How To Recruit The BEST Nurses

Recruiting nurses to open positions requires extraordinary skill. Many recruiters ask the same question – where can I find the best nursing talent?  

Holding an RN license doesn’t always equate to the best talent. The most talented nurses possess skill and experience and will likely need more than money to be persuaded to change jobs. This article will discuss how to recruit the best nurses to your open positions.

Attracting the Best 

Initially, career type and money may have pulled nurses into the profession. But the best nurses want to know about their potential place of employment too. When selling an opportunity with your institution, strive to highlight the benefits of the company, such as: 

• Awards -Check into the hospital’s recent accomplishments. Have they received awards or been ranked among the top providers by any prestigious organizations? 
• Patient Satisfaction – How are the patient satisfaction scores? If they are great, run with it, and tell the potential nurse. If patients are happy, it’s a good indicator that the nurses are too. 
• Patient Stories – Ask the Human Resource department or unit manager for letters from patients who enjoyed their experience while at the facility.  

Nurses also want to know about potential coworkers. Some ideas to try to give the nurse a glance into their future place of employment include: 

• 3 Reasons Why -Ask current staff nurses to provide three reasons why they love their job. Write them down, or better yet, record it for potential nurses to see. 
• Peer Interview – It can be beneficial to have peers involved in the hiring process. Both the staff nurses and the candidate can learn about each other before they begin working together.   
• Offer Shadowing – Ask the manager of the unit if the nurse can shadow for a few hours to get to know the unit and other nurses. 

 Scheduling 

Nursing is a flexible career that can be skewed by on-call and weekend requirements and holiday rotations. Here are a few things you can do to make sure everyone is on the same page: 

• Clear communication – Make sure the applicant knows the scheduling expectations from the beginning. Employee retention is essential, and such surprises after being hired could make nurses not want to stay. 
•  Be Prepared – Ask the manager about scheduling options. Provide this to the applicant as early as possible. 

Advancement 

Career advancement is important to nurses. They are required to submit continuing education hours annually to maintain licensure. Continuing education stipends or free courses are attractive benefits to many nurses. Find out if the company offers: 

• Tuition reimbursement 

• Education credits/seminars   

Benefits 

Talking about benefits often leads to salary and can be just as important to the right employee. Know the company’s policies for: 

• Sick Time Accrual 
• Points System for Absences 
• Vacation Allowance 
• Retirement 

Nurses are busy people, and it can be tough to get a good nurse on the phone. Type up a flyer and send through email or hang it with the benefits and incentives to help attract the right nurse to the job. 

When all the options are offered to the nursing candidate, he or she will likely know if it is a good fit. The goal as a recruiter isn’t to just fill the position, but to fill it with the best nurse so you need to learn how to recruit the best nurses.