Recruiters lure nurses with big signing bonuses

As the need for skilled nursing staff continues to grow, both CoxHealth and St. John's Health System are getting creative in their recruitment efforts.

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing reports that Missouri is experiencing a 9.5 percent shortage statewide in registered nurses, and even though nearly all of the state's nursing schools report increases in applicant numbers, most hospitals are in need of nurses with practical experience.

In that vein, both of Springfield's largest health systems are utilizing their current employees in efforts to add experienced co-workers in patient care.

Big bonuses

St. John's held a two-day nursing career fair in mid-October, drawing interest from roughly 200 registered nurses, patient care assistants and recent nursing school graduates who wanted to learn about open nursing positions at St. John's.

Trisha Holbert, St. John's vice president of human resources, said the event was an extension of ongoing recruitment efforts at the hospital with a twist: registered nurses with two years of experience who signed a three-year, full-time commitment to St. John's got a $10,000 signing bonus.

"We had a number of full-time RN positions added to our job list at the beginning of the fiscal year, which starts in July," Holbert said, noting that the additional help will be needed when the hospital launches its new electronic health record system in January. "We really felt like we needed to recruit more of the seasoned nurses, someone who has had more exposure. Those people who have that experience already have jobs and aren't necessarily looking for new work. So we thought we needed to do something a little different."

Holbert said 47 people signed on to work as RNs during the event, and an additional 25 signed up as patient care assistants for a $250 signing bonus; she added that the cash incentives were necessary, especially when trying to lure seasoned nursing veterans.

New hires aren't the only ones eligible for bonuses; Holbert said current St. John's employees can receive a $5,000 referral bonus if someone they recommend for a registered nursing position is hired and stays for at least 90 days.

100 Jobs

Elsewhere on the Medical Mile, CoxHealth is using cash incentives and working to fill open job slots with its 100 Jobs in 100 Days program. The program, as the name implies, is aimed at adding 100 employees to the Cox payroll between Oct. 1 and Jan. 8, according to Cox Recruitment Manager Sunny Fuller. New hires who join CoxHealth during the 100 Jobs promotion receive a $1,000 sign-on bonus, and another $1,000 when they reach their six-month anniversary.

"We spent several months getting this program prepared and ready to go," Fuller said, noting that the program focuses on adding nurses, technicians, pharmacists, and occupational and physical therapists.

Cindy Allard, Cox director of recruitment and retention, said 69 new employees have been hired as a result of the program through its first 51 days, which she said puts the program right on pace. She expects hiring to slow in December because of the holiday season.

She also said hiring has been strong in the nursing and pharmacy areas, but she'd like to see more hires in physical therapy.

CoxHealth also seeks recruitment help from its existing work force. Allard said the health system has offered referral bonuses for several years. During the 100 Jobs promotion, employees who refer new hires also receive a $1,000 bonus when a referral is hired, and they get another $1,000 at the referral's six-month anniversary.

"We can maximize our recruiting efforts by using everyone as a recruiter and making sure there's a bonus in it for everyone," she said. "The system has always been in place; we've just bumped it up a couple of notches."

Meeting the need

Both Holbert and Allard said the need for experienced patient-care workers is only going to increase.

Allard said as unemployment continues to rise - the rate hit 5.3 percent in Springfield in September, up a full percentage point from the same time in 2007 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - more people will lose their personal insurance coverage.

"They won't go to their regular doctors as much, and they'll end up in the (emergency room) being pretty sick," Allard said. "So that means more people end up eventually in the hospital."

Holbert agreed, adding that the pinch is also coming from the other direction - health systems continue to struggle to find enough nurses to fill all of their available spots. Each health system lists more than 100 openings for nursing or nursing-related fields on their respective Web sites.

Holbert said it will take more than just recent nursing school graduates to handle the need.

"Everyone is going to have to get a little more creative in how we recruit," she said. "In terms of RNs, we can't rely on local sources. We're going to have to be able to compete with hospitals across the nation, which means we'll probably have to pay more money going forward, too."

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