10 Creative And Effective Nurse Recruitment Strategies


Written By: Kelsey Bader, BSN, RN


Are you a nursing recruiter looking for new ways to find the best candidates to join your team? Maybe you’re a nurse supervisor or manager who has been impacted by the nursing shortage that so many healthcare facilities are experiencing. If so, you may be asking, “What are some creative and effective strategies for recruiting nurses?”

I've worked in nurse leadership, and I understand that the success of your organization and patient outcomes depend heavily upon you finding great nurses! In this article, I am going to share what I believe are the 10 best creative and effective nurse recruitment strategies. Using these strategies, you can meet job prospects and grow your nursing network in no time!



What are Some Creative and Effective Strategies for Recruiting Nurses?

(The following are the 10 best creative and effective nurse recruitment strategies.)


STRATEGY #1: Create Employee Referral Programs

You know that star nurse on the unit, the one you wish you could clone so you could make all your staffing and retention problems go away? That is the person you need to be talking to! In fact, one of the best creative and effective nurse recruitment strategies is to find nurses who portray excellent work ethics and ask them for referrals.

One reason I believe employee referral programs are a good idea is that nurses with a good work ethic who take pride in their jobs and the places they work typically refer candidates who are like-minded and share similar values. This is because hard-working nurses want to work with other hard-working nurses! Employees can be a great source to utilize when it comes to finding the next perfect addition to the team. Plus, by considering your current nurses’ recommendations, they will feel more involved and invested in the team. It’s a win-win!


STRATEGY #2: Promote a Healthy Work-Life Balance

With staffing shortages and long hours, many nurses are facing burnout and actively searching for something that provides a better balance. Promoting the aspects of your facility that set you apart from others, like promoting a healthy work-life balance, is another one of the creative and effective strategies for recruiting nurses.

When I became a new mom, the work-life balance aspect of work became even more important to me. I actually sought employment with a specific company based solely on the fact that they valued a healthy work-life balance, and they were very vocal about it on their career page and social media platforms. Even other employees spoke very highly about the company’s efforts to promote a healthy work-life balance for all employees.


STRATEGY #3: Use Social Media Platforms to Create an Online Presence

With almost everyone having access to at least one type of social media, it is only natural for me to suggest that using social media is one of the most creative and effective nurse recruitment strategies. With social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok dominating the world of social media, you can create opportunities to publicly share information about your facility with just a few clicks of a button. By creating and maintaining a social media presence, you can highlight your facility’s culture and work environment. Create a link on your company's social media page that leads to your company's website, where visitors can access job listings.

Anytime I think about looking for a job (or if I’m just curious about the kind of jobs that are available), I like to look at the social media pages of various companies. As a job candidate, I find it interesting to see what companies promote about their businesses on their profiles. Also, these pages are an excellent place to read reviews from previous patients, their families, and present and past employees. After all, we all know people love to share their opinions on social media!


STRATEGY #4: Connect through LinkedIn

With a digital environment designed to connect candidates with hiring managers and recruiters, LinkedIn provides the perfect opportunity to browse members’ profiles and initiate a conversation with nurses. With LinkedIn, you can see a candidate’s experience, education, licenses, certifications, and skills just by viewing their profile. Then, once you feel you have found the ideal candidate, you can send a personalized direct message to them about the job opening. Along with searching for potential candidates, you can create a job posting that allows candidates to submit their applications and resumes directly to you.

Since joining LinkedIn, I have had several recruiters who viewed my profile and messaged me directly about a job opening they felt I would be a good fit for. Even if I was working, I always took the time to look into each company and review their job opening. After all, there is something more personal about a recruiter who personally reaches out to you than when you just happen to come across a job posting somewhere.


STRATEGY #5: Advertise in Nursing Publications and on Top Job Boards

In addition to utilizing social media platforms and LinkedIn, advertising in top nursing publications or on leading job boards is another great nurse recruitment strategy. You can engage in email marketing, place website advertisements, and advertise in nursing and medical journals. Anything you do to get your company’s name and logo visible is a plus and can help improve your nurse recruitment strategies.

My mom told me there was a time when she would look at the Sunday paper to see what hospital or doctor’s office was hiring for a nurse. Today, nurses scour nurse journals and nursing websites or do online searches for nurse recruiters. As technology changes the way nurses look for jobs, we have to change the way we strategize to get our names out there so they can find us!


