(January 7, 2009) - Hospitals, health care facilities and adult home care companies around the nation are desperate–– not because of the crumbling economy or a lack of financial resources -- but for new hires, the Associated Press reported.
In a country riddled with layoffs and cutbacks, the nursing industry has become so sparse that recruiters have been forced to become imaginative.
At Residential Home Health in Michigan, organizers literally rolled out a red carpet at a hiring event and lavished registered nurses and healthcare workers with free champagne and a trivia contest. Prizes included a one-year lease for a 2009 SUV, dinner and hotel stays.
“We’re committed to finding ways to creatively engage with passive job seekers,” said David Curtis, president of the Madison Heights-based company.
In Milwaukee, Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare dished out $50 gas cards for experienced nurses that came to interview.
Even hefty salaries have not increased the number of nurses. In 2007, registered nurses made an average of $62,480, according to government statistics.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics predicts about 233,000 additional registered nursing jobs will become available through 2016, adding to the whopping 2.5 million existing positions. But in 2007, only 200,000 candidates passed the Registered Nurse licensing exam and thousands leave the profession annually.
Cheryl Peterson, the director of nursing practice and policy for the American Nurses Association in Silver Spring, Md., said employers should consider hiking up salaries and relaxing work conditions.
“The wages haven’t kept up with the level of responsibility and accountability nurses have,” said Peterson, whose organization champions nurses’ interests and rights.
She says chronic understaffing will lead to overworked nurses and a plethora of other problems, including patient care.