Hospital recruiting tactics paying off

Another front pager!

By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer

Once a stop for travelers on their way to anywhere and now reaping the rewards of a boom due to temporary workers, Rawlins has long struggled to retain its visitors.

When nurses are in demand nationwide, what does Memorial Hospital of Carbon County do?

They develop a recruitment and retention committee. Composed of about 10 hospital staff, the committee brainstorms ways to attract nurses to Rawlins and then devises ways to keep them here.

Three years ago, the hospital sought Filipino nurses, signing them to three-year contracts. One is still at the hospital, while others have moved to join their families in other states.
The hospital has since abandoned this tactic as the nursing shortage has eased slightly. “We’ve done different avenues,” Nurse Manager Dawn Dingman said.

One route is a connection with Western Wyoming Community College, which reinstated its nursing program. It now provides training for locals who can pour the fruits of their learning back into their community.

Additionally, said Dingman, the hospital has changed the nurses’ work week to match national standards. “We used to work four (12-hour shifts) one week and three the next,” she said. They now work 36 hours each week, generally in three shifts.

Is it working? “We have gotten two people and we are maybe working on our third,” Dingman said. Lately, most of the recruits are from Wyoming. Some previously worked at the hospital and are now returning.

Wendy Thorvaldson, intensive care unit nurse manager, mentioned adopting the 14 ideals, called forces, of magnet hospitals to attract nurses. Magnet status is an award given by the American Nurses Credentialing Center to hospitals that satisfy a set of criteria measuring the strength and quality of their nursing.

“It’s a marketing tool (for us),” Thorvaldson said. “Here in Rawlins, and with smaller hospitals, it is very difficult to even look at attaining magnet status. It requires a lot of money and a large staff. But the ideals are important, and that’s what we’re looking at.”

Another thing the hospital touts is its superior medical benefits. “I think I can say with confidence that this is hands down the best insurance (provided by a hospital) in the state,” said Art Canaday, the secretary-treasurer of the hospital board. When the employees know they are in good care, the draw to Rawlins’ hospital is strong.

Most of the hospital’s nurse-recruiting efforts are concentrated in Wyoming. They advertise in Wyoming-based nursing magazines, in newspapers and are attending a career fair in Casper on Feb. 1.