Innovative Workforce Strategies Sustain People-First Recruitment
Our valued team members are , and always have been , a top priority at Children ’ s Colorado .
In 2023 , healthcare organizations across the country saw an increased need for pediatric healthcare workers . In response to this growing challenge , Children ’ s Colorado amplified efforts to fill open and new positions and ensure a robust , stable workforce now and for years to come . Multidisciplinary teams developed and implemented targeted recruitment and onboarding strategies , including specific pipeline programs , with the goal of maximizing our connections to applicants . Driven by pressures from the external labor market coupled with our immediate staffing needs , these recruitment strategies homed in on inpatient clinical teams , with a primary focus on bedside nursing roles . Due to the widespread nature of staffing challenges across the industry , creative solutions were paramount to successfully navigate the changing labor market , decrease reliance on temporary contracts and close the gap on vacancies throughout the Children ’ s Colorado System of Care .
With leadership and executive sponsorship from Jen Roth , vice president and associate chief nursing officer , a strategic workforce action team was created to drive this work . The team focused on several key initiatives for a 90-day rapid improvement cycle , inclusive of the following goals :
• Decrease vacancy and temporary contracts while sustaining quality outcomes and nurse satisfaction
• Increase experienced clinical nurse applicants and decrease the time to fill those positions
• Design and implement programs to improve nurse recruitment
• Ensure every leader is aligned to a common vision
Recruitment efforts centered around five areas of focus :
Traveler and rehire strategy
To decrease the number of traveler nurses while increasing permanent nurses across our System of Care , Children ’ s Colorado implemented targeted strategies aimed at nurses who had previously worked at Children ’ s Colorado as well as previous and current travelers , with the goal of hiring them into permanent positions . New team members hired from among these populations could step into direct patient care almost immediately , decreasing the time required to fill vacancies . From April to May 2023 , patient care services partnered with the human resources talent acquisition team to email more than 1,100 previous nurse team members and over 400 previously employed nurse travelers . Additionally , critical care leadership phoned previous travelers and team members , and all nurse leaders partnered in recruitment conversations directly with currently employed travelers . These extensive multi-level efforts resulted in 70 additional nurse hires , including 19 who were rehired and 51 travelers signing on as permanent team members .
People
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