In the current economic climate, when so many industries are downsizing, it’s hard to believe that the nursing profession has to concern itself with recruitment and retention. Nevertheless, this is the case and it’s one that is brought on by the continuing nursing shortage - supply vs. demand.

The National Association for Health Care Recruitment (NAHCR) was among the first to identify the impending shortage in an article written in 1997 for their publication Directions. This write up forecasted the deficit of nurses which has left today’s recruiters, nurse managers, Chief Nursing Officers and human resource personnel all scrambling to keep their staffing needs filled.

The nursing shortage has resulted in extensive efforts on both the state and national levels that focus on recruitment and retention. When evaluating the big picture, retention is the best recruitment strategy. An organization needs to focus on keeping the nurses they currently employ rather than constantly trying to hire new ones. It’s about valuing your people. That means going beyond offering higher salaries by providing a more fulfilling overall package. Healthcare facilities have to look at implementing such initiatives as leadership training sessions, employee mentoring programs, value systems and various employee appreciation programs. Current nurses need to feel empowered to move up in their careers, while new nurses need to be made comfortable in their new clinical settings.

The competitive landscape of the nursing profession has also resulted in industry-wide perks. Hospitals are offering such benefits as continuing education, flexible work hours, and even student loan paybacks

Healthcare facilities are also using supplemental staffing to strategically fill vacant staff positions. This takes the burden off current working nurses by eliminating any type of mandatory overtime and gives the hospital time to find the ideal candidate to be a permanent member of their staff. All of this is being done to not only attract new nurses but to keep the nurses already on staff happy.

Of course, one of more important players in hospitals’ and healthcare facilities’ successful recruitment and retention goals are their own on-site recruiters. In this area, efforts are being made to help recruiters become more qualified at bringing nurses on board. In fact, NAHCR has partnered with Cross Country University to offer the first-ever Certified Health Care Recruiter Examination (CHCR). This exam allows recruiters to distinguish themselves from non-certified recruiters. By taking and passing this examination, healthcare recruiters attain a higher level of recruitment knowledge and ability, which then translates to greater return on the recruitment efforts.

Julie Brooks, CHCR, President of NAHCR explains, "Recruiters wear many hats and they have to be experts in many different areas. They essentially become the gatekeepers of healthcare organizations, deciding who is qualified to be part of the staff and who is not. It takes special skill to find the right person, with the right vision and values to bring the desired results that the healthcare facility is seeking. It doesn’t matter how many credentials or degrees that a clinician has behind their name if they are not kind, caring and compassionate and committed to providing quality care, then they are probably not in the right industry."

Ultimately, what we have to learn about the recruitment and retention of nurses is that there is no quick fix. Time needs to be invested in developing a solid plan to create an environment and culture that nurses want to be and remain a part of.