Hiring & Keeping Part-Time Nursing Staff

There are social, cultural and economic factors that have led to the shortage of nursing staff in the U.S. The number of nurses exiting the profession currently outweighs the number of nurses entering. This problem is exacerbated by an aging workforce. Approximately 50% of American nurses are over the age of 45.

Cutbacks in hospital resources resulting from managed care have made nursing more stressful and even less desirable.

With this shortage expected to grow, the question remains how to attract part-time nurses to pick up the slack? Obvious pools are:

1. Nurses who have left the workforce for personal reasons. They have settled down and are likely to be married with children.
2. Those that have left for lack of work-life balance. Hospitals are 24/7 operations. Nurses who work full-time in hospitals work many weekends, holidays and mandatory overtime, which cuts into their personal lives.
3. Older nurses who find long hours physically challenging.

You can lure these nurses back into the workforce by offering them a more flexible schedule with shorter work shifts. Instead of the normal 8 or 12-hour shift, allow them to work 6 hours. Hiring more nursing staff is also a great way to attract and retain your current nursing staff; it sends the message to staff that they are valued and that their wellbeing is a priority. Finally, don’t overlook locum tenens staffing; this is an often overlooked but terrific resource for nursing talent to fill the voids in your organization.

Not only will you add to your nursing staff, you will reduce the stress level of your full-time nursing staff and reduce turnover.

Read More about hiring nurse practitioners