More than 100,000 vacant positions exist nationally in the nursing field, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The solution for one health care provider, Community Health Network, is the nation's first online nurse recruitment tool.
The average age of an individual currently in a nursing position is 42 years old and more. Whereas, the enrollment in nursing degree programs has fallen 17 percent over the last five years, according to Johnson & Johnson's Discover Nursing Web site.
The increased need for health care also contributes to the shortage. According to discovernursing.com, the nation's largest generation is approaching its age of greatest health care need, causing a greater need for health care providers.
The Interactive Nursing Web site was launched March 11, 2002. It allows prospective nurses to chat with a nurse recruiter, take a virtual tour of one of the CHN hospitals, hear and see interviews with potential co-workers and supervisors, search for specific career opportunities, see the benefits available to CHN employees and fill out an online application said Jan Vermillion of The Vermillion Group.
The idea came from Ball State Alumni, Dan Rench, a nursing graduate of the class of 1984. Rench is the Director of eBusiness for CHN.
"The site gives a person two options," Rench said. "They can take a self-guided tour or they can have a nursing recruiter guide them through the site."
Statistics show that 65 percent of all Americans use the Internet, and college students are one group of frequent computer users who search for information and research. This, according to information provided by CHN, is the reason to recruit online.
"We offer visual career counseling for those looking into nursing, but we aren't just looking for college graduates," Rench said. "We definitely want people who are already nurses to consider CHN. We also offer refresher courses for retired nurses or for those who haven't been in practice for a while."
The goal of the Web site is to take away the barriers associated with job searches for busy nurse professionals. According to CHN information, the new media approach to recruiting also differentiates Community from other hospitals by showing the commitment they have to innovation.
"If a nurse is looking at three possible positions at different hospitals that pay about the same amount, the determining factor is going to be if they can meet people they will work with and see where they are going to be everyday," Rench said.
Although the site has been up for just over a month, Rench said they have seen results.
"We are overwhelmingly surprised by the response we've seen on the Web site," Rench said.
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