Nurses use various factors to select jobs

Some nurses might choose the summer as a time to launch the next phase of their careers.

Industry growth and a shortage of nurses keeps health care and related industries recruiting. Nurses who do not want to work for their current employers want to make informed decisions about potential career changes.

Experts say nurses should find out what their peers around the country are expecting of employers and identify what employers consider their main draw. Nurses who are more informed do a better job of negotiating their next job in an occupation with the rare opportunity to be selective.

What nurses want

Joanne Ritter-Teitel, RN, Ph.D., CNAA-BC, serves as vice president and clinical nurse educator at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s four-hospital system of Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.

Ritter-Teitel said nurses are “pretty discriminating these days. Salary and benefits are extremely important.”

Judy Stenson-Musa, senior recruiter over more than 200 nurses at the accredited nonprofit health plan provider Blue Shield of California Inc. agrees. She is based at the San Francisco headquarters of Blue Shield, which has more than 20 office locations throughout California.

“They’re concerned about their benefit package and pay is always important, especially in this economy.” Stenson-Musa said.

Linda Matzigkeit, senior vice president of Strategic Planning and Human Resources oversees more than 2,500 nurses and 16 locations for the nonprofit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Inc.

Matizigkeit said that the top priority for nurses is whether they will receive “development, training and ongoing learning.”

To give them a taste of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the hospital has every single candidate shadow a nurse before being hired. Matizigkeit said most nurse candidates choose to stay with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Lori Thompson, RN, coordinates the Online Critical Care Nurse Training Program in the Center for Nursing Education at Florida Hospital, Orlando. She works across the state’s seven campuses which employees 5,609 nurses.

“Most are very specific about the type of critical care units they’re most interested in,” she said. “They include cardiovascular, multisystem, neuroscience, oncology, orthopedics, pulmonary and renal.”

Thompson trains internal career-changers, moving into new specialties; newly relocated nurses; and current employees.

How employers respond

Competition for jobs may be more intense at some organizations than others. Matizigkeit said nurses at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta seek an optimal work environment and have achieved retention rates around 94 percent. Montefiore wants to build and maintain “a rewarding environment,” Ritter-Teitel said. She reports that many nurses take advantage of the 100 percent tuition reimbursement for 18 credits per year, which enables them to move up whether they already have an associate, bachelor’s or advanced degree.

But even with a positive work environment, officials at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta said they struggle to recruit people in critical care and emergency.

Florida Hospital’s internally-developed, customized critical care training program for online body systems review blends online and classroom instruction for nurses entering clinicals. The program stands out nationally for innovation, said Elizabeth Schubert, MSN, RN, assistant director, Center for Nursing Education in the Altamonte Springs facility.

“New and experienced nurses receive content in comprehensive online modules,” she said.

Blue Shield employs experienced nurses who want to continue in their occupation in an environment with fewer physical challenges than a hospital and the potential to serve in an array of assignments. Its wellness program is recognized by the American Heart Association.

Today’s nurses can compete successfully for jobs in any environment they want. Their priorities include salary and benefits, work climate, training and development, and options for advancement in more than one area within the same organization.

As a nurse on the market, assess each opportunity in terms of an organization’s investment in your career, health and overall job satisfaction. Look for high retention and low turnover rates. These statistics suggest a strong practice environment where nurses are happy.

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