Finding and hiring the best nursing talent for an ambulatory surgery center has always been — and always will be — a challenge, says Greg Zoch, partner and managing director at Kaye/Bassman International, a recruiting and search firm based out of Dallas.
"That said, finding and acquiring that top talent is mission critical for any surgically focused enterprise," he says.
Mr. Zoch and Tricia Pickford, vice president of human resources at Physicians Endoscopy in Doylestown, Pa., share their tips for both recruiting and retaining top-quality nursing talent.
Recruit the right way
The key to hiring the best nurses, Mr. Zoch says, is to go about the recruiting process the right way. Instead of posting a job advertisement on every online job board, he suggests a more tailored approach. Ms. Pickford agrees, especially when hiring for single-specialty ASCs.
"With recruitment in the ASC market, we find that advertising on niche websites, local nursing organizations or chapters works better than national job boards or print ads to attract qualified applicants," she says. "In single-specialty ASCs, we’re looking for specific nursing experience in our specialty, which can be more challenging to find. We also rely heavily on the physicians to refer nurses they’ve worked with. These nurses are a known quantity and end up working out well.”
Mr. Zoch says that while job boards will sometimes work, the most effective way to hire top-quality nurses is by asking your staff for recommendations.
"The best nurses generally don’t look at want ads in the newspaper, and they don’t go online to see who is advertising," Mr. Zoch says. "The best nurses are happily employed. They will only hear about the position if somebody tells them."
He suggests bringing your best staff into a room and asking them to make a list of nurses they respect and would fit well with the team in the surgery center.
"This is without regard to whether anyone thinks that Jane is looking or that Bill wouldn't be interested," he says. "If Jane or Bill are high-quality circulators and you're looking for circulating nurses, they should be on the list."
The next step, Mr. Zoch says, is to reach out to the potential applicants with a detailed message.
"Once you have the list, you need to be able to craft a message that would be able to entice the people on that list to be willing to engage in a conversation about the opening," he says.
The message should go beyond the standard job description.
"Job descriptions rarely get anyone's attention," he says. "They already know what they do. What is compelling is who they get to work with, what they’ll learn, perhaps the type of cases if there's something cutting edge or innovative. For example, if somebody has been doing orthopedic cases for years, just another orthopedic position may not be too exciting. If the ASC has just started a partial/total knee replacement program, that might be exciting for that particular nurse."
Also included in the message should be an idea of the culture at the ASC. A positive, engaging or laid-back culture can convince a nurse to join an ASC staff.
"Oftentimes, it’s not the salary and benefits that help recruit a nurse, but the culture of an ASC and the quality of life," Ms. Pickford says. "ASC nurses typically aren’t working nights, weekends and aren’t taking call. Therefore, nurses who want a more flexible work/life balance can work at an ASC."
Emphasize the culture difference
Although ASCs might not be able to offer salaries and benefits that compete with the local hospital, Ms. Pickford suggests emphasizing the cultural difference between the ASC and the hospital.
"ASC nurses normally don’t work past 5 p.m. and not on weekends," Ms. Pickford says. "ASCs are closed on most major holidays, so nurses don’t have to work on holidays, either. There is no call for ASC nurses, where they may be used to working several days in a row without a day off at a hospital. Working at an ASC may also provide more of a close-knit, family atmosphere given the small number of employees working closely together each day."
The smaller staff allows nurses to have more autonomy and input in how the center is run, Ms. Pickford says.
"In smaller organizations such as an ASC environment, there are more opportunities for nurses to have a greater impact on the organization," says Ms. Pickford. "Nurses can participate in committees and have other responsibilities other than direct patient care. ASCs often focus on regular communication and staff meetings to keep their staff abreast of what's happening and changes at the center. This gives staff the ability to provide input on how the center operates and ideas that may impact their jobs."
Entice with additional perks
In addition to salary and culture, ASCs can offer benefits such as paid time off, Ms. Pickford says.
"Nurses also value PTO time," Ms. Pickford says. "Some ASCs may opt to offer nurses additional PTO time, if warranted, in their local healthcare market. This is a perk that separates nurses apart from the rest of the staff."
Mr. Zoch suggests giving nurses an extra personal day, which doesn't count toward their vacation time, as well as their birthday off. A few extra days off can really help, he says.
Another way to recruit and retain nurses is to offer them a profit-sharing plan, Mr. Zoch says. Essentially, the physicians set aside a certain percent of the center's profits to be split among the staff: administrative staff, clinical director and nurses.
"It doesn't need to be a huge amount that the doctors are setting aside, but the fact that they're doing that is a show of respect to the commitment that the nurses are giving the ASC," Mr. Zoch says.
Another thing that helps retain nurses is offering continuing education — which most hospitals offer as well.
"Continuing education is attractive for staff," Mr. Zoch says. "It's also good business to make sure that the staff is continuing to learn and stay abreast of changes in their profession. It can be as simple as bringing in a speaker or paying for their ACLS renewal courses or some other type of continuing education. It always helps to have some sort of allowance for continuing education. Everybody wins on something like that."
Learn more about Kaye/Bassman International
Learn more about Physicians Endoscopy
Related Articles on Recruitment:
7 Traits That Make Your Surgery Center More Attractive to Physicians
5 Must-Have Technologies for Physician Recruitment
Recruiting ASC Physician Investors in 2011: Q&A With Buddy Bacon of Meridian Surgical Partners
"That said, finding and acquiring that top talent is mission critical for any surgically focused enterprise," he says.
