New recruits: Local hospitals find creative ways to side-step nursing shortage

A nationwide shortage of nurses demands hospitals use creative recruiting methods.

Both Southeast Missouri Hospital and Saint Francis Medical Center say they benefit by having so many training programs in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois from which to recruit.

Hospitals recruit from Southeast Missouri State University's bachelor of science in nursing program, from Southeast Hospital's College of Nursing, from the Career and Technology Center, and from other areas.

"We get some nurses from Three Rivers in Poplar Bluff, and we get some from St. Louis," said Dr. Karen Hendrickson, vice president and chief nursing officer at Southeast.

"It's easier to find new grads than experienced nurses," said Cheryl Woodfin, employment specialist at Saint Francis.

Woodfin said Saint Francis uses newspaper advertising and posts on the web site to entice experienced nurses to apply. Most experienced applicants come from employee referrals.

Some nurses get experience while going to school through a bridge program. Students complete a year of training and earn a licensed practical nurse designation, then enroll in a registered nurse program and take classes while working in the field.

"At Southeast Hospital, nurses tend to 'ladder' their education by starting either at the LPN entry program or as an associate degree nurse to meet their needs," Hendrickson said.

Both hospitals offer a tuition reimbursement benefit for nurses and other medical personnel who want to earn a bachelor's degree in nursing. Southeast and Saint Francis will lend up to $15,000 to students who enter the degree program and will forgive the loan if the student agrees to work for the sponsoring hospital for a specified time period. Those who are unable to meet the work obligation may "sell" their loan to a lending institution and pay it off.

Saint Francis offers a recruitment bonus in addition to the education loan. Southeast recently began offering a sign-on bonus.

"That's new for us," Hendrickson said "We've never done that in the past."

Other incentives are not as tangible.

"What we are doing at Southeast is providing an environment where nurses feel administratively supported, have adequate nurse-patient ratio, and can feel they can make a difference in the lives of the patients they serve," Hendrickson said.

Saint Francis tries to be pro-active in its recruiting, says Woodfin. Last spring when students were graduating, Saint Francis over-hired for positions it had open so when a position came open, it already had a trained person to fill it.

"We have a very extensive training program, an orientation program each student goes through," Woodfin said. "Depending on the area they go in and what they want to go into, it helps make them more successful.

"Our education department follows new graduates around for a year after they start. We want them to be successful and comfortable in their skill level."

Both hospitals say they are satisfied with their retention rate. When nurses leave, say Hendrickson and Woodfin, it's mostly because a spouse has taken a job in a new location or because a nurse has been promoted to another career opportunity within the hospital.

"We really try to recruit the right individuals for our positions, Woodfin said. "If it's a good fit for the departments, the nurse is likely going to stay."