To hire the right RN for the job, be specific about your needs and requirements.
Registered nurses provide patient care in several practice settings. Some specialize in a particular area of nursing such as home care, community health, pediatrics or critical care. Hiring the right type of nurse depends on understanding your needs. Qualifications vary, as do levels of practice. All registered nurses must be licensed, but not all are certified in specialty areas. According to the American Journal of Critical Care, certification offers formal recognition of specialized skills.
Instructions
1. Contact a nursing agency. Nursing agencies screen registered nurses for assignments. Background checks, certifications, references and licensing verifications are completed. Nurses are assigned based on the needs of clients.
2. Contact a nursing school. Most colleges offer career placement services to students and frequently receive requests to fill nursing positions with new RN graduates. This works well for entry-level general nursing assignments, including home care, hospital care and skilled nursing. Ask the school to arrange an interview with applicants. Inquire about applicants' academic performance and previous health care experience. The best time to approach schools is in the early spring or fall.
3. Check with nursing organizations. Inquire about posting a job announcement on the organization's website. Nursing organizations consist of large numbers of nurses who agree to ethical principles as a condition of membership. Nursing organizations also emphasize continuing education, offering additional certifications to members who qualify on the basis of experience and other factors. Choose this path if you are looking to fill a specialty RN position, such as a critical-care nurse or nurse midwife. The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses and the American Association of Nurse Midwives are examples.
Tags: American Association, American Association Nurse, Association Nurse, Contact nursing, Critical Care, home care