Hiring nursing staff is difficult, no matter what kind of facility you operate. It can be even more challenging to find someone to direct the entire nursing department on your behalf. This challenge is primarily due to the shortage of nursing professionals today, resulting in a lack of qualified talent to fill the role.
So, when you’re gearing up for a search to find a new director of nursing, you might be forced to think outside the box to make sure you not only find a candidate that meets the requirements but to find candidates in general.
Let’s get started!
Expand the Search
The first step you should take when searching for a director of nursing is to not limit yourself strictly to a single part of the country. Some of the best talent available for the role might be located in another state and eagerly looking for a position. Granted, you might find yourself dealing with convincing them to relocate to the location of your facility. Still, it is far simpler to accomplish that than finding an alternative candidate. Furthermore, limiting your search geographically is an excellent way to set yourself up for disappointment or failure if you are hard-pressed to find someone.
Recruiters Are Your Friend
Believe it or not, your hunt for nursing staff is not something you need to accomplish independently. Sometimes, the resources are unavailable to conduct a unilateral hunt for candidates, and you need to outsource the search. Using a recruiting firm to help search for a nursing director can be a remarkably effective option with the added benefit of having a “try before you buy” policy from most firms. Rather than viewing recruitment firms as competitors, consider them allies in helping staff your clinic or hospital’s executive department.
Incentivize the Role
The shortage of professionals has made hiring a competitive endeavor and will require you to outbid your candidates’ rivals. Understand what offers are on the table for the candidate and determine if it is within your means to provide a better offer and steer the situation in your favor.
Competitive pay, superior benefits, boons of this nature are excellent motivators for convincing a qualified director of nursing candidate to take your offer rather than others. So, do not hesitate to make the best offer possible during the recruitment process if that is necessary to convince them to come on board.
Keep it Classic
Perhaps the most obvious option for tracking down candidates is to place an abundance of postings on job boards like Indeed or Glassdoor. While this is a little more taxing financially since these boards charge for the time the listing remains up, it is a tried-and-true method for finding candidates. Unfortunately, this method is the most common and obvious and might not be sufficient to find a candidate for a competitive position with few individuals capable of filling it.
HealthCare Recruiters International (HCRI)
Finding your director of nursing will not be a simple endeavor and will likely be a time-consuming feat if you choose to address it strictly on your own. Ultimately, you will have a hard time if you are unwilling to adapt to new techniques or have a work environment that repels candidates.
However, if you are willing to take a chance on the recruitment firm option, we at HealthCare Recruiters International have an unparalleled reputation and a talent for finding top healthcare executive professionals that can staff your facility.
So please, feel free to contact us today and see how we can help put all of your potential hiring woes to rest.