Here's the hard truth: Recruiting nurses can be challenging.
That's because as nursing shortages in the US become increasingly acute, finding high-quality nurses willing to work becomes increasingly difficult. So, what's fueling the nursing shortage? Factors like a retiring nursing workforce, an aging population, and an increased demand for healthcare services all lead to a need for more highly qualified clinicians in medical settings across the United States.
To address nursing recruitment challenges, some hospitals and other medical settings recruit nurses using incentives such as flexible scheduling, sign-on bonuses, and competitive wages. Ultimately, though, the best nursing recruitment strategies are a combination of reimagining traditional staffing models and putting the power back in the hands of nurses. Curious to learn more? The following list of nine best practices for nurse recruitment can help medical facilities find the right nurses to cover essential shifts.
Importance of Effective Hiring Strategies in Healthcare
Lower recruitment costs and improved staffing efficiency are some of the stellar benefits of implementing effective hiring strategies. In other words, a long and drawn-out recruitment process—think headhunters and time-consuming interviews—is a thing of the past. Instead, to hire nurses effectively in the modern world, facilities need to consider the needs of nurses.
For example, considering nurses' needs can look like offering more flexible and tech-enabled staffing solutions, allowing nurses to choose when and where to work. Additionally, healthcare organizations can focus on building a positive workplace culture to enhance nurse satisfaction and performance. The bottom line? When nurses feel appreciated by their facility managers, they are more likely to be motivated to provide consistent, high-quality care. Furthermore, nurses who feel valued by their employers are more likely to stay in their positions for the long term. As a result, this can significantly reduce turnover rates while also keeping hiring costs low.
Common Challenges of Recruiting Qualified Nurses
Many scheduling managers will tell you this: Recruiting nurses can be daunting. The good news? It doesn't have to be. One common issue is nurse burnout, which can lead to a drop in morale and retention rates. However, facilities can prevent and address nurse burnout by adjusting nurse-to-patient ratios and improving work schedules.
Studies show that neglecting ideal nurse-to-patient staffing ratios is a leading factor influencing nurses to leave their jobs. Furthermore, efficiently recruiting qualified nurses can positively impact patient safety and the quality of nursing care. Luckily, there are a few ways to remedy the challenges of nursing recruitment.
But First: Know Your Nurse Staffing Options
Guess what? As challenging as nursing recruitment may be, healthcare facilities have various options to help bring new nurses on board. The key to effective nurse recruiting is to plan for surges in staffing demand. As a scheduling manager at a medical facility, preparing for busy periods can mean implementing flexible scheduling or cross-training current staff.
Scheduling managers also need to know all the options for hiring or contracting nursing staff. For example, a scheduling manager may contract travel or per diem nurses to cover critical shifts during peak seasons. So, while it's essential to implement nursing recruitment strategies that attract full-time staff, healthcare organizations should be open to alternative ways of finding and retaining high-quality nurses.
Now, on to the good stuff…
9 Nurse Recruitment Strategies for Finding Top Talent
Finding the best nurses does not have to be a hassle. If your facility is looking for top talent in the nursing industry, here's how to recruit the best nurses.
1. Emphasize How Your Facility Is Different from Others
First impressions are everything, and that goes for medical facilities as well. When recruiting top nursing talent, highlight your organization's unique features that set it apart from other facilities. You can provide examples of how your facility supports its nursing staff—for example, guiding new nurses to a community page that allows them to ask questions about your company.
In addition, providing clear and fun descriptions on your webpage about your company's values and culture can help set you apart from the competition. Finally, emphasizing how your facility differs from other medical facilities will help attract nurses who share your organization's values, resulting in a win-win situation for you and the nurses you hire.
2. Create an Online Job Board for Open Positions
Creating an active online job board is a great way to attract qualified nurses and streamline recruitment. When making an online job board, ensure the platform you use to publish a job opening has a user-friendly interface. Furthermore, some of the best tech-enabled staffing platforms feature search filters for easy navigation. Effective search filters allow nurses to search by keywords, location, job type, etc.
Also, human resources should ensure that job listings are well-organized with essential details like job title, location, responsibilities, qualifications, and compensation. Job listings should also note what benefits or sign-on bonuses the positions offer. Some job boards provide application tracking and e-mail alerts. These alerts can enable nursing candidates to track their applications and receive updates on the status of their submissions. Application tracking can also help hiring managers be the first to know when a qualified nurse has completed all of the requirements and is ready to work.
3. Set Up Booths at Nursing School Career Fairs
Setting up booths at nursing school career fairs is an excellent way to connect with potential nurse recruits. By participating in career fairs at colleges, facilities not only have the opportunity to attract top talent but also help nursing students establish strong relationships with future healthcare professionals. A facility can do this by periodically sending hiring managers and a team of nurses to prestigious nursing schools throughout the US. Overall, setting up booths at colleges with nursing programs can effectively draw in fresh nursing talent.
4. Use a PRN Staffing Platform to Fill Nursing Shifts
Antiquated staffing solutions include relying solely on paper applications, manual filling systems, or in-person interviews. These methods can be time-consuming and inefficient. Instead, tech-enabled nursing solutions could help put nurses at every bedside by helping hospitals recruit and retain top talent.
Healthcare staffing platforms like Nursa are embracing digital innovation by allowing PRN nurses to find and fill shifts for facilities needing coverage. As a result, modern staffing platforms can help curb the nursing shortage by improving recruitment outcomes and getting facilities the help they need quickly and efficiently.
5. Build and Maintain an Active Social Media Presence
Building and maintaining an active social media presence to attract nurses can be a surefire way to attract nurses who align with your facility's values. For example, creating engaging and relevant content that highlights your facility's best qualities, such as fostering a positive work environment, can help new nurses get excited about working with you.
Pioneer platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) are great places to share job openings or feature nurse testimonials. A facility can also maintain a solid social media presence by sharing industry news and responding actively to comments and messages.
6. Reward Employee Referrals
A great way to recruit nurses to a facility is by offering employee referral rewards. Employee referral rewards are incentives or bonuses given to employees who refer qualified candidates for job openings within their organization. How do employee referral rewards work exactly? Contrary to popular belief, employee referral rewards only sometimes have monetary value, a.k.a cash rewards.
Employee referral rewards can also include the following:
- Non-cash rewards such as gift certificates, memberships to gyms, etc.
- Career rewards
- Recognition rewards
- Social rewards
At the end of the day, the most effective referral incentive is a combination of monetary and non-monetary rewards. Also, modifying a referral program to align with your healthcare facility's values and goals can help motivate current nurses to refer other qualified nurses.
7. Update Job Descriptions for Open Positions Often
Stumbling upon a job description and then realizing that it's expired or outdated can be a real drag for a potential nurse hire looking for a job. Therefore, hiring managers should always ensure that job descriptions for open nursing positions are updated regularly. Furthermore, hiring managers should maintain accuracy when posting online. Accurate job postings can include appropriately describing a nursing position and listing any new perks a company may offer. Similarly, posting nursing positions requires hiring managers to make sure required state certifications and licenses are up-to-date and accurate.
8. Network with Active Nurses at Conferences
A wise man and former American basketball player, Dominique Wilkins, once said, "You are only as good as your team." Engaging with other nursing professionals in the field can help facilities and managers stay updated on current trends and research to find the right team. Attending nursing conferences can also help connect managers to potential nurse recruits, particularly PRN nurses who intentionally attend conventions and meetings to find employment.
9. Update Compensation and Benefits to Attract Talent
According to an article by the University of Tulsa, "fairly compensated nurses are more likely to remain loyal." Furthermore, healthcare organizations and hiring managers may be able to attract high-quality nurses by highlighting competitive wage packages and benefits. By designing fair salary structures, healthcare facilities can ensure their nurses are compensated justly for their certifications, skills, and education. After all, a well-paid nurse is a better nurse.
Moreover, facilities can use PRN staffing platforms to contract nurses for last-minute coverage or other short-term needs. Because PRN nursing does not come with employee benefits, a nurse's hourly pay may be higher than that of a staff nurse while still helping facilities save money.
Finding Nursing Staff Doesn't Have to Be a Headache
Can finding and recruiting qualified nursing staff be a headache? Absolutely. Does it have to be? Absolutely not. In fact, with the right nursing recruitment strategies in place, hiring great nurses is a creative and rewarding process.
With this in mind, one of the best ways to recruit quality nurses is by showcasing your facility's strengths. Showcase your strengths by updating social media channels regularly, attending nurse conferences, or updating your facility's webpage often. Also, hiring managers can help curb burnout and boost nurse morale by filling short-term shortages with a nurse staffing platform. All these strategies can prove to be a powerhouse for finding top talent in the industry.
Are you looking to recruit qualified and skilled nurses for your facility? Use Nursa today to start filling critical shifts with local, qualified PRN nurses.
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