Nurse Recruiting Practices

[Louisiana Dave]

A friend of mine and I recently started a career services firm which focuses on nurses.

We have discovered that it is reasonably easy to locate nurses looking to change positions.

However something happened recently which just "has me scratching my head".

Based on the drastic shortages of nurses in this country I thought that hospitals would be falling all over themselves to speak to someone who could help find nurses for them. We politely attempted to present a nurse to a hospital where she was interested in working and got a complete cold shoulder. We even indicated that we did not intend to charge a fee for the placement.

This reaction was not what we expected at all. We don't expect that every hospital is going to jump at every nurse candidate that comes along but they were very curt and almost rude and refused to even talk to us.

Is this the reaction we should expect?

Can some of you give me some insight as to what the dynamics are in recruiting nurses?

Have hospitals gotten used to shortages?

Do they typically use outside agencies to find nurses?

Are hospitals afraid to negotiate better benefits, salaries because they might open the "floodgates"?

Any insight you can provide in terms of what typical nurse recruiting practices are would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dave

[renerian, BSN, RN]

Let me put a bug in your ear about the columbus hospitals. I applied at two, different groups, for a job listed in the paper. I interveiwed but both times an internal candidate was promoted. Don't ask me why they got outside people when they had a qualified internal person but hey. Their policy is if you interview and are not hired you are ineligble for other jobs in the hospital. Mind you they said I was a great candidate but the HR people won't circulate my resume. Doesn't that suck..............politics....

renerian

[midwestRN]

After you apply at our hospital, there is a typical 3 month wait until you are hired. They check out everything and by the time they are ready, the RN has another job. Current employees are considered for open positions before outsiders. The nurses are offered a "recruiting" fee if a RN they found is hired ($1000.00). I can't imagine why you are getting the cold shoulder. You mentioned negotiating. Maybe that is something new they haven't had to contend with before and would end up costing the hospital mo money. You know how much they hate that.