Looking for a new job in the nursing field? Forget about pre-interview jitters and vying with a roomful of others to land the career of your dreams. These days, the stethoscope is in your hands, since the nursing shortage translates into a big payday for nurses looking for work.

Sharon Cone, RN, nurse manager in the NICU at MCV, and daughter Annelise share part of their special goodbye ritual at VCU’s Child Care Center. (Lisa Billings Photo)

Sure, you’ll still have to answer questions about your education and past performance, but come prepared with your own list of questions (and a wish list including sign-on bonuses, student loan payoffs and flexible work hours). “We’re kind of the ones who are being interviewed versus the other way around,” reports Jerry Venable, vice president of human resources for HCA’s Capital Division.

Nearly everyone is familiar with the causes behind the nursing shortage: there are not enough nursing schools and instructors to teach in them; aging nurses are nearing retirement age and leaving the work force; there are more career opportunities for women, so fewer people are entering the field; and baby boomers are starting to put a strain on an already taxed health-care system.

“By the year 2015, we’re reading figures that we’ll be short 16,000 nurses in Virginia,” says Venable. “Clearly the shortage is going to continue. It’s not getting better.”

That stimulates the law of supply and demand, causing hospitals to become more creative when it comes to pay and benefits in order to remain competitive and recruit the best available nurses.

“Most hospitals of any size will do basic things like sign-on bonuses, loan forgiveness and flexible schedules,” says Venable.

At HCA, sign-on bonuses range from $1,000 to $5,000, depending on how long an open position has remained vacant. That range is fairly typical in the Virginia marketplace. In exchange, nurses sign an agreement, committing to working at a particular hospital for between 12 and 24 months (the time varies from one hospital to another). If the nurse leaves before the agreed upon time is up, he or she is usually required to pay back a portion of the bonus.

Susan Creekmore, adult nurse practitioner, Preoperative Assessment Communication Education (PACE) Clinic, VCU Health System, drops off her dad, Lloyd, at VCU’s Health System Adult Daycare Center. The Adult Care Center is open to the general public as well as employees of Virginia Commonwealth University and the Medical College of Virginia. (VCU. PHOTO BY ALLEN JONES)

Loan forgiveness is another common benefit, sometimes offered in lieu of a sign-on bonus.

“We work to put an individualized student loan forgiveness package together for them,” explains Peggy Sczesny, nurse recruiter for Southside Regional Medical Center. Again, nurses are required to commit to working a certain period of time.

“Work life balance is critical,” says Venable. That’s why most hospitals are now offering flexible scheduling.

“Over 70 percent of our staff work a flexible schedule,” reports Maria Curran, vice president of human resources and family care services for the VCU Health System. “Newer nurses want to have flexibility; they want to have time off.”

Working three 12-hour shifts is commonplace in many hospitals, giving nurses a four-day “weekend.” Selfscheduling, where nurses are able to indicate which days and shifts they’d prefer to work, is also popular.

“That helps them to feel like they have more ownership,” says Melissa Frederick, director of compensation and interim director of recruitment for the University of Virginia Health System.

U.Va. Health System also has “flexible staffing positions” where nurses work part-time hours while receiving fulltime benefits. The catch is if a nurse’s unit becomes short-staffed, he or she is expected to step up and work more hours.

At Southside Regional, there are nurses on staff that work “whenever necessary,” says Sczesny. “They only have to work once a month to meet the standards.”

The VCU Health System gives nurses the option of working weekends only. There’s another program where nurses work during the school year and then take the summer off, mimicking a teacher’s schedule. For employees in nursing school, there’s the Weekend Scholars program that allows students to work on weekends so they dedicate weekdays to their education.

Hospitals are also becoming creative when it comes to finding potential job candidates.

“Our single largest source of recruitment is employee referrals,” says Venable.

HCA’s Team Up program pays $500 to any employee who refers a friend who is hired by HCA. Team Up is currently being piloted only in Virginia, but it could one day be rolled out nationwide.

Another Virginia pilot is HCA’s Be a Nurse campaign, which focuses on recruiting out-of-state nurses.

“We need to make the pie bigger, so we’re trying to do things to increase our reach,” explains Venable.

The Be a Nurse Web site (www.beanurseathca.com) keeps out-of-state nurses updated on the latest HCA news from Virginia, such as ongoing capital improvements or emerging technologies. Like the Team Up program, the Be a Nurse campaign will probably go nationwide someday.

During the past year, the U.Va. Health System started a Traveler Conversion program, where the hospital offers employment contracts to nurses working at the hospital through thirdparty staffing agencies.

“Once they work here, they may want to continue their career here permanently,” says Frederick. While recruitment is a top priority for hospitals, retention can be just as important.

“One thing that really distinguishes us is that we are a magnet health-care system,” says Curran.

The VCU Health System is the only hospital in the region certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The magnet program recognizes healthcare organizations that focus on nursing excellence and best practices.

Nurses juggling work and home in Richmond might also like to know that both CJW Medical Center and the VCU Health System were named among Working Mother magazine’s top places to work.

Both have onsite child-care facilities. HCA’s Henrico Doctors’ Hospital and the U.Va. Health System also have this benefit.

VCU takes this one step further by offering intergenerational care – children and the elderly co-exist in the same facility. It’s not uncommon to see seniors reading to the children or working with them on an art project.

There’s also a backup care service for children and the elderly.

The U.Va. Health System has a similar program, where employees qualify for 10 days of backup care for a child or elderly family member for a nominal cost of about $30 a day. This is a nationwide program, so it’s not limited to family members in the Charlottesville area.

The ability to continue one’s education is a big drawing card for many nurses. Almost all hospitals offer some kind of tuition assistance. Through the U.Va. Health System, nurses working toward their bachelor’s or master’s degree can qualify for up to $5,250 per year in tuition assistance. They can also apply for a scholarship valued at up to $3,000 per year.

Onsite continuing education at hospitals is common. HCA has a sixmonth residency program where nurses can train to work in the operating room. Southside Regional Medical Center has a staff education department that provides numerous staff development programs. Onsite nursing staff teaches both a Nursing Critical Care Course and a Trauma Nursing Core Course. “What nurses are looking for is support, education and how they are going to grow in their role,” says Southside’s Sczesny.

At VCU Health System, nurses qualify for an annual stipend to meet the costs of exams and certifications. Tuition assistance at VCU isn’t limited to employees. Spouses and children can attend the university free for up to six credit hours a semester.

VCU is one of the few hospitals that doesn’t offer sign-on bonuses. Instead, “we’ve put our money into work-force programs,” says Curran.

Just a few of the more unique ones include a concierge service to help employees score great seats or send flowers impromptu; a purchase program where employees can buy computer hardware and software at VCU’s group rate through payroll deduction; and an assisted housing program that provides interest-free loans to help employees buy their first home.

“We have over 400 programs that have been created for work/life balance,” adds Curran.

So, as hospitals continue to compete for a shrinking pool of nurses, here’s a confidence booster to remember before you walk into your next job interview: Virginia’s hospitals need competent, professional and caring nurses just like you. And, they’re willing to pay for it, so don’t sell yourself short.