How Does Education and Experience Level Affect Hiring Trends for Registered Nurses

Tim Spagnola of RecruitingBlogs asked us about recruitment analytics for Advanced Practical Nurse (APRN) providers.

We took this a step further and analyzed hiring trends for Registered Nurses based on experience level, Junior (0-2 yrs.), Middle (3 - 7 yrs.), and Senior (8+ yrs.), as well as education level.

According to WANTED Analytics, Junior Registered Nurse is the most in-demand experience level. Junior RNs also have the largest candidate supply. Fewer listings advertise for Senior-level Registered Nurses than the other experience levels.

We also noticed that there's a lower number of candidates available in the workforce for each Senior-level RN job ad, 15 people for every unique job listing.

Since this profession and level of experience requires more training and knowledge, it may be expected that there are fewer candidates that meet this criteria. Below is a breakdown of the current available workforce for Registered Nurses by experience level.

Candidate Supply for Registered Nurses by Experience Level

: SOURCE: WANTED Analytics

The smaller candidate supply for Senior-level RNs is one of the contributing factors to the hiring difficulty for this position. Senior-level RNs score a 49 on our Hiring Scale, 2 points above the average score for Registered Nurses of any experience level. Our Hiring Scale measures recruiting difficulty based on supply, demand, salary, local and national conditions, unemployment rates, job site sources, and other factors. Overall, most Registered Nurses have an Associates (43%) or a Bachelors (43%). Only 10% have a Masters, 3% have a Doctorate, and 1% have a High School Degree.

Education Level for Registered Nurse Candidates

: SOURCE: WANTED Analytics

While investigating hiring trends for Registered Nurses, we also noticed that these jobs on average are becoming more difficult-to-recruit. When we last reported on Registered Nurse hiring demand in November, Registered Nurses only scored a 39 on our Hiring Scale. Since then, recruiting difficulty increased 8 points. According to the American Nurses Association, "Health experts explain that the demand for APRNs is growing especially acute as hospitals focus more on the sickest and most unstable patients, moving the bulk of health services increasingly into homes, community health centers, nurse-managed clinics, schools, birthing centers, and other venues."

If you want to find out where the best locations are to source junior, middle, or senior-level Registered Nurses visit WANTED Analytics to learn how.

Comment by Matt Charney on February 18, 2014 at 11:25am: I want to know what the average recruiter's career path and education looks like as well as the skills that are the most in demand among both staffing firms and F1000 companies. #justsaying

Thanks for the great info as always.

Comment by Ashley Zito Rowe on February 18, 2014 at 11:30am: Thanks, Matt. You might have inspired a new topic!

Comment by Keith D. Halperin on February 18, 2014 at 12:10pm: @ Ashley. Thank you very much. I find this type of information very useful- it cuts through a lot of hype with cold, hard facts.

@ Matt: This would also be very useful. I haven't seen formal studies of which skills for recruiters are most in demand. However I've found that a combination of the skills of a pimp with that of a meat wholesaler have proven successful for me...

-kh

Comment by Will Thomson on February 18, 2014 at 2:14pm: For everyone that recruