Nurse Search

Nurse Search is about the process taken by hospitals and nurses to recruit new registered nurses(RNs) and Nurse Practitioners(NPs).

The process is simple enough but the actual application is a bit more complex as its not just a matter of search for the right type of nurse but also involves many variables like location, hours, flexibility, language skills and much more.

A hospital or healthcare agency looking for a nurse to fill a spot have to use a screening process otherwise, it would be unfeasable for them to go over 1000s of applicants in a day searcing for a registered nurse.

Some places have their own screening process and advertising solutions in place but others need to use different sources to make the process easier to accomplish.

In the non-medical world, a nurse is a nurse but in the medical field its a bit more complex then that as they are about 10 main categories of nurses and then, you have nurses that specializes in certain health areas.

Here is general category of the types of nurses out there:

1. (CNA) Certified Nurse Assisant - Also know as nurse's aid, patient care techniciaans or home health assistant's a CNA's job is to provide assistance with a patient's daily living task all under the supervision of a registered Nurse.
2. (LPN) Licensed Practical Nurse - This type of nurse works in all areas of healthcare and is the type of nurse between a CNA and an RN. LPN's are able to observe and report adverse reactions to medications or treatments and can even sometimes preform routine laboratory tests.
3. (RN) Registered Nurse - Registered nurses are the core of the nursing industry as they are the mist flexible types of nurses. Their tasks include providing treatments, education as well as giving advice and emotional support to a patient and their families. RNs like doctors are also able to specialize in different health areas.
4. (PHN) Public Health Nurse - These are Registered Nurses that are specialized in community health. These types of nurses often travel tp a patient's home, schools and community centers. They often work with communities to help them voice their own concenrs and problems as well as help them with pland and policies.
5. Nurse Practioner - A nurse practitioner is a registered nurse who has taken additional courses and specialized training to do many of the duties as a doctor such as diagnosis and treatment and in some states are even able to prescribe medication.
6. Nurse Midwife - Registered Nurses that are able to practice the obstetrical and gynecological care of pregany women by completing additional training in these fields.
7. (CRNA) Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist - Theses nurses have undergone spciealized training in anestthetics and takes care of a patient's anesthesia during all processes of an operation. They work closely with surgeosn, dentists, anesthesiologists and podriatrists.
8. (HHN) Home Health Nurse - Registered Nurses that provide regular services to patients at home. Their job is to take care of patients who are unable to go to a hospital or health care facility.
9. (LVN) Licensed Vocationa Nurse - LPN's are able to observe and report adverse reactions to medications or treatments and can even sometimes preform routine laboratory tests.  They are the equivalent of a Licensed Practical Nurse except that this is the name given to them in the south of the United States.
10. Occupational Health Nurse - These types of nurses provide for and deliver health and safety programs and services to workers, worker populations and community groups. Depending on the employer, an occupational health nurse may provide emergency care, prepare accident reports, and arrange for further care if necessary.

With the above information in mind, this will gie you an idea of the process involved in finding a nurse.

The nurse search process starts once a hospital or healthcare facility has a list of criteria for the open position. When that happens the search begins for either a permanent or temporary posititon.

If it is for a temporary assignment, the hospital will usually contact a temporary agency that specializes in nurse search like a travel nursing agency for example.

If its a permanent position, then the hospital can either place its on own advertisment for one, purchase a database or get the help from a nurse recruitment company.

From there, the HR department of the hospital will review several resumes and screen several applicants until the right one is found.

Many Hospitals, health care facilities and even individuals like to use a nurse staffing agency when looking for a nurse to fill a position. They are hundreds such staffing agencies in the United States but the problem is how to find the right one.

Here are some tips on finding a good nurse staffing agency:

1. Ask how often they update their list - A nurse list from a large agency should be updated every week if not every day.
   
2. How large is their list - The larger the list the better as it provides more choices.
   
3. Where do they get their list - You want an actual legitimate list meaning you want a database of nurses that have actually registered themselves with the agency.
   
4. What kind of background check to they do on each nurse - This one is a bit obvious but a criminal background is a must.
   

Asking these key questions will help in determining the quality of the nurse placement agency.