Nursing is a great field, but it’s not for everyone.
If you’re a recruiter, you know that finding the right nursing candidate can be difficult. And if you’re looking for a nurse to fill an important role in your organization, it can be even trickier. That’s because of the nursing shortage, a nationwide trend that has seen more nurses leave their jobs than enter them since 2007.
So how do you find a good nurse? How can you make sure your organization gets the best possible candidates? And how can you help nurses who are struggling to find jobs?
The answers are all here:
How Serious Is the Nursing Shortage?
The nursing shortage is very real. In fact, it’s been around for many years and has only been getting worse since then.
In fact, the issue is so severe that the American Nurses Association (ANA), which advocates for the 4.2 million nurses in the nation, has encouraged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to declare the current and persistent nurse staffing shortfall a national crisis.
This shortage is affecting all areas of healthcare: hospitals, long-term care facilities, home health services, schools and colleges, private practices, and even veterinary clinics are feeling the pinch. It’s clear that something needs to be done before we start seeing more patients suffering from a lack of access to care.
What Does a Nursing Shortage Mean to Recruiters?
A nursing shortage means more job opportunities for nurses, and more job opportunities for nurses mean more opportunities for recruiters. In addition, nurses have been retiring in large numbers, and this means that there are more healthcare facilities looking to hire new nurses. According to the predictions by the International Council of Nurses, up to 4.7 million nurses worldwide are anticipated to retire by 2030.
This is good news for recruiters. Why? Because they now can aim to hire fresh nursing graduates who are ready to embark on this new profession.
Best Practices to Follow While Recruiting Nurses
Recruiters can use a number of strategies to help them recruit nurses in the midst of the nursing shortage.
Focus on Retention and Burnout Rates
Recruiters can focus on retention and burnout rates of nurses in recent years in order to understand the unique challenges of the nursing industry. Nurses are faced with many challenges in their daily lives, from burnout to job security and everything in between.
The 2021 Nursing Central survey of thousands of nurses revealed that burnout is the chief cause of why nurses leave the field. Moreover, 47.9% of burnt-out nurses claim to be actively looking for a less demanding nursing position, quit the nursing field altogether, or have done so during the previous three years.
In such a situation, recruiters can help nurses feel like they’re making a difference in the world by helping them find jobs that make them feel good about what they do and who they are as people. The more connected nurses feel to their job, the less likely they are to leave it when something better comes along.
Recruiters who understand this concept will be more likely to find the right candidates for their client companies and get them hired quickly, which means less time spent on hiring new hires and more time spent doing what they love.
Make the Job Attractive for Nurses
The global nursing shortage has created a massive opportunity for recruiters to help their companies hire and retain the best nurses.
Here are some ways you can do that:
- Make sure you’re offering competitive salaries and benefits.
- Create a culture that is conducive to work-life balance, so nurses don’t feel like they have to work overtime or on weekends just to make ends meet.
- Be transparent about how many hours are required per week and how much time off is allotted for vacation and sick days so that nurses know exactly what’s expected of them before accepting the job offer.
Harness the Opportunity to Find Skilled Nurses
Recruiters can harness the opportunity to find skilled nurses by leveraging their network, sending out emails, and making phone calls. They can also use technology like social media to post job openings and get the word out about new positions.
Recruiters can also increase their chances of finding the right candidates if they know what skills are in demand. If a recruiter is looking for ER nurses with three years of experience or fresh graduates from online second-degree accelerated BSN programs, they should make sure that they’re posting their jobs on websites where people who fit this description will be looking for work.
Nurses who have been laid off or fired may also be looking for work, so recruiters should reach out to them as well. Moreover, recruiters can leverage the nursing shortage and job forecast by being proactive in their recruitment strategies. According to a recent estimate, there may be a demand for as many as 13 million more nurses worldwide by 2030, compared to the existing 28 million-strong nursing workforce.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the nursing shortage is a great opportunity for recruiters to be more creative in their approach and make the most of this situation. It is important to understand the root cause of it but also to consider the benefits of hiring nurses who are actively looking for work.
The nursing shortage is a problem that affects us all and will continue to do so in the coming years. The only way out of this is by working together as a community and finding solutions that benefit everyone involved.
Authored by RankCastle Publishers
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