I would like to hear from some nurse recruiters on why no one can find a job.

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · May 17, 2009

Haha. I laughed when I read this. I work at the #1 NICU in NYC, have ECMO, pre/postop cardiac experience, and am crosstrained to PICU. I applied for a per diem position at JSUMC in Neptune, and was sent an email saying while I was qualified, they had chosen someone more qualified for their needs. Heck, they are a tiny Level IIIb. I feel slightly dissed. Haha.

llg, PhD, RN · May 17, 2009

I am not a recruiter, but I work closely with the recruiter at my hospital on a number of workforce projects.

The situation at our children's hospital is that there are very few jobs, period. Our census is down and our current staff is not getting the hours of work that they want. Shifts are being cancelled regularly, etc. For the very few jobs we are hiring, we are looking for experience in the specific skills required for the job. We get lots of applicants from people with general experience and from new grads with none. After we sort through those and "pull out" the applicants with the specific type of experience we are seeking ... then we look at a couple of other things to make the selections for interview and then for final hire:

1. How much orientation will they need?

2. Do they have past experience working in our hospital and were they good employees? (Many of our "new" hires are actually people returning to us.)

3. How long are they likely to stay? Do they seem to be looking for a permanent home or are they "just passing through" this job?

4. How flexible are they? (in clinical skills, in hours they can be scheduled, etc.) The environment is changing daily and we seek people who can respond positively to constant change.

5. How's their personality? Are they pleasant to be around? Will they be complainers, "high maintenance" employees, bad for morale, etc.? Again, the environment is changing and very stressful.

In summary, we are looking for people who can help by being positive and flexible and helpful during a stressful time -- who don't need much orientation to slip right in and be productive right away -- and who is likely to be retained as a long-term employee. People who seem to need a lot from the hospital are not being seriously considered.

While I certainly don't know anything about Steve's case ... it might have been that he was competing against someone who had previously worked in that unit ... or that they figured he would not be satisfied with their smaller, less intense unit and would therefore either have trouble adjusting and/or not become a longterm employee.

Just my $.02,

llg

meluhn · May 18, 2009

Haha. I laughed when I read this. I work at the #1 NICU in NYC, have ECMO, pre/postop cardiac experience, and am crosstrained to PICU. I applied for a per diem position at JSUMC in Neptune, and was sent an email saying while I was qualified, they had chosen someone more qualified for their needs. Heck, they are a tiny Level IIIb. I feel slightly dissed. Haha.

Yes I am familiar with the meridian form letter. "While your credentials are impressive...bla bla bla". I know so many people who work there and say it is a nightmare, they are always short, etc. Whats the deal with them? I dont get it. I think it comes down to money. If they can run a floor with a skeleton crew, why bother spending more on staffing, the nurses can just suck it up.

LilNurse2b143 · May 19, 2009

I am all too familiar with the short staff/patient ratios! I just got in under the belt before this whole economy situation...was working at the hospital before I graduated and basically was just promoted to RN. I love when I go in to find out just off orientation I have to handle a 11 patient case load with only 1 other nurse on the unit-talk about stress overload!

meluhn · May 19, 2009

I am all too familiar with the short staff/patient ratios! I just got in under the belt before this whole economy situation...was working at the hospital before I graduated and basically was just promoted to RN. I love when I go in to find out just off orientation I have to handle a 11 patient case load with only 1 other nurse on the unit-talk about stress overload!

No wonder they have problems with retention. Is that 11 patients on day shift or night?

LilNurse2b143 · May 20, 2009

That would be night shift.

JerzeeMike · May 23, 2009

Haha. I laughed when I read this. I work at the #1 NICU in NYC, have ECMO, pre/postop cardiac experience, and am crosstrained to PICU. I applied for a per diem position at JSUMC in Neptune, and was sent an email saying while I was qualified, they had chosen someone more qualified for their needs. Heck, they are a tiny Level IIIb. I feel slightly dissed. Haha.

Hi Steve, I believe you are precepting a friend of mine now and from what I see on your post you are better off at Morgan Stanley Children's. Meridian is nuts to not interview someone with your qualifications but they wouldn't pay you what you're worth anyway. However, I am glad to see that it's not just us new grads that are feeling it.

I believe the current hiring freeze will be short lived and the hospitals will sloooowly begin to hire nurses in the second half of the year. To keep current, I volunteered as an RN at a family clinic in my local area. That will look good on my resume and I just recently accepted an RN position at a small hospital near my home. Keep the faith everyone! No matter what the current logic is behind this hiring freeze, they can't run healthcare without nurses.

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · May 23, 2009

Hi Steve, I believe you are precepting a friend of mine now

So maybe I have a chance of convincing YOU to come join us now! LOL

JerzeeMike · May 24, 2009

So maybe I have a chance of convincing YOU to come join us now! LOL

SteveRN1, I can't even find my keys when I put them down on my coffee table, can you imagine me with preemies?! :lol2:

Anyway, I just accepted a position at HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital in Tinton Falls. Good pay, an easy commute, and perfect hours (3p-11p). I've lived in the city and I'm over it, great to visit but it gets more and more expensive every year. Although if St. Vincent's Emergency Department calls me I might have to rethink that. They're building a whole new hospital from the ground up in the next 5 years so maybe then.

dkurland · May 27, 2009

I'm moving to Manhattan in a few months and going as a traveler. After a few assignments I'm hoping to get hired on in a permanent position in med.-surg. I'm experienced ( four years), have ACLS, PALS and NRP and am bilingual. Will I have trouble getting a job? Egads!

dlatimer · May 27, 2009

I have years of experience and have approx. 100 form letters (as stated above), 'We have had several people with experience which fit our needs better at this time." I even called one and asked what it is I need to do to make myself employable. She denied there was any problem. If I look at hiring practices vs. financial responsibility - you could hire 2 graduate nurses for what they would pay me, according to their pay scale, then it makes economical sense. It doesn't matter to the corporation if the nurse is a new graduate or years of experience, a license is a license. If the state inspectors say they are understaffed they will show all the reasons they find "qualified" nurses. This is just one more argument that for-profit should not be in the business of healthcare. Not-for-profit hospitals even use for-profit hospitals as their bell-weather (since profit margins are higher), so the same financial factors are involved. Patient care doesn't come first. Profits do.