It’s no secret that there’s a worker shortage sweeping the nation, but that’s nothing new for the nursing industry. Nurse shortages date back to the 60s, and the problem continues to grow as more nurses retire every year and fewer new nurses enter the profession. For health care providers seeking to fill open nursing positions, the task of recruiting quality staff may seem like a never-ending challenge. However, with the right nursing recruitment and retention strategies, employers can find qualified nursing talent and avoid the panic of unfilled positions. Employers should consider the following four nurse recruiting tips when sourcing new talent.
Recruit From All Sources
It’s often said that you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket, and this principle is certainly applicable to recruiting. Employers should never put all of their effort into a single recruiting source. Instead, employers should diversify their sourcing strategies and look for potential job candidates in all places. This means posting the job openings on various career sites, reaching out directly to candidates who seem qualified, and seeking candidates offline, too. College career fairs and other in-person events are just as promising as online recruiting sites may be. Put your eggs in lots of different baskets and recruit from a variety of sources.
Offer Competitive Benefits
Diversifying recruitment strategies is one way to increase the number of applicants, but it won’t necessarily improve the quality of applicants. The best way employers can accomplish this is by setting themselves apart from other employers recruiting candidates. How? The simplest way is to offer better wages and benefits than other employers are offering. Of course, a facility’s ability to do this depends on their resources. When it comes to recruiting high quality nurses, though, there are few strategies that will yield the same results as bumping up the package being offered to prospective new hires.
Invest in Experience
Yet another way to find the best nursing talent is to prioritize candidates who come with extensive experience in their field. Employers who want to invest in long-term staff and minimize turnover would do well to find nurses who have an established and successful career. Experience is often a good indicator of a nurse’s quality and professionalism, which are two qualities employers should seek to invest in, and a nurse with experience will also come with references who can confirm their suitability for the job.
Create a Great Workplace
Perhaps the most important strategy of all is simply creating a great workplace. Employers who want to attract the top talent need to be a top employer, and that can only be accomplished by accommodating nurses’ needs and striving to providing a positive environment. Minimizing the risks that employees face is also imperative. Nursing home risk management, for example, can help keep nurses safe and ensure that the risk of injury is minimized while on the job.
