change direction during the day. Whether an express lane is open in your direction, and what it costs, depends on when you're driving. A trip to a shift that looks close on the map can mean one thing the way in and a very different one on the way home.
Note: If you use toll roads in Atlanta, a PeachPass transponder must be installed on the windshield of the vehicle, otherwise toll violations will be sent to the vehicle’s registered owner.
Before you request a shift, it helps to:
- Open the shift's address and map pin, then check your route for the actual start and end times.
- Look at 511GA for current traffic, express lane status and the reversal schedule. Its route planner can also avoid tolls.
- Decide ahead of time whether you'd pay to use the express lanes or stay in the general lanes. The Georgia Express Lanes page has more about each corridor.
Search your ZIP code and filter by “RN”to see what's posted near you. When you're ready to take the next step, create a ShiftKey account and complete the verification process to begin using the marketplace.