FierceHealthcare.com
In theory it should be easy for hospitals and health systems to hire nurses. Despite a shortage of nurses in the health workforce, there is a growing pool of potential candidates to fill open slots. Yet it can take healthcare organizations as long as 50 days to hire a registered nurse. There are several reasons for the hiring delays, according to an article from The Pew Charitable Trusts. Many hospitals and healthcare systems seek out nursing job applicants with a bachelor’s degree or other advanced degrees, as well as work experience. Yet in some states, many nurses entering the workforce may need only their nursing license to apply for jobs. In states like New York, for instance, registered nurses outnumber the available positions, so providers have raised the bar and now require a bachelor’s degree, as Jean Moore, director of the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University of Albany, told Pew.