Recruiting The Retiring Professional: Are We Missing Out?
As a healthcare recruiter, my job is to find qualified and quality persons to place as candidates in the jobs we have been requested to fill. The goal of all recruiters, in all agencies and facilities, is to complete these tasks in a timely and responsible manner.
We, as recruiters, frequently fail to consider the older persons in our professions. Nursing is an area in which the older persons need to be considered, not only for new hires, but also in retention of qualified personnel. Age should not be a factor if the candidate is both mentally and physically capable of performing the job as outlined in the job descriptions.
In a recent article in Advance For Nurses, they address the growing nursing shortage nationwide by reporting on the advantage of hiring or retaining nurses on the cusp of retirement. As stated, the average age of the nursing workforce is changing. The current average age is 46.8 years, and they project that by 2010 “more than 40%” will be over the age of 50.
The diversity of nurses can often be met by looking at the advantage of hiring a more seasoned person to fill some of the less physically demanding jobs still available. The article cites the how, why, and when to hire or retain these nurses. It is a must read for all recruiters, whether in the institutional or agency setting. Awareness of this practice needs to be reinforced and encouraged by all. After all, nurses as a rule are in the profession because of their love of the job. They are in it because of their full and caring heart, trying to ease the pain and suffering, as well as nurture the education of those in need of healthcare assistance.
It is time to use this tool as another means of easing the nursing shortage prevalent today. Read the article and pass it on to the hiring agents, and remind them that industry today is discovering the value of hiring the older worker. It is time the nursing profession did the same.
About the author
Eileen Bloom is a Registered Nurse who has been actively working in the profession for over 35 years. During that time, she has served as a department head, Director of ER and OB, acting ACNO, and set up and led a new Cardiac Cath lab. Eileen was introduced into the active healthcare recruiting field in 2001. In 2006 she was invited to join forces with StaffPointe where she is currently a Senior Recruiter in the Healthcare division.
