It is no secret that a nursing shortage exists. An aging population, an aging workforce, and a limited supply of new nurses are all contributing to this problem. As the baby boomers grow older, so does the nursing staff, many of whom are over the age of 50. Add to this limited nursing school budgets and a bottleneck of graduating nursing students, and the problem becomes evident. Keeping your nursing staff intact is difficult. So how can you make sure you have the right nurses with the right qualifications working each day?
Finding the Right Qualifications
Finding the right nurse with the qualifications to do the job begins with knowing what skills to look for in a great nurse. Look for nurses who will enthusiastically solve problems and advocate for quality patient care. Skills to look for will include:
- A bachelor’s degree in nursing
- Working knowledge of electronic medical record software
- Proficient in performing clinical procedures
- Critical thinking skills
- Adaptability
Describing the Job
A well thought out job description is essential for finding skilled nurses who will work in your institution daily. This job description will include a summary of the role, a list of duties, and the required and preferred skills for the position. Effective keywords to include in your job description might consist of such words as nursing, nurse, emergency room, registered nurse, and staff nurse.
Ask the Right Questions
The job interview is crucial when it comes to ensuring that your nurses have the right qualifications. It is vital to ask about education, experience, and nursing philosophy. Try to discern their methods of evaluating patient needs, how they manage difficult or demanding patients, and their proficiency with computer software and applications.
You must hire for the needs of the facility. Seek out nurses who have the traits that your facility needs, such as adaptability, commitment to growth, attention to detail, and a familiarity with specific types of patients. Many health care providers will seek nurses who commit to advanced education, who are proficient in technology, who values relationship building, who is driven by results, and who possess emotional intelligence.
Use Technology
Ensuring adequate staffing to accommodate patient demand is challenging when unexpected patient surges leave hospitals understaffed. Predictive analytics can help. AI-enabled predictive analytics and workflows can give you insight into future patient demand, which increases your ability to nursing staff changes days in advance. The result is superior patient care, increased staff satisfaction, and reduced labor costs. Consider using technology to proactively staff, correct staffing misalignments, and improve staff productivity.
Get Help
A health care staffing agency is a fantastic way to ensure you have the right nurses, with the right qualifications, when you need them. Power Personnel can deliver a workforce solution to your facility by providing exceptional nursing candidates to fill in your staffing gaps. Contact the staffing professionals at Power Personnel to see how they can help your facility during these challenging times.