Hospitals Try To Expand Nurse Recruitment Efforts
A statewide nursing shortage has led some clinics and hospitals to encourage retired nurses to take a refresher course and begin working again, the Marysville Appeal-Democrat reports.
The shortage makes it especially difficult for rural hospitals to attract nurses, according to the Appeal-Democrat.
Some hospitals, such as Colusa Regional Medical Center, used to recruit nurses from abroad to fulfill staffing requirements, but found foreign nurses often did not stay at the hospitals after their contracts expired. In addition, nurse-staffing firms that offer incentives like temporary residence in a mansion or $200 gift cards for visiting a hospital make it difficult for rural hospitals to recruit and retain new nurses.
Nurse training programs also are having difficulty finding nurses qualified to teach training programs because schools cannot pay as much as hospitals, the Appeal-Democrat reports (Hightower, Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 1/8).