National Association for Health Care Recruitment (NAHCR)’s Post

Massachusetts’ decision to join the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) is a significant move toward addressing the nursing shortage, reducing barriers for out-of-state nurses, and fostering workforce flexibility. This step will enable nurses to practice seamlessly across state lines, enhancing telehealth and emergency response capabilities. However, as critics note, the NLC alone won’t solve the deeper challenges facing the profession—burnout, workplace violence, and retention. At SE Healthcare, we understand that systemic issues require comprehensive solutions. While initiatives like the NLC help expand access to nursing talent, they must be paired with strategies that directly address the root causes of workforce instability. Our Nurse Burnout Prevention Program® offers targeted solutions, including real-time tools like PulseCheck for monitoring staff well-being, and gamification to engage and motivate nurses in their professional development. By focusing on burnout reduction, fostering supportive work environments, and improving retention, SE Healthcare helps healthcare organizations tackle the staffing crisis holistically. For example, our tools have shown a 35% reduction in the highest levels of burnout. We applaud Massachusetts for taking this step and are committed to supporting organizations nationwide in creating sustainable, thriving nursing workforces. Together, we can bridge gaps in care and deliver better outcomes for nurses and patients alike. https://lnkd.in/g7pZDWeg #BurnoutPrevention #HealthcareInnovation

Nursing shortages in most any health care setting have been a thing for a very long time. The conversation about staffing shortages has been revived (maybe it never really went away?) on social media platforms like Instagram and Threads lately. Social media posts about challenges floor #nurses face consistently are in abundance. Some of the common concerns are staffing and supply shortages, denied requests for PTO, and aggressive (and at times violent) patients. Some nurses post their thoughts about leaving bedside for good. An article came out recently about the use of social media by nurses and how this use may help healthcare systems hire more nurses. The authors found that clinical RNs in their study sample were not frequent users of LinkedIn, even though health systems and nurse leaders regard it as the best platform for recruitment. LinkedIn is a great platform, but it's not the only platform. And I struggle with categorizing LinkedIn as "social media" compared to other platforms that seem to support more personal posting. Although, LinkedIn has absolutely become less rigid in terms of people posting strictly professional content all the time. Either way, it's nice to see a publication talking about how health systems could be leveraging social media sites to find long-term clinical nursing staff. Maybe we'll see some nurse influencers and entrepreneurs working with health systems to retain clinical nurses. #nursesonLinkedIn

I think Jennifer Thietz, MSN, BSN, RN's comments here are spot on. The challenges of nursing recruitment and a sustainable nursing workforce are seriously impeded by the image presented. That said, I worry that the article and tone would lead many to treat the symptoms of a less-than-stellar image, rather than the core issues facing nursing. I had a brief discussion with some colleagues at a national nursing conference a few months ago regarding incoming nurses and their motivations. One person lamented the financial motivators rather than the connectedness and healing that nursing is so attuned to. I pushed back. The realities of (at least acute care) nursing pose significant challenges to connection with our patients. Acuity, electronic medical records, social barriers, the pressure and pace of nursing doesn't often lend itself to connection. The nurses who exemplified that classic, caring, compassionate nursing model I aspire to were who I wanted as a patient. They scared me as a hiring manager. I couldn't swim upstream with enough of a wake to give them the space to do that in current acute care nursing. I couldn't keep them. Some left acute care, others left the profession. The way we discuss nursing image and recruitment is essential. The bandwidth problem is real. It's necessary that these conversations be founded in the realities of the current nursing experience and not the idyllic vision of how nursing was and still is perceived. But that doesn't mean we don't aspire to that in the future.

Nursing has an image problem; can you believe that? ShiftKey, a digital healthcare platform for providers, found a troubling trend among healthcare workforce hopefuls between 18 and 26. Not only is there a shortage of nurses in nursing, but according to Gen Z social media users, nursing as a career path in general is also receiving a lot of negativity. "Around 1,000 healthcare workforce hopefuls from 18 to 26 were surveyed for the report last month. A majority — 66% — said they use TikTok for information about career research, and another 16% say it is the most influential platform to find work information." Recent data shared by ShiftKey is alarming. "An analysis of 749,000 nursing career-released posts on TikTok, ShiftKey found 64% to be negative while only 36% of posts spoke positively of or highlighted benefits of the nursing profession." Nursing has a branding problem, and the future recruitment of nurses is in worse trouble than many imagined. Guiding potential future nurses into nursing is a tricky business. Nurses who are overwhelmed and burnt out aren't going to rush others into nursing, as is now apparent. My daughter Lucy has been a nurse for over 11 years; based on the story I told her when she was little, nursing is the best profession in the world. If she were 18 again and making that choice now, would I still tell her this? Yes, but with a lot more anxiety this time around. Too many nurses are being physically, mentally, and spiritually hurt by their nursing roles. This can change when organizations start investing in their nurses. What can we do now to start improving the image of nursing? Thoughts?

