It is getting a lot more challenging to hire experienced and trained nurses. Nurses account for the largest profession in the healthcare industry. As per the World Health Statistics Report, about 29 million nurses and midwives exist across the world, with approximately 3.9 million in the US. In the year 2020, more than one million additional nurses were estimated as a requirement by the healthcare sector.

Numerous factors contribute to the immense gap between demand and supply for nurses.

• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many nurses are experiencing burnout and considering cutting out their careers short. It was found in the survey in 2021 of over 7,000 critical nurses, 70% have considered leaving their job.
• Another factor is the size of the aging population which will increase by 2060; this will need more nurses by then.
• The ageing population will have an impact on the total number of available nurses since most of them are retiring and baby boomers.
• There’s an increase in preventive care and growing rates of chronic illnesses that require nurses’ care.

How healthcare recruiting firms can help recruit nurses in an environment where there are various uncontrollable factors?

To attract potential candidates, it is essential to implement certain strategies that will have a positive impact on nurses that matters to many nurses. Use effective marketing outlets that communicate what you want to indicate while emphasizing the differentiators to stand out and look different from hundreds of job posts. You’ll easily be able to connect with quality nurses for the positions available and receive a continuous candidates flow through your doors.  

Strategies that will make the recruitment effort effective 

Healthcare is an important sector in India, thus Healthcare Recruiting Firm India situated are working hard to keep up with the welfare of nurses. Here’s how:

1. Emphasize advancement in career

By offering such opportunities, you show you are investing much to advance the careers of nurses. Offering transition programs and new graduate programs let you attract and hire new candidates into different specialties. This way, nurses will get filled in different specialties which are otherwise difficult to fill like neonatal ICU.

2. Advertise in different nursing outlets

Sponsoring continuous education programs, engaging in marketing and conferencing, advertising in medical journals both online and print, and placing website advertisements need to continue to be the most effective channels for the recruitment process.

3. Compensate accordingly

There is a shortage of qualified nurses in the hospitals and centers, so make sure to compensate accordingly and offer a comprehensive package. Some attractive perks for nurses can be loan repayment programs and tuition reimbursement.

4. Focus on life-work balance and not only the job 

Healthcare recruitment services India approved focuses on what a candidate needs and not what they want. For instance, highlight tools on which nurses will have access like top medical equipment, supporting staff, and education. Counselling can be offered to nurses so that they can deal with daily stress which includes the emotional void of losing patients. Self-care can also be promoted for the nurses and can be integrated at the workplace by offering different benefits and programs that are available easily.

5. Use social media platform

Be active on social media such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter so that you could reach both active and passive candidates by adding a career tab on the company page that links to your career website for easy access. Use images and videos to show testimonials highlighting the work environment.

6. A flexible schedule should be maintained

Many nurses feel stressed because of long working hours. A flexible schedule will attract nurses to work in hospitals since they can easily balance work and personal time. If you have multiple hospitals, offer more choices to nurses while choosing shifts to work at different locations. It also breaks the monotony of the job while offering a shift in energy.

7. Make the staff feel like they are part of the nursing community

Try to bring out a sense of community among the departments. The majority of nurses get attracted to working for top institutions for support, recognition, and a sense of being a part of the workplace where they can speak. It is important for healthcare recruiting firms to encourage nurses to engage in important decisions and feel valued.

8. Create nurse ambassadors

The best ones can become brand ambassadors. These are the ones who shape the overall culture. Giving them the authority to speak up on their views on the operations will teach candidates about the daily tasks. Using testimonials for writing for the web and creating videos for marketing will strengthen your online campaigns.

9. Promote safety at the workplace

The major concern at the workplace is an injury at the job and violence against the nurses. Thus, ensuring a safe environment to prevent harm against the nurses and implementing safety procedures for the protection of nurses is necessary.

10. Make brand relatable and personable

Don’t send out generic messages to different candidates, it is better to be personal while communicating. Humanize your organization by intentional cultural building, emphasizing personalized performance management, and communicating authentically why experienced nurses want to be a part of it. 80% of active job seekers will apply if the healthcare recruitment services agency actively manages its brand, and doing so can reduce turnover by 30%.

Bottom line

It is essential to be creative in your recruitment efforts to hire potential staff and be responsive to the needs of your valuable human capital. Focusing on the needs of a candidate like incentives, supportive work environment, and sense of community while combined with a strong marketing and brand message will have a significant impact on the quality and quantity of nurses you recruit.