Virginia Nurses Today - May 2022

Page 8 | May, June, July 2022
Virginia Nurses Today | www.VirginiaNurses.com
Meeting the nurse staffing challenge, part one: Recruitment tips
Georgia Reiner, MS, CPHRM,
Risk Specialist, NSO
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted nurses
to rethink their careers and reinforced the need for
healthcare and nursing leaders to shift their approach
to nurse recruitment and retention. A 2021 survey
by the American Nurses Foundation found that 18
percent of 22,316 respondents planned to leave their
current position in the next six months. When the
data are sorted by nurses working in hospitals (8,524),
that percentage rises to 21 percent. These pandemicrelated
staffing problems are intensified by factors
that existed before COVID-19 and that still plague
leaders. For example, hospitals in rural areas continue
to struggle more with nurse staffing than those in
urban locations. Generational differences also exist,
with Generation Zers and Millennials more likely to
leave positions compared to Generation Xers and Baby
Boomers. The exodus of bedside nurses takes its toll
on remaining staff and, in some cases, quality of care.
Too often, organizations have viewed nurses
primarily as an expense, failing to understand that
investing in this workforce yields financial rewards.
High-quality nursing care helps to reduce the
likelihood of patient safety events and costly medical
malpractice lawsuits related to missed errors. Savvy
leaders know that ensuring appropriate staffing levels
is key to the financial health of the organization,
which means engaging in effective recruitment and
retention strategies. This article, the first in a twopart
series on nursing recruitment and retention, will
address recruitment strategies that leaders can utilize
to help attract new nurses to their organization.
Recruitment
Nursing and other organizational leaders need to
work closely with human resources staff to ensure
recruitment processes are efficient and effective:
Craft ads that work. First impressions count.
Everyone is your competitor for a limited pool of
nursing talent, so do what you can to make your
organization stand out as an attractive place to
work. Be sure images in recruitment ads reflect
the organization, particularly when it comes
Southeastern Virginia Training Center
We are a 75 bed intermediate care
facility for individuals with intellectual
and developmental disabilities in Chesapeake, VA. We are state
operated through the Department of Behavioral Health and
Developmental Services.
We are looking for RN's (FT and PT)
* $5,000 sign on bonus or student loan repayment for full-time
RNs w/1 year agreement
* state employee benefits for FT positions
To apply online, go to:
https: //virginiajobs.peopleadmin.com
(and select Agency 723)
to diversity. Many organizations feature their
own nurses in ads, which has the additional
benefit of employee recognition. Try to make your
messaging as personalized as possible, emphasizing
your organization’s culture and authentically
communicating why nurses should want to be a part
of your organization.
Reach out early. Ask staff who work with students
completing clinical rotations to identify those who
might make good employees when they graduate.
Then get to know the students and encourage them
to apply when the time comes. If you lead a specialty
unit, invite students to attend meetings (onsite or
virtual) of local chapters of the national specialty
nursing association so they can learn more about the
role. You also may want to partner with local schools
to teach a class or workshop so you can connect with
students.
Promote digital efforts. Organizations’ websites
often miss the opportunity to feature nurses. Your
facility’s website should have a special section
highlighting nursing, including stories that feature
individual nurses. You can ask staff to record
video testimonials that highlight what they enjoy
about working for your organization. In addition,
your organization’s job portal and job application
process should not be so cumbersome that potential
employees give up in frustration.
Individualize benefits. Avoid a “one size fits
all” approach to benefits. Instead, offer a menu
that nurses can choose from. For example, a latecareer
nurse may be more interested in retirementmatching
funds, but a newer-to-practice nurse may be
attracted to a flexible schedule, tuition or student loan
assistance, or child-care benefits.
Obtain Magnet® status. Becoming a Magnet®designated
facility can be expensive, but many nurses
prefer organizations with this designation, so it can be
well worth the investment. Magnet® status also may
help reduce turnover and decrease patient morbidity
and mortality.
Provide optimal onboarding. This is often
discussed as a retention tool, but it also falls under
the recruitment category, as potential employees want
to know how supported they will be in their new role.
This is particularly true of new graduate nurses,
who have seen their recently graduated colleagues
rushed into practice as a result of the pandemic. Many
organizations are being shortsighted in cutting back
on nurse residency programs, which not only attract
staff, but also promote a smoother transition into
practice, thus increasing retention.
Preceptors should be chosen based not only on
their level of expertise, but their effectiveness as
educators. Orientees (and preceptors) should know
that they can speak up if the match isn’t working.
Be sure staff feel warmly welcomed. For example,
some organizations send a signed welcome card to the
employee’s home before their start date. Others post
the employee’s name and photo in a visible location on
the unit.
Check in regularly with new staff to see how they
are adjusting, such as weekly for a month, then every
other month or so, and then after 6 months.
Meeting the challenge
Finding creative solutions to recruit nurses is
more important than ever. However, it is only the
first piece of the puzzle to building a robust nursing
team. Creating a safe, supportive work environment
that recognizes nurses’ meaningful contributions is
essential to encourage nurses to want to keep working
for your organization. Part two will discuss retention
strategies that healthcare and nursing leaders can
employ to help increase the likelihood that they retain
current nursing staff.
References
American Nurses Credentialing Center. Magnet benefits. n.d.
https://www.nursingworld.org/organizational-programs/
magnet/about-magnet/why-become-magnet/benefits/
American Nurses Foundation. COVID-19 impact assessment
survey – the first year. 2021. https://www.nursingworld.
org/practice-policy/work-environment/health-safety/
disaster-preparedness/coronavirus/what-you-need-toknow/year-one-covid-19-impact-assessment-survey/
CNA & NSO. Nurse Professional Liability Exposure Claim
Report: 4th Edition: Minimizing Risk, Achieving
Excellence. 2020. https://www.nso.com/Learning/
Artifacts/Claim-Reports/Minimizing-Risk-Achieving-
Excellence
Malliaris AP, Phillips J, Bakerjian, D. Nursing and Patient
Safety. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
2021. https://psnet.ahrq.gov/primer/nursing-and-patientsafety
Pink D. When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing.
Riverhead Books; 2019.
Reitz O, Anderson M, Hill PD. Job embeddedness and nurse
retention. Nurs Admin Q. 2010;34(3):190-200.
Sherman RO. The Nuts and Bolts of Nursing Leadership:
Your Toolkit for Success. Rose. O. Sherman; 2021.
Wolters Kluwer. Ten recruiting strategies to attract nurses.
2019. https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/expertinsights/ten-recruiting-strategies-to-attract-nurses
Disclaimer: The information offered within this article
reflects general principles only and does not constitute legal
advice by Nurses Service Organization (NSO) or establish
appropriate or acceptable standards of professional conduct.
Readers should consult with an attorney if they have specific
concerns. Neither Affinity Insurance Services, Inc. nor NSO
assumes any liability for how this information is applied in
practice or for the accuracy of this information.
This risk management information was provided by
Nurses Service Organization (NSO), the nation's largest
provider of nurses’ professional liability insurance coverage
for over 550,000 nurses since 1976. The individual
professional liability insurance policy administered through
NSO is underwritten by American Casualty Company of
Reading, Pennsylvania, a CNA company. Reproduction
without permission of the publisher is prohibited. For
questions, send an e-mail to service@nso.com or call 1-800-
247-1500. www.nso.com.