How to Hire Nurses for Your Facility

Now more than ever, nurses are the front line of patient care. They’re often the first people patients see and the last person they consult with before they go home. That’s why it’s so important to learn how to find nurses who will be dedicated to providing quality care for patients.

Here are five tips to consider when you’re looking to hire nurses for your facility.

1. Find the Right Fit for Your Team

Think about the dynamics of your nursing staff. Do you have several big personalities who could benefit from someone who’s a little more reserved and quiet? Would someone who’s lighthearted and bubbly clash with a more serious-minded nurse?

You want a team that works well together, but you also want to hire nurses who bring a unique perspective to the job. Set new employees up for success by looking for nurses who will both complement other staff members’ personalities and have skills to fill a need on the team.

2. Ask Behavioral Questions to Determine Character

It’s important to hire nurses who have the right certifications and skills. It’s equally important to seek out nurses who are compassionate, collaborative, and quick-thinking. Want to know how to hire a nurse who has both the soft and hard skills your facility needs?

Decipher which traits you want most in your next nursing hire. Then, ask behavioral interview questions that help reveal the candidate’s character. For example, you could ask how they handled an emergency situation recently or how they dealt with a co-worker conflict.

3. Leave Time for Candidates to Ask Questions

Sometimes, job interviews are crammed full with questions for the nurse and leave no time for the candidate to ask their own questions, which can be unfortunate. A candidate who hasn’t been given an opportunity to make their own inquiries could leave the interview feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what their responsibilities would be.

Giving the candidate the time to ask questions may help them realize they aren’t a great fit for the job after all. It also allows you to learn a bit more about them by the types of questions they ask. For example, if you find they’re asking more about specific skills needed rather than questions about the facility or patient load, it may be a red flag that they need more experience.

4. Determine Whether Candidates Share Your Organization’s Values

A nurse with 15 years of clinical experience just walked through your door and you’re thrilled to have someone with their skillset vying for a position. As the interview goes on, however, you realize that they’re more concerned with becoming a nurse supervisor and less with being a team player.

Don’t let a candidate’s experience or numerous certificates convince you to hire them. An overqualified candidate may not fit into your facility and may also alienate other staff members. Instead, be patient and read up on how to hire nurses whose values match those of your organization. In most cases, a skills gap can be addressed much more quickly than a values gap.

5. Hire for the Needs of the Facility

Do you manage an urban hospital that often treats patients flown in from hundreds of miles away? If so, your nurses must be comfortable with high-stress situations and quick on their feet; experience in emergency rooms or trauma units is preferred.

Alternately, a nurse who is used to a high volume of patients at a large hospital may not enjoy working at a smaller hospital. Or that may be exactly what they’re looking for.

Look for nurses with the traits your facility needs most, such as adaptability, commitment to growth, attention to detail, and familiarity with specific types of patients.

Learn How to Hire Nurses Near You Today

Staff members will come and go, unless you know how to find the right match for your organization. This is even more important for nurses who play such a vital role in any organization. At Monster, we have decades of matching the right candidates to employers and we’re ready to get to work helping you. Find out how you can post your next opening with us for free.