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Terrie Kimbrell, BS, RN, can picture the perfect LPN for her staff. This person is full of energy and ambition. More importantly, this nurse is open to learning new clinical skills.
So, Kimbrell's setting her sights on the next wave of new graduates.
"I will spend the money, invest the time and provide the man hours required to develop a newly-graduated LPN who exhibits a lot of motivation, excitement for the profession and desire to do very well," said Kimbrell, regional director of nursing for HealthSouth, Sarasota, FL, a healthcare provider with locations in all U.S. states and abroad. "The old school philosophy of not hiring new grads is outdated."
ADVANCE has learned that a number of recruiters along the East Coast are just as willing to welcome graduating students to their facilities - even those who haven't yet taken their NCLEX. All it takes to get these jobs is a solid student record, a little tact and the ability to sell one's self.
HERE A JOB, THERE A JOB
New LPNs are needed in various settings and frequently are hired on med/surg, rehabilitation, and even neurology, pulmonary and orthopedic teams in select cases, our sources told us. In fact, many of these recruiters have filled positions with new graduates over the past year.
As nurse recruiter at Southside Regional Medical Center, Petersburg, VA, Peggy Sczesny, MS, RN, said she hired five graduate PNs from December through early March for her facility's adult med/surg units. She added that, as of mid-March, she had four med/surg positions to fill with the potential of being staffed by new grads.
"It depends on the individual, but frequently I've found new graduates display a lot of maturity," said Sczesny. "Some of these LPNs have been in healthcare as certified nursing assistants or cared for a family member. Some may have had jobs outside healthcare and saw being a nurse as a goal."
New grads have accounted for 4 of 10 positions filled over the past 4 months at Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, said Troy Gwin, nurse recruiter, human resources generalist.
"As a group, their eagerness and ability to be molded into our system are the two main factors our nurse managers look for and appreciate," Gwin related.
Kimbrell was proud to welcome her rehab facility's first new-grad hire in March. This LPN earned a job on the facility's neurology unit, which contains the largest team at the facility, Kimbrell said, adding that HealthSouth is comfortable placing new grads in advanced areas of practice.
"My belief is that you can teach someone to do things better from a skill level in nursing," Kimbrell said. "What you can't instill in someone is that intrinsic motivation - the desire to do extremely well, the excitement about the profession. That's why we look for the most motivated, intelligent applicants coming out."
Kimbrell said all LPNs employed at Health South, including new graduates, provide holistic nursing, for the most part.
"They'll be working with other licensed individuals or rehab nursing technicians in a specialty area, taking care of patients in regard to their education needs, medication management, palliative care, pain management, positioning and new use of equipment," she added.
WHAT IT TAKES (PART 1)
However, recruiters aren't just hiring any applicant, even with the nursing shortage. With more facilities stressing the need for strong customer service skills, a courteous and friendly candidate can make a good first impression, Gwin said.
"If someone calls and they're rude or not very tactful, that's a negative right away," he said. "I assume if they're going to be rude to me, they're going to be rude to the patients or lose it under pressure. We try to stay away from those types of applicants. When you call, you should be polite, introduce yourself, let the interviewer know you're eager to work there and ask what the next step would be."
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