I need your help with recruting ideas.

Nurses New Nurse

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Hi. I am not a new Nurse, but can relate to what many of you have said on this thread. It was hard for me at first, too, but I was lucky and had great people around me to help me learn what I needed so that I could do a good job and feel inspired about what I had accomplished at the end of the day.

Having those great people who worked with me was really wonderful.

What I need your help on is this. I am doing a survey for the company I work for on recruiting nurses.

For some people, its the salary, for others its the retirement, for others its a chance for advancement, or location, or development.

What I would like to know, as new Nurses, what are the most important things that would be an incentive for you to hire on with a particular company or hospital. And, why would those things be important to you.

Thank you all so very much.

Harry

Specializes in Cardiac Step Down, PICU.

1. Give them what's promised!!! If the recruiter promises a 12 week orientation then give a full 12 weeks!:nono:

2. Make sure the unit is described accurately. If promised a cardiac step down unit then it had better be cardiac step down, NOT med surge. :angryfire ( can you tell I got burned on both of these?)

For the above reasons I am looking elsewhere after only 7 months.

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Hi all, especially TreeAHawk

Your responses are, essentially what my research showed and which I presented to my employer.

A recruitment/marketing plan for Nurses is one that is based on acknowledging Nurses. An employer need to respect and value its Nurses. For real.

TreeHawk, as a seasoned psych nurse, I wish that I could be your mentor so you weren't quivering in your boots.

Before you "sign on" with an employer, you might want to interview the Nurses that work there and get a good feel for the unit.

I was lucky in that when I was just out of Nursing school, the staff that trained me on the psych unit were totally awesome and supportive.

What part of the Country do you live in?

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wonka:

you are absolutely right, but I have found that respect and value to and for Nurses often supercedes salary, no matter what the age.

Your thoughts?

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Specializes in aged -adolescent.

Hi Harry Potter All the above answers are good but I would like a hospital that realises I am a new person in a sometimes hostile environment and as a new grad, I guess it would be ongoing support as a rookie or new nurse until I felt comfortable. I support the idea of a no-bullying policy too. Also have you salary sacrifice over there.? I think it goes like this..You pay more into super and then that reduces the salry that you are taxed on and there are certain things you can use that salary sacrifice to pay that reduces the tax again. Other nurses will know more about it but a friend of mine told me it worked for her and she benefitted by over $50 a pay. Not a lot but gee it adds up.

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For me, respect, appreciation, good working conditions, pro nurse leadership, and good ratios are the most important aspects of any nursing job.

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A good work environment and a facility that treats it nurses well is what would really draw me in. My happiness and job satisfaction matters a lot to me. I pretty much turned down a big sign on bonus because I knew a lot of nurses weren't happy with a particular facility I was looking at. Money can't compensate for misery. I think a facility that can prove that it retains happy nurses for several years has a really strong selling point to those looking for a job.

I totally agree. I am an "older" nurse at 41.

The best job is one where I am appreciated, supported, respected and valued.

It is also a place where nurses have some input and their opinions are listened to.

Another crucial aspect is that bullying by physicians or any other staff members is not tolerated whatsoever.

These things make all the difference in the world to me.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Salary and benefits aside, the first thing I'd want to know is the nurse-patient staffing ratio. Also, how many (if any) agency/temp nurses does the unit use and how much turnover is there?

No amount of pay or benefits is worth being put in an unsafe situation night after night because there is simply not enough staff to provide good care. If the hyper-educated suits could just grasp this simple fact, there would be no "nursing shortage" and I'll bet the bottom line would improve as well.

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Hi hassled: do you mean deferred compensation? San Diego County as that-essentially you put $ away into a fund and its not taxable.

As for being a new nurse and a "hostile" environment, having a really good manager is the key. To quote Drucker.."there are no bad employees, just bad managers"...the way a unit or company goes in regards to bullying, ethics, empowerment, etc., is top down. A good manager will ensure a fabulous work place.

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Specializes in aged -adolescent.

Not sure harry Potter but that sounds like the general drift. I know my kids use it. most web sites would probably have something on it.

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Specializes in Med-Tele, CCU, ED (by default in Mgt.).

I,too, like Harry Potter, need all of the creative ideas that I can get for Nurse recruitment and retention. Compound that need with a post Katrina Mississippi Gulf Coast and you see the problem facing our Nursing Management Team. We have many nurses who stayed with us post Katrina and they deserve much praise and now much help (pemanent not continually depending on agency staff). So please, everyone, send in your best ideas:idea:

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Specializes in FNP.

Not a nurse yet, just a lurker and student, but... one thing that I've found frustrating is how many hospitals offer tuition reimbursement for ADNs to get BSNs - but how few offer loan payback for those who've gotten the BSN and are now looking for jobs (or preparing to) - I don't think it's just in MN, as I've looked around and see it's more of a trend. I like the bennies more than the actual wages - but do need / want the ability to work OT to pay for those school loans

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Specializes in Cardiac.
Actively supporting new nurses and having an anti-bullying culture are the most important things.:balloons:

Definately! It was something I really looked at. In the end, I chose the hospital that offered me the best educational opportunities, that I got the best feel from the staff and manager, and to boot, paid the best in town for new grads. But when I reviewed their bennies, that's what sold me.

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