The US has an all-time record number of actively licensed nurses — 5.6 million — but hospitals are struggling to recruit and retain enough. To discover missed opportunities, researchers surveyed 7,887 nurses who recently exited the healthcare industry. Each nurse was asked to list the contributing factors for their decision. Planned retirement was the leading factor, with nearly 2 in 5 nurses selecting that factor, but burnout, exhaustion, staffing shortages and family obligations were also top reasons. The nurses left their jobs between April 2018 and June 2021, and the researchers focused on RNs in New York and Illinois. On average, the respondents were 60 years old and had 30.8 years of experience. Among the listed reasons, 39% of the former nurses selected planned retirement, 26% chose burnout or emotional exhaustion and 21% said insufficient staffing contributed to their exit. About 60% of retired nurses indicated a planned retirement, suggesting that about 40% of retirements were unplanned, the researchers said. Among those employed by a hospital, other top contributing factors were family obligations, COVID-19 concerns and unsafe working conditions. "They are struggling to recruit and keep staff because of the conditions versus compensation issue," a former hospital nurse, aged between 40 to 50 years old, said. "Patients are sicker and more complex than ever … I was constantly voicing concerns for patient safety because of frontline working conditions … Can I get another nursing job? Absolutely … Do I want to? Not really." Based on the results, the researchers advised employers to address burnout, insufficient staffing and family obligations.

The reality is that burnout and mental health challenges among nursing leadership and staff nurses are at a crisis point, driven by a lack of structured support and resources. Nurse managers are often thrust into their roles without adequate preparation, leaving them overwhelmed and contributing to high turnover. Unlike physicians, there is minimal funding allocated for mental health support and burnout prevention for nurses, despite the critical role they play in patient care. It’s no surprise that many nurse managers are actively planning their exits or have already moved on. Addressing this issue requires more than just filling vacancies—it demands meaningful investment in mental health resources, peer support networks, and leadership development. Leadership isn’t just about managing operations; it’s about building resilient, healthy teams, which starts with prioritizing the well-being of nurse leaders. If we continue to overlook these needs, the ripple effect will further impact staff morale, patient outcomes, and organizational stability. It’s time to treat leadership development and mental health support for nurses as essential investments—not afterthoughts. The opportunity for change is here, and it’s time to act. #NurseLeadership, #BurnoutPrevention, #MentalHealthMatters, #HealthcareLeadership, #SupportNurses #healingthehealers

Senior #nurseleaders: If you didn't see this article, you should. Thanks to our colleagues at the American Nurses Credentialing Center and Nursing Management who generated this knowledge about what is keeping nurse managers in their role... and what is not. "𝑨𝒅𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒋𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑵𝑴𝒔, 𝒚𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝑵𝑴𝒔 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒖𝒏𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅." In this article, the authors indicate that a 2022 survey of nearly 700 nurse managers indicated that: ❓25% were contemplating leaving ➡️16% were actually making an exit strategy ❌23% had already changed positions in the last 6 months As nurse leaders on your team turnover, look no further for where to start to build the right foundations. The churn and burn starts here and we are not powerless against it. This article says it all. https://lnkd.in/eYq2Y2sY

The article from Healthcare IT News discusses the ongoing challenges around nurse staffing ratios and efforts to strike a balance between adequate staffing levels and access to care. It highlights that it is National Nurses Week 2024, celebrating the over 5 million registered nurses in the U.S., but staffing shortages remain a critical issue overshadowing the celebration. Some federal and state legislators are seeking to mandate patient-caregiver ratios to improve care quality and reduce nurse burnout. However, organizations like the American Nurses Association (ANA) and American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) support evidence-based, flexible staffing ratios rather than mandated, standardized ratios. They recommend staffing be determined with input from nurses based on factors like patient acuity, admissions, nurse experience, unit design, and benchmarked ratios. The article notes the typical rule of thumb is a 1:4-5 ratio on medical-surgical units, 1:3-4 on intermediate units, and 1:2 in ICUs. It discusses the need for proactive planning, empowering nurses in decision-making, using incentives for challenging shifts, and balancing staffing needs with budgets. Effective practices include conducting staffing analyses, using resource pools, communicating action plans, surveying nurse satisfaction, benchmarking ratios, and evaluating patient feedback. https://lnkd.in/eW-q6SrD #healthcare #nursing

Addressing NJ's Nursing Crisis New Jersey’s nursing crisis is a sobering reality, with projections of a 25% nurse shortage by 2036 due to the compounded challenges of burnout, workforce exodus, and the rising demand for elderly care. Addressing these systemic issues requires actionable strategies to retain nurses, reduce burnout, and improve workplace conditions. SE Healthcare is taking the lead. Our Nurse Burnout Prevention Program leverages advanced analytics, real-time feedback tools like PulseCheck, and personalized resources to combat burnout at its roots. The program has achieved remarkable outcomes, including a 35% reduction in high-level burnout and helping 52% of nurses effectively manage stress. Here’s how SE Healthcare’s approach aligns with solutions proposed in addressing NJ’s nursing challenges: * Enhanced Training Capacity: Our digital learning modules and micro-content provide flexible, accessible professional development that fits nurses' demanding schedules. * Fostering Retention: Programs like R.I.S.E. and gamification features boost engagement, recognition, and morale, addressing high turnover rates. * Data-Driven Decisions: Tools like our real-time dashboards enable healthcare leaders to identify stressors and act proactively. The cost of inaction is steep, both financially and in human impact. For every nurse lost due to burnout, healthcare organizations bear costs up to $58,400, not to mention the toll on patient outcomes. Let’s work together to not only navigate but also transform this crisis into an opportunity for lasting change in healthcare. Nurses deserve better, and SE Healthcare is here to deliver the solutions they need. #NurseBurnout #HealthcareInnovation #RetentionStrategies https://lnkd.in/ejqCY9gF

10 Tips on Advancing Your Nursing Career https://lnkd.in/gFCTmHne #NursingCareer #Education #SoftSkills #Technology #Network #Healthcare #Nursebuff