Recruitment

I.    Approaches Underway by Task Force Member Organizations

Healthcare Association of New York State

• Conducting educational programs on best practices in recruitment strategies
• Published Health Systems Strategist: Health Care Recruitment and Retention Best Practices

New York State Education Department

• Expediting the licensure of nursing applicants from other countries
• Maintaining speakers' bureau
• Working with guidance counselors to better advise students regarding the profession of nursing
• Developing materials for use in recruiting students
• Utilizing the State Education Department Webpage to assist in recruitment
• Working with New York State Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) to promote careers in nursing and health care in general
• Providing liaison support to co-educational student leadership organizations that assist students enrolled in health occupations education programs with leadership and healthcare skills
• Requiring Home and Career Skills programs, which include an overview of careers in the health care field, at the middle school level

New York State Legislature

• Proposed legislation creating scholarship and loan forgiveness programs

New York State Nurses Association

• Disseminating recruitment material titled Nursing... The Career of Choice
• Maintaining local speakers' bureaus
• Conducting local outreach to guidance counselors
• Actively supporting appropriate legislation
• Provided a NYSNA booth at the New York State Fair focusing on nursing as a viable and exciting career

Greater New York Hospital Association

• Maintaining public awareness campaigns
• Conducting outreach to immigrant and refugee populations
• Conducting health career education demonstration models
• Working with the New York City Board of Education to develop high school curricula that are consistent with industry standards
• Promoting nursing education to non-nurse employees in GNYHA member facilities

St. Joseph's Hospital, Elmira, New York

• Developed recruitment video aired by local television stations

II.    Possible Approaches Identified in the Literature Discussed by the Task Force

• Publicize RN contribution to high-quality health care and health systems to convey an attractive and rewarding career option
• Advise nurses of the image created when discussing their work in public
• Combine health care organizational resources to raise the image of nursing
• Partner with public relations firms to develop comprehensive recruitment campaign marketing plans
• Encourage hospital and nursing education program partnerships to improve image
• Work with media to provide a balanced view of nursing
• Communicate nursing career benefits:
  • expected increase in wages
  • job security
  • exciting new roles and opportunities
• Communicate with elementary, middle and high school teachers, counselors, librarians and parents about benefits, opportunities and scholarships in nursing.
• Recruit more non-traditional labor pools, such as retired police and firefighters
• Introduce new and existing resources about nursing to students in elementary school through such approaches as "shadowing" opportunities and nurse speakers' bureaus.
• Develop long-term student recruitment strategies:
  • joint hospital systems funding for faculty and student slots
  • hospitals working with colleges
  • county government funding
  • offering credit to nursing students for recruiting activities