De Vore Recruiting Blog

Sometimes nurses are looking to share their services in areas where there may be a dearth of quality health care professionals, which may require them to make a multi-state move. Other times, jobs for experienced registered nurses or director-level positions aren’t readily available in a certain area.

Whatever the reason, nurses may be interested in finding career openings in new areas but don’t know where to start.

At De Vore Recruiting, we specialize in finding the right candidates to fill in-demand positions for experienced registered nurses and directors within skilled nursing facilities. Here are some tips for health care professionals looking to make a significant move for the right position.

· If you’re currently unemployed for whatever reason and looking for a job in another state, it always helps to start volunteering during your job search. Volunteer work keeps you relevant and provides a worthwhile bullet point on your resume. You can learn new skills or just merely keep your skills well-practiced. You will also stay abreast of the latest technology and techniques within your field. Employers will appreciate that you’re making an effort to work, rather than just waiting for the next paid position to come along. Check your local free clinics, blood banks or public health departments for open volunteer work.

· Typically beginning in spring, nursing career fairs are a great way to meet potential employers face-to-face in order to make a more lasting impression. Employers and nursing recruiting agencies will be together in one place, making it more convenient for you as a job seeker. Career fairs are also a great place to network.

· Pick up the phone. Call anyone – professional or personal – you know, as you never really know who knows who. Call people who aren’t even in the health care industry since they may know someone who may know someone, etc. Tell your contacts what you’re looking for in a new career move. Ask them to stay alert for any job leads or for opportunities to refer you to someone else. Networking and word-of-mouth referrals are the most effective ways to find and receive a job offer.

· If you’re not finding anything online, it’s probably time to contact a nursing staffing agency like De Vore Recruiting to help you find an appropriate position for your skill level. Some agencies specialize in hospital placement. De Vore is looking for nurses and director-level employees for skilled nursing facilities. Our experienced specialists will help find you the right fit.

Call De Vore Recruiting today at 877-411-4358, or visit our open jobs list on our website to see what’s currently available. You can also submit your resume online. We look forward to helping you find your future fulfilling career move.

Healthcare jobs continued to show solid growth in November, according to the recent federal data. The healthcare industry added nearly 29,000 jobs throughout the month. These jobs filled the following sectors: hospitals, nursing and residential providers and ambulatory care. The latter saw the most growth, according to the release. The new jobs added to the 14.9 million healthcare workers in the U.S.

And news continues to get better for the industry. The report notes that:

• November’s job growth was significant compared to the year’s monthly average of 23,500 jobs.
• Healthcare employers added approximately 261,000 jobs – a 1.8 percent increase – in the 12 months that ended in November.
• Hiring recovered (especially at hospitals) this year following last year’s slowdown.
• Hiring at nursing and residential care facilities did, however, remain relatively unchanged with 300 new jobs added to the total number of 3.4 million.
• Job growth totaled .8 percent during the year that ended in November for nursing homes and residential care employment. Payrolls increased by 24,500 jobs.
• Employment increased in November in home health care services (over 5,000), outpatient care centers (over 4,000), hospitals (over 4,000) and physicians’ offices (over 7,000).
• 321,000 jobs were added in the month of November across the economy.
• “Ambulatory care” (i.e. labs, outpatient centers, physicians’ offices and other sectors) added 24,300 jobs in November
• During the entire year that ended in November, ambulatory care added 208,200 jobs – a 3.2 percent increase from the previous year.

De Vore Recruiting specializes in filling nursing and director-level positions for skilled nursing facilities around the U.S. If you would like to submit your resume to us, visit our website here. For a listing of all of the available positions for which we are recruiting, click here. Call De Vore today at 877-411-4358 to speak with one of our specialists.

At De Vore Recruiting, a majority of our work involves filling director-level positions in the health care field. One of those positions includes Nursing Home Administrator (NHA), for which there is a current opening in State College, Pennsylvania.

This skilled position is vitally important to a nursing home facility. A quality nursing home administrator must balance compassion and care for the residents and their family members while making the right business decisions for the facility and its profitability.

A nursing home administrator must be thinking about keeping a building full while maintaining a quality survey history. Other concerns include providing adequate social services and dining services while fulfilling physical therapy and occupational needs. All services must be provided and done well.

In California, where De Vore is headquartered, nursing home administrators must be licensed by the Nursing Home Administrator Program (NHAP). The licensing helps to assure that the security, health, safety and rights of the skilled nursing facility are being met. The NHA must be sure to maintain proper compliance with state and federal regulations while managing the development and implementation of policies within the various departments.

A nursing home administrator has to wear a lot of hats. At De Vore, we’re looking for a candidate who can manage the difficult balancing act of understanding the importance of building revenue while being sensitive to the residents’ needs. We’re looking for good communicators — verbal and written — who understand that the goal is to get a facility to a five-star ranking while also efficiently generating revenue. Additionally, we would like to see good stability in the candidate’s career history at various facilities.

The NHA will also need to hire and train new staff members and interpret monthly financial statements. She or he must also prepare an annual operations budget.

If you are interested in this position, or any of the other open positions on our website, please give our skilled recruiters a call at 877-411-4358.

Nurses, the front line of patient care, were likely not surprised when Nina Pham became infected with Ebola while treating patient Thomas Eric Duncan in Dallas. They have been worried for a while about such diseases and proper safety precautions at their hospitals. However, worries were amplified thanks to Pham’s contraction of the disease, especially given the extreme precautions typically taken when dealing with deadly diseases that lack a cure.

