Booklet for Nursing Profession by Prolink - Indianapolis IN

What Nurses Want from Employers
Nursing shortages and high rates of nurse turnover are forcing nursing recruiters to think more strategically.
The old methods of medical recruiting aren’t working and it’s clear that something new must be done to fill
the 1.1 million nursing jobs needed by 2025. To ramp things up, it helps to understand what today’s current
batch of nursing candidates want from the employers who hire them.
Tuition Remission or Reimbursement
Nurses are more likely to accept a position when they know it comes with opportunities for career growth.
Offering tuition remission or reimbursement let’s the nurse expand his or her knowledge and obtain new
skills. You can add a stipulation that the nursing professional must work at your facility for a certain period
of time to pay off the tuition costs if you’re worried about nurses jumping ship. By encouraging continued
learning, your facility benefits from higher levels of skills while you gain a greater reputation for helping the
nurses you hire.
More Staff Would Lead to Less Burnout
Nurses want the healthcare facilities they work for to hire enough staff to distribute workloads evenly.
Studies show that nurses that have to care for more than four patients at a time are at greater risk of
burnout. More staff to even out the nurse-to-patient ratio would alleviate this problem.
Career Advancement
In addition to greater knowledge, nurses want to know that they can move up in the organization with
enough hard work. This doesn’t necessarily have to involve nurses moving up to leadership or managerial
positions. It could also mean nurses moving to different departments, allowing them to pursue new interests
while giving their potentially stagnant career a necessary jolt.
Safe and Comfortable Working Conditions
Everyone likes to feel comfortable at work, nurses especially. With the high-stress environment, they’re
forced to work in, it helps nurses to know that their co-workers are there for them and management can
lend a supportive hand (or a friendly ear) when necessary. The alternative is to provide a hostile
environment, which can lead to burnout and turnover.
To keep your workplace comfortable, put focus on rewarding your nurses for their good work. Offer
employee incentives to make them want to keep their jobs and focus on building a facility culture that is
inclusive and accepting to all.
Easy to Understand Schedule
Nurses want to know that they’ll have enough hours on their paychecks to enable them to pay the bills.
Some nurses want overtime so they can earn higher levels of compensation. Work with your nurses to give
them the schedules they want most, if possible. Schedules should also be predictable so that nurses can
plan around their shifts and attain some semblance of a work-life balance.
Incentive Programs
Your nursing staff will be more willing to come to work when they are supported and paid well. Incentives
like medical and retirement packages also help to retain top nursing talent. Find out what benefits your
nursing staff is most interested and surprise them with the incentives they want. Once you’ve made your
facility a joy to work at, with plenty of rewards, you can further entice your nurses to spread the word about
working there by offering a referral bonus. Having your nurses do the medical recruiting for you is a great
idea, as friends always like to work with friends.