Tackling the Challenges of Nursing Recruitment

By Debbie Smith, SVP, Chief Nursing and Patient Care Officer, St. Joseph’s Health

As the Chief Nurse of a health system that includes a large academic teaching hospital, a community hospital, and a range of ambulatory clinics across communities of varying socioeconomic levels, I see the nursing shortage play out in different ways across different settings. While the root causes are shared by many healthcare systems, the solutions must be adapted to the needs of each environment. A single approach does not work when supporting such diverse teams and patient populations.

One challenge we continue to face is balancing competitive compensation with financial constraints. Our organization is located in a very high-cost-of-living…