Hiring Pains

I have been working in health care for 40 years with 30 of it in long term care. Yes, I know I'm too young to have worked that long, but I have. Well hiring has always been a difficult process but over the last few years it has gotten even more difficult. First of all the competition between healthcare settings is ruthless. With the reduction in our reimbursement, increase in expenses being creative and innovative in our hiring practices has become difficult.

I was recently working at a staffing challenged facility and trying to come up with ways to attract staff and get shifts covered. Well we offered a pick up a shift bonus to begin with. Next we increased it on the weekends. Then we started a referral bonus and then a sign on bonus. Before long we had STNA's making manager wages. We finally got a few STNA's hired on and about $25000.00 per pay more due to the incentives we were still running over 8% OT.

Our next attempt at improving staffing was to offer to send people to the nurse aide classes and pay their tuition. We had a lot of people interested and paid for 4 to go and at the end of the program only managed to maintain 1 at a cost of over $2000.00.

As soon as we started to feel a little better our competitor offered increased wages and a sign on bonus. Our current staff that were tired of working extra shifts were talking about jumping ship for what they felt was a better offer.

This problem is not only limited to line staff I have seen changes in how professionals and licensed staff approach the work force. I recently was looking for a DON in a facility and received 5 resumes on an online advertising program. I narrowed them down to 3 candidates. I made calls to all 3 and had to leave messages. I  received a call from 1 and set up an interview. The other 2 did not call back and the 1 I set up an interview with did not show up or call. Another position I was filling the person had accepted the job and gave notice to their company and assured me they would not stay no matter what they offered. Less than a week before they were to start they called and said their old company gave them an offer they could not refuse. I have seen DON's walk off the job which was unheard of 10 years ago.

I would like to challenge people to tell me their opinion or ideas on getting and keeping staff.