Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare system, yet a dearth of talent means this persistent problem continues to weigh on employers
by Intelliworx
As it is with providers, healthcare employees everywhere are struggling to attract nurses. That’s according to a new report by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA).
Citing an MGMA Stat poll from May 2024, the report says, “22% of medical group leaders say their nurse recruitment and hiring efforts improved in the past year, while the majority (78%) say they have seen little change (43%) or experienced worsened conditions (35%).”
The top factor contributing to this healthcare recruiting challenge is a dearth of talent. There simply aren’t enough nurses and it’s hitting rural locations even harder.
Why?
“While some practice leaders noted a smaller pool of candidates in their rural markets, most respondents pointed to tough competition for qualified candidates from hospitals and larger organizations with larger signing bonuses.”
The report shows the problem has been persistent. For example, a similar poll conducted previously found that nearly half (46%) of medical groups reported worsened nurse recruiting and hiring efforts leading to May 2023 – at that time, only 17% of respondents noted improving recruitment efforts, while 37% said they had stayed the same.”
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Factors at play for those seeing improvement
As noted above, about one in five (22%) of the 249 respondents to the polls said their ability to recruit nurses has improved. MGMA asked just that cohort what factors were contributing to their success where many other healthcare facilities are struggling.
The answers pointed to three key reasons, including:
- “Building or investing in new graduate programs and/or residencies for RNs to address nearby nursing school capacity limits and prioritizing hiring newly graduated nurses”;
- “Increasing compensation and benefits to compete more effectively with larger organizations”; and
- “Normalization of labor markets in their areas, especially in markets where more nurses have shifted away from travel work.”
We’d hasten to add, that taking time to understand the benefits that attract healthcare workers – along with what causes them to stay – are every bit as important.
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The full report is worth perusing and can be downloaded here: 2024 MGMA management and staff compensation data report.
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Image credit: MGMA
