Nurses are on the front line of providing medical care and are often the first and last points of contact. This is why it is important that medical practices and facilities hire the right nurse to ensure quality patient care. Here are essential tips for hiring nurses.
Hire the nurse that is the right fit for your team. Consider the dynamics of the current nursing staff. If you already have several big personalities, consider balancing this with someone who is quieter and more reserved. If you have a team of serious nurses, a bubbly or lighthearted personality might clash with this personality type. You want your nursing staff to work together, but also nurses that bring unique perspectives to their jobs.
Determine nurses character using behavioral questions. While it’s necessary to hire nurses that are highly skilled and educated on paper, it’s equally important to hire nurses that are quick-thinking, collaborative and compassionate towards patients. Using behavioral interview questions, ask prospective nurses how they handled their most recent emergency situation or even how they have dealt with co-worker conflict in the past.
Let nursing candidates ask questions. You want to make sure that the nursing position is a good fit for both the nurse and practice. Make sure that nursing candidates get enough time to ask their questions about the job. If candidates leave interviews feeling overwhelmed, they may not remain interested in the position. On the flip side, if a nurse asks more questions about specific skills for the job rather than focusing on patient load, this may be because he/she needs more experience.
Hire candidates that share the practice’s values. Despite a candidate’s certifications and experience, you need to ensure that a nurse shares your practice’s values. If a nurse is more concerned about promotions and being a supervisor rather than the position she is applying for, this may indicate that he/she is not a good team player and is only looking out for self-promotion.
Hire based on facility needs. Rural and urban area hospitals have very different needs. Urban hospitals typically offer more high-stress situations, requiring nursing staff to be quick and resourceful. Some nurses prefer a high volume caseload, while others prefer to take more time with individual patients. Assess what nursing candidates are looking for because sometimes jobs just aren’t good fits.
When hiring nurses for your practice, it’s important to take your time interviewing qualified applicants to find the right nurse for the position. A qualified nurse is well-rounded and can handle difficult personalities and take charge when needed, but also excels at being a team player.
Read about strategies to recruit millennial nurses.
Ninja Gig offers online job applications. These custom employment applications make it easy for medical facilities to tailor applications to nurses, which in turn helps attract more qualified nursing candidates. Sign up today for a 14-day free trial!