What are hospitals doing for recruiting new nurses?

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · Mar 22, 2013

I haven't seen a contract nurse on my floor in a year.

I am personally swamped with new grads asking me how to get a job at my hospital. I would imagine if you post your facility name and the fact that they are hiring you will get an impressive response.

RNewbie · Mar 22, 2013

I think travelers are the best option, also consider per diem staff. I find that staff are eager to work extra shifts when there are extra financial incentives.

RNperdiem, RN · Mar 22, 2013

If there are new staff hired who are in orientation, then staffing issues should ease in the next few months.

Good on your hospital for hiring travelers to help out. Many places would have you rely on the in-hospital staffing pool or mandatory overtime.

I remember several years back seeing full page ads in the paper advertising nursing positions, sign on bonuses, new graduate programs, retention bonuses, but those seem to be gone for a while.

Morainey, BSN, RN · Mar 22, 2013

When I started nursing school, we heard all about luncheons that a particular local hospital put on to "court" our graduates. Not anymore. My hospital flat out doesn't hire new grads anymore, and a nurse recruiter from the biggest hospital in our state told me that they get an unbelievable number of new grad applications each day for experienced RN positions. It's tough out there. :sour: So basically nothing around here or at my work at this point.

xoemmylouox, ASN, RN · Mar 23, 2013

I don't know of any hospitals that are recruiting new grads. They don't need to around here. The days of being sought after are over, now you're just a body to fill a hole. If it does t work out its I big loss to them as there are plenty of others who want to fill that spot. It sucks.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Mar 23, 2013

I haven't seen hospitals in my area actively trying to recruit in YEARS. When I was a new grad six years ago, I attended a new grad information session/hiring fair at my (now former) hospital. That was, I do believe, the last time they had such an event. The new grad program was suspended from the fall of 2008 through the summer of 2011 and though they have hired new grads in the past year and a half, they are not actively recruiting nor are they interested in easing the burden of current staff. There is a huge surplus of nurses in my area... so much so that it seems that the hospitals WANT their experienced nurses to leave only to replace them with cheaper new grads if they fill the open position at all.

rumwynnieRN · Mar 23, 2013

In Houston, two of the bigger hospitals have job fairs, and my dad kept getting recruitment letters from both. He also gets recruitment letters from Georgia O.o; -- I highly doubt my father will be leaving Texas for Georgia. The job fairs don't cater to new grads though. They'll have to wait for the residencies or look outside of Houston.

I don't know about here in Little Rock. I will say there are a lot more positions for new grads here than in Houston when you look on their websites.

martymoose, BSN, RN · Mar 24, 2013

There is a huge surplus of nurses in my area... so much so that it seems that the hospitals WANT their experienced nurses to leave only to replace them with cheaper new grads if they fill the open position at all.

I bet there's more truth to that comment than you may realize.

The majority of nurses on my floor now have under two years experience.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Mar 24, 2013

I am actually scared (truthfully, my husband moreso than me) that I may one day need hospitalization in one of our local hospitals. The experienced nurses are disappearing, replaced by new grads with little-to-no experience and in many cases, equally-matching loyalty and compassion. It's a job, period.

When a loved one was recently hospitalized, our family members and close friends took turns staying at the bedside. It wasn't to visit him, it was to PROTECT him. Daily questioning of nurses and aides revealed that NONE of them knew why he was there, what his diet was supposed to be (or cared to check when we DAILY complained it wasn't right--and it was a very real problem, not just a preference). Fluids not right. Meds not right. And on and on.

Bottom line is, everyone took the stance that "I've only been here since X o'clock" and "someone will fix it". Later. Tonight. In the morning. Anytime that it wasn't their own shift, apparently.

And the most experienced nurse on that floor, I was able to find out through my own connections, has five years....and is expected to leave soon.

I fear for all of us.

martymoose, BSN, RN · Mar 24, 2013

I am actually scared (truthfully, my husband moreso than me) that I may one day need hospitalization in one of our local hospitals. The experienced nurses are disappearing, replaced by new grads with little-to-no experience and in many cases, equally-matching loyalty and compassion. It's a job, period.
When a loved one was recently hospitalized, our family members and close friends took turns staying at the bedside. It wasn't to visit him, it was to PROTECT him. Daily questioning of nurses and aides revealed that NONE of them knew why he was there, what his diet was supposed to be (or cared to check when we DAILY complained it wasn't right--and it was a very real problem, not just a preference). Fluids not right. Meds not right. And on and on.
Bottom line is, everyone took the stance that "I've only been here since X o'clock" and "someone will fix it". Later. Tonight. In the morning. Anytime that it wasn't their own shift, apparently.
And the most experienced nurse on that floor, I was able to find out through my own connections, has five years....and is expected to leave soon.
I fear for all of us.

omg you've read my mind!!!! I have thought every single thing you wrote!

I have held off on a surgery because of this.

And I'm sure the seniority nurses aren't very welcomed around, as is the case on my floor , as the less seniority nurses have formed their own clique. So the senior nurses move on, well , also due to the health care politics..

is all I can say

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Mar 24, 2013

I bet there's more truth to that comment than you may realize.
The majority of nurses on my floor now have under two years experience.

Oh I meant that as a sincere, truthful statement. My old floor lost close to 1/3 of its nurses in just over a year and every single nurse they've hired in that time was a new grad. Management claimed that "that's all that's out there" but a night shift nursing supervisor who had the inside scoop told us the truth one day- the hospital wants new grads because they're cheaper and don't realize they're being abused.

Now that I do home care, most of my patients come from that same hospital- I had a young adult patient who asked me one day why 90% of the nurses at said hospital seem like they're in their 20s. Because they are.