Pham’s case is interesting, as she apparently followed her hospital’s procedures for dealing with infection control. She wore a gown, mask, gloves and face shield.

So what needs to happen at hospitals and health care facilities around the country to help assuage their nurses’ concerns and ensure that their procedures are foolproof when it comes to dealing with infectious diseases?

Patients requiring isolation require the utmost precaution. There should be:

• A room to gown and a room to de-gown after seeing a patient.
• A colleague watching the nurse suit up and down to ensure that it’s being done efficiently, especially since nurses don’t have the extra safety of a Hazmat suit when they visit patients.
• Extra measures taken to make sure that nurses working with Ebola patients or other infectious diseases aren’t fatigued. Lapses in judgment and care can happen especially if nurses are working a 12-hour or longer shift. Therefore, proper staffing must be in place to prevent overworked nurses from having to care for patients with deadly diseases.

The issue with nurses is that sometimes the patient’s needs outweigh thoughts of their safety and health. They are continuously looking for ways to care for and help someone feel better. Sometimes, this comes at the expense of the nurse, as in Pham’s case. Hospitals and health care facilities need to help their nurses and staff feel confident that all precautions are being taken.

De Vore Recruiting specializes in finding experienced RNs and director-level nurses to fill competitive positions around the country. To view current openings for which we’re looking to hire, click here, or call our offices at 877-411-4358.

Many individuals question job security and how roles are changing in particular fields. The healthcare industry is seeing great expansion, yet hospital jobs are becoming harder and harder to find. However, with the help of nursing recruitment agencies, nurses are now able to explore new jobs and revisit traditional roles.

The Importance of Education

Beginning a career as a nurse in a hospital is becoming increasingly difficult. Despite staff shortages, hospitals have stopped hiring new employees. Also, existing nurses are postponing retirement. As openings occur, facilities are searching for applicants with a high level of education. This is a direct result of the Affordable Care Act, legislation aimed at improving the quality of care patients receive at hospitals. Nurses with advanced degrees are entering specialties and leadership roles.

Shift in Job Placement

A lucky nursing graduate will receive an internship invitation into a hospital, but most graduates must seek other sources of employment. Although nursing home jobs were once populated by experienced professionals, they are the new starting point for many graduates. Since healthcare reform is trying to keep patients out of hospitals, there is a heightened need for community healthcare. Home healthcare is the one segment projected to grow the fastest over the next five years.

To train nurses, many home health agencies offer mentoring and orientation programs. In a similar fashion, ambulatory surgery centers are training new nursing graduates to perform tasks including wound care, behavioral health and chronic illness treatment. Nurses are also being taught to prep patients for small surgical procedures, administer sedation and perform other triage jobs.

Some graduates are receiving opportunities to work in general medical offices. Many medical groups are teaming with nursing schools to involve students with clinic rotations. Through this hands-on learning, students develop critical thinking skills and a positive bedside manner. If a candidate proves successful, it is not uncommon to be picked up on a permanent basis.

Besides new nurses, experienced nurses nearing retirement are seeking employment outside traditional hospital settings. Some are interested in nursing home jobs, and others choose hospice duties. These new roles are considered the “new natural progression” in the nursing industry.

While working with a healthcare recruiter, a nurse is likely to find satisfactory employment that fulfills individual career goals. It is a smart way to gain benefits and a flexible schedule. No matter where it leads, a person will be able to enjoy a rewarding nursing career throughout the field.

Nursing professionals, including the 3 million registered nurses in the U.S., are working in one of the most demanding and stressful industries. As caregivers working on the front line providing healing and comfort to patients, the nurses’ own mental and physical states should be of utmost importance to employers.

Focusing on nurses’ wellness is important at this time, especially, as the nation faces a nursing shortage. The American Journal of Medical Quality forecasts the nursing shortage to increase by 2030, according to a 2012 report.

Part of the nursing shortage problem can be attributed to a large number of Baby Boomer nurses who will be retiring in the next few years. Also, there are a large number of registered nurses looking at retirement in the near future; 47 is the average age of a registered nurse today.

However, much of this forecasted shortage is coming from nursing burnout. A 2011 survey by the American Nurses Association cites overwork and stress as being the top health concerns for three out of four nurses. Demanding work schedules and insufficient staffing are contributing to nurses saying goodbye to the industry. Nurses are frequently found working 12-hour shifts over the course of three days. And studies show that nurses who work over eight-hour shifts are two-and-a-half times more likely to experience burnout.

Sometimes the reason nurses enter the field is the very reason they leave it. Those who are driven to help others, rather than enjoyment of the actual work, are more likely to become burnt out, according to a survey of over 700 registered nurses by University of Akron researchers.

Yet there are ways to reverse nursing burnout. While nobody can control the influx of sick patients and more complex work environments, factors within employers’ control include:

• Ensuring that nurses have a voice in the workforce and authority to implement changes.
• Providing learning to help them grow in their profession.
• Recognizing their efforts and vital role in health care.
• Encouraging mentors to help provide support when needed and guidance on the job.

Nurses, who see themselves as part of a collective family, need to take care of themselves and worry about each other. But employers also need to make sure nurses are cared for so that they can provide their knowledge and expertise to the best of their ability.

Fatigue and stress need to be minimized to retain and protect nurses. Studies have shown that nursing burnout directly affects how well patients are being taken care of, which can be costly for health care facilities.