Mr. Zoch and Tricia Pickford, vice president of human resources at Physicians Endoscopy in Doylestown, Pa., share their tips for both recruiting and retaining top-quality nursing talent.
Recruit the right way
The key to hiring the best nurses, Mr. Zoch says, is to go about the recruiting process the right way. Instead of posting a job advertisement on every online job board, he suggests a more tailored approach. Ms. Pickford agrees, especially when hiring for single-specialty ASCs.
"With recruitment in the ASC market, we find that advertising on niche websites, local nursing organizations or chapters works better than national job boards or print ads to attract qualified applicants," she says. "In single-specialty ASCs, we’re looking for specific nursing experience in our specialty, which can be more challenging to find. We also rely heavily on the physicians to refer nurses they’ve worked with. These nurses are a known quantity and end up working out well.”
Mr. Zoch says that while job boards will sometimes work, the most effective way to hire top-quality nurses is by asking your staff for recommendations.
"The best nurses generally don’t look at want ads in the newspaper, and they don’t go online to see who is advertising," Mr. Zoch says. "The best nurses are happily employed. They will only hear about the position if somebody tells them."
He suggests bringing your best staff into a room and asking them to make a list of nurses they respect and would fit well with the team in the surgery center.
"This is without regard to whether anyone thinks that Jane is looking or that Bill wouldn't be interested," he says. "If Jane or Bill are high-quality circulators and you're looking for circulating nurses, they should be on the list."
The next step, Mr. Zoch says, is to reach out to the potential applicants with a detailed message.
"Once you have the list, you need to be able to craft a message that would be able to entice the people on that list to be willing to engage in a conversation about the opening," he says.
The message should go beyond the standard job description.
"Job descriptions rarely get anyone's attention," he says. "They already know what they do. What is compelling is who they get to work with, what they’ll learn, perhaps the type of cases if there's something cutting edge or innovative. For example, if somebody has been doing orthopedic cases for years, just another orthopedic position may not be too exciting. If the ASC has just started a partial/total knee replacement program, that might be exciting for that particular nurse."
Also included in the message should be an idea of the culture at the ASC. A positive, engaging or laid-back culture can convince a nurse to join an ASC staff.
"Oftentimes, it’s not the salary and benefits that help recruit a nurse, but the culture of an ASC and the quality of life," Ms. Pickford says. "ASC nurses typically aren’t working nights, weekends and aren’t taking call. Therefore, nurses who want a more flexible work/life balance can work at an ASC."
Emphasize the culture difference
Although ASCs might not be able to offer salaries and benefits that compete with the local hospital, Ms. Pickford suggests emphasizing the cultural difference between the ASC and the hospital.
"ASC nurses normally don’t work past 5 p.m. and not on weekends," Ms. Pickford says. "ASCs are closed on most major holidays, so nurses don’t have to work on holidays, either. There is no call for ASC nurses, where they may be used to working several days in a row without a day off at a hospital. Working at an ASC may also provide more of a close-knit, family atmosphere given the small number of employees working closely together each day."
The smaller staff allows nurses to have more autonomy and input in how the center is run, Ms. Pickford says.
"In smaller organizations such as an ASC environment, there are more opportunities for nurses to have a greater impact on the organization," says Ms. Pickford. "Nurses can participate in committees and have other responsibilities other than direct patient care. ASCs often focus on regular communication and staff meetings to keep their staff abreast of what's happening and changes at the center. This gives staff the ability to provide input on how the center operates and ideas that may impact their jobs."
Entice with additional perks
In addition to salary and culture, ASCs can offer benefits such as paid time off, Ms. Pickford says.
"Nurses also value PTO time," Ms. Pickford says. "Some ASCs may opt to offer nurses additional PTO time, if warranted, in their local healthcare market. This is a perk that separates nurses apart from the rest of the staff."
Mr. Zoch suggests giving nurses an extra personal day, which doesn't count toward their vacation time, as well as their birthday off. A few extra days off can really help, he says.
Another way to recruit and retain nurses is to offer them a profit-sharing plan, Mr. Zoch says. Essentially, the physicians set aside a certain percent of the center's profits to be split among the staff: administrative staff, clinical director and nurses.
"It doesn't need to be a huge amount that the doctors are setting aside, but the fact that they're doing that is a show of respect to the commitment that the nurses are giving the ASC," Mr. Zoch says.
Another thing that helps retain nurses is offering continuing education — which most hospitals offer as well.
"Continuing education is attractive for staff," Mr. Zoch says. "It's also good business to make sure that the staff is continuing to learn and stay abreast of changes in their profession. It can be as simple as bringing in a speaker or paying for their ACLS renewal courses or some other type of continuing education. It always helps to have some sort of allowance for continuing education. Everybody wins on something like that."
Learn more about Kaye/Bassman International
Learn more about Physicians Endoscopy
Related Articles on Recruitment:
7 Traits That Make Your Surgery Center More Attractive to Physicians
5 Must-Have Technologies for Physician Recruitment
Recruiting ASC Physician Investors in 2011: Q&A With Buddy Bacon of Meridian Surgical Partners