America is currently experiencing the worst nursing shortage since the 1960s. Attempts to right the shortage are everywhere, with bulletin boards advertising the field, legislation for scholarships in the works, and sign-on bonuses at some hospitals luring in prospective nurses. However, in order to fill the gap, hospitals would need to hire 95% more nurses by 2025, and with only a 2% increase in the number of nurses in the last year, this goal seems unattainable.

When ads for nurses are in trade magazines and newspapers, you have the first signs of a regional shortage. When salaries rise, this is indicative of a larger shortage, following the rules of supply and demand. However, today’s economy has nurses being laid off, and over staffing is driving nurses out of the work force as a consequence of dissatisfaction.

The economic downturn has also reduced recruitment funds. Money spent on advertising and wage increases has diminished, which limits recruitment to some of the lesser effective forms of recruitment.

Support for pro-nurse legislation is an effective means of recruiting nurses to your hospital. Showing that you care about nurse-to-patient ratios intimates care for the nurses, as both a group of workers, and as individuals.

Hospitals that provide sign-on bonuses for specialized nursing, like labor and delivery, or undesirable positions, like night shifts, do well in attracting applicants. Because studies are showing that specialized nursing fields are getting the worst of the nursing shortage, some hospitals are offering the nurses already on staff scholarships and other opportunities to be trained in these areas, like emergency room and critical care.

Advertising remains an effective way of recruiting nursing students. Public service announcements provide valuable information about one of the only remaining American industries experiencing growth. One of the biggest untapped resources in the nursing field is man. Advertisements that appeal to men, rather than women, can help bring in both jobs and diversity in the workplace.

Wage increases are one of the most important means of attracting applicants. Non-wage benefits, like health club memberships, are not effective in recruiting new nurses, as they are designed to reward currently employed nurses. In the long run, America will still suffer as baby boomers reach their sixties and seventies.

International recruitment provides short-term relief of the nursing shortage. Some hospitals advertise in Canada, Mexico and other countries for nursing jobs, believing that the promise of work will cause immigration that will benefit the hospital. This is frequently true, but doesn’t provide many long-term benefits as many nurses will move back to their country of origin, again depriving the hospital of the needed staff.

Supporting proposals that provide funds for nursing students can contribute to the number of nurses to be hired in the future. The more students that are able to enter the field, the more students will graduate, pursuing careers in the health care sector. Affordable schooling can open a lot of doors for hospitals.

Finally, retention can be one of the biggest selling points for a hospital’s recruitment. Offering benefits and education opportunities makes for a happier staff, and one that would be more likely to advertise your hospital by word of mouth.

My Nursing Degree Online provides articles and resources for nurses looking for continuing education online. Find more information about earning your nursing degree at http://www.MyNursingDegree.com

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