STRATEGY #6: Offer Competitive Compensation Based on Industry Trends

Some of the most important factors nurses consider when searching for a job are the potential salary and benefits. Therefore, offering competitive compensation based on current industry trends is a creative and effective way to boost nurse recruitment. To be effective, you need to be aware of the current supply and demand in your area, know what resources your organization has available, and decide the best way to market those resources to potential employees.

While offering a good nursing pay rate is always a plus, there are other avenues to creating a competitive compensation plan. For instance, you could consider offering a sign-on bonus, tuition support, or tuition reimbursement for nurses who are in school or who wish to return to school. Companies that offer sign-on bonuses and tuition benefits typically do so with the stipulation that the new employee must work for a certain amount of time before receiving the benefits, which protects the interests of the company as well as benefits the new nurse.


STRATEGY #7: Create a Positive Work Culture

One of the most important things you can do to not only recruit nurses but to retain them once they are hired is to create a positive workplace culture. A healthy work culture is comprised of several elements. First and foremost, a healthy workplace should emphasize teamwork. When you emphasize teamwork, nurses feel connected with their peers. Promote positive communication and recognize staff for their achievements. Doing this with current employees is important, and making these practices known to prospective employees lets them know about the culture of the workplace they are considering joining.


STRATEGY #8: Create a Culture Dedicated to Learning and Professional Development

To be successful, nurses must be dedicated to lifelong learning. When you acknowledge the importance of learning and professional development and offer those types of opportunities to staff, it attracts the type of nurses who are serious about their roles and responsibilities. You can show your company's dedication to learning and professional growth by mentioning it on your company's career page and in the job description. Also, if you talk to prospects at a career fair, school, or interview, don't forget to mention it!


STRATEGY #9: Personalize Your Company’s Brand

Branding is one of the top creative and effective nurse recruitment strategies because it plays an essential role in shaping the perception of your company in the minds of potential employees. When you personalize your company's brand based on having a reputation of providing high-quality, ethical patient care, you will attract the type of nurses whose values align with that type of service.

One of my friends was asked to work on a committee responsible for our company’s brand. I asked her what some of the things she felt were important when personalizing a company’s brand. She told me the first step is to make positive connections with others in the industry. For example, you could connect with other healthcare facilities to promote a health fair or continuing education course. She also said to highlight your company’s values by sharing details about how team members engage with charitable organizations or volunteer opportunities, as these create an image of genuine care and concern for others.


STRATEGY #10: Offer Nurse Internships to Attract New Nurse Graduates

As a nurse recruiter, you know that one of the biggest challenges healthcare organizations face in recruiting nurses is that there is a shortage of experienced nurses. To make matters worse, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing estimates at least one million nurses will retire by 2030. Further, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing projects a significant nursing workforce crisis will continue, with nearly one million nurses leaving the workforce by 2027. One of the most creative and effective nurse recruitment strategies you can use is to offer internships to new nurse graduates.

Nursing schools typically encourage local facilities to come out and speak to the upcoming graduates! It is the perfect opportunity to share more information with the students and answer any questions they may have. When I was in nursing school, a local hospital had a program that offered nursing students opportunities to work as nurse techs. I got involved in that program, which led to my first job out of nursing school! Upon graduating, I was selected for an RN opening in the ICU. The transition was flawless because I was already familiar with the facility, the charting software, and the management team. That would not have been the case had the facility not actively recruited and worked with the local nursing schools.



My Final Thoughts


Whether you are a nurse recruiter, leader, manager, or administrator, it is normal to want to find the best nurses possible to add value to your teams, which naturally leads to the question, “What are some creative and effective strategies for recruiting nurses?” While all strategies are not a one-size-fits-all, the 10 best creative and effective nurse recruitment strategies we discussed in this article are great ways to get your organization recognized and find nurses whose values align with yours.



List Of Sources Used For This Article


1. “How Much Does A Registered Nurse Make An Hour By State - 2024” (nursingprocess.org)
2. “What Is Employer Recruitment and Branding? (Plus Tips) (Indeed.com)
3. “NCSBN Research Projects Significant Nursing Workforce Shortages and Crisis” (NCSBN.org)


Kelsey Bader, BSN, RN
Kelsey Bader is a registered nurse from Louisiana. Kelsey has a diverse range of experiences. Some of Kelsey’s work experience includes bedside nursing in ICUs at various hospitals in COVID and non-COVID units, emergency rooms. Kelsey has worked in remote chronic care management, as a remote patient monitoring nurse, and has experience as an Assistant Director of Nursing.