Hiring a nurse is a complex process that raises questions.
How do I start the process of hiring someone new?
Where should I start looking for candidates?
In today’s nurse shortage climate, the following question is perhaps the most important:
How can I ensure that we hire the right candidate?
You don’t have to outsource the process to a nursing agency. In this article, we will explore how you can hire the right nurse for the job by defining the process in six steps and sharing our five best practice tips.
How to hire a full-time nurse: What’s the process?
Nurse hiring should be a structured process involving several steps to ensure a facility gets the perfect candidate. We’ve created a six-step roadmap to guide you along the way.
1. Identify your need
Do you need a full-time nurse or temporary shift coverage? What skills and competencies do you need for your facility?
To begin the talent acquisition process, healthcare facilities can benefit by first defining the following:
- The type of nurse they need
- The responsibilities of this nurse position
- The skills and qualifications the nurse must have
- The amount of experience the nurse needs to succeed
A facility should also define whether it requires the nurse to have certain specialty certifications, such as IV certification, telemetry, or pediatrics.
2. Review your compensation and benefits offerings
Is your compensation and benefits package competitive?
To answer that question, facilities can benchmark salary and benefits against:
- Education and experience requirements: Advanced degrees, role specialization, and years of experience can all increase how much a nurse should be paid for their labor.
- Similar nursing roles in the industry: Local wages can provide a helpful benchmark for understanding what the typical wages are for nursing roles.
- Local market rates: Nursing shortages and local demand for nursing talent can affect how much negotiating power nurses hold over compensation.
- Cost of living: regional differences can dramatically influence starting rates for clinician talent—rural areas will often pay lower than densely populated urban areas, but also have a smaller pool of nursing talent to draw from.
To attract the best candidates, it is also important to review the total benefits package and perks, including career development opportunities, health insurance, retirement plans, PTO, tuition reimbursement or assistance, and more.
3. Create an accurate job description for the role
What should be included in a job description?
A detailed job description specific to the role will help attract the best candidates. Be sure to include:
- Position title
- Job responsibilities
- Required skills
- Required qualifications
- Overview of the facility's values and work environment
- Opportunities for growth
4. Begin recruitment efforts
During nurse recruitment, it is important for facilities to post their job in as many places as possible. Some common examples are job boards, local job fairs, and networking events.
Expand the recruitment net even wider by posting open shifts on Nursa’s per diem staffing platform. Approximately one-third of contract clinicians on our platform are looking for internal staff positions.
5. Interview candidates
To optimize the interview process, plan it out first. Below are some useful questions to help you design the interview process in nursing:
- How many interview stages will there be?
- How much time will you invest in each interview?
- What questions will you ask the candidates?
- Will you require a test shift through a per diem platform to observe them?
- Who will be on the interview team?
- How will you determine if the candidate is the right fit?
With your interview team, prepare a mix of behavioral and situational questions to assess whether the candidate's skills fit with the facility's culture.
6. Follow up with your candidates
Following the interviews, conduct background checks, license verification, and contact references to ensure that:
- The candidate has a clean record.
- The candidate is suitable for that specific healthcare environment.
- The candidate’s strengths and weaknesses are known.
It is equally important to follow up with your candidates afterward. They should be made aware of your timeline, next steps, and any key deadlines.
Finally, when your hiring team has selected their top candidate, extend an official offer of employment.
Best practices for hiring the right nurse for your facility
Put your recruitment plan into motion by using some of these best practices tips.
Be specific about what you’re looking for
Facilities need to outline the qualifications, skills, and experience with enough clarity so candidates can picture themselves working there. Provide information about your facility’s mission, target population, and expectations of your staff.
Include a paid per diem shift as a “trial run”
Holding a trial shift with a per diem staffing platform provides a low-risk and cost-effective way for facilities and nurses alike to assess fit before fully committing to long-term employment.
For example, Nursa expressly encourages facilities to use the platform as part of the recruitment process with its firm no hire-away fees policy.
Additional advantages of using a per diem shift with Nursa include:
- No contracts: Post a shift for free without any contractual minimums.
- No penalties: Facilities have no obligation to hire the clinician after the shift should there be a mismatch in fit.
- High clinician quality standards: Nursa conducts background checks and license verification on all nursing clinicians who pick up shifts.
Leverage tools for big applicant pools
To streamline the interview candidate selection process—especially when you have a high number of applicants—look to technology to help. Many facilities use a type of Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) to screen resumes and cover letters.
By feeding the ATS a detailed job description (see step 3 from above) it will quickly scan and pull out the candidates that meet your requirements.
Ask the hiring team for insight into candidates
When recruiting new candidates, it is helpful to have insight from other perspectives. Lean on your hiring team and ask them the following questions:
- What are some of the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses?
- What makes the candidate stand out?
- How did the candidate perform during the interview?
- What feedback did previous employers offer?
These questions can help determine if the candidate is the right fit for your facility.
Support new hires with effective onboarding
To ensure that the new nurse integrates fully into the healthcare team, a scheduled onboarding and training process is imperative. Some ideas include the following:
- Welcome packet with details about public transportation or employee parking, dress code, and break room amenities
- Comprehensive orientation of facility procedures and protocols
- A facility tour and introduction to staff
- Electronic systems training
- Regular check-ins and feedback
- Effective communication
With a solid onboarding and training program, facilities can ensure that new nurses feel supported. This will also help with job satisfaction and retention.
Get coverage for unfilled shifts with Nursa
Finally, it is important to evaluate the impact of unfilled shifts in a facility, as understaffing can create burnout and increase turnover.
Nurse recruitment takes time to ensure you find the best candidate for your needs. Don’t leave shifts unfilled in the meantime.
While facilities can use Nursa to vet clinicians, the platform’s primary purpose is to help facilities cover unfilled shifts at a lower cost than staffing agencies or other alternatives.
If your facility needs last-minute nurses while the recruitment process for someone new is underway, don't hesitate to use Nursa as your tool of choice. After all, you might end up wanting to hire one of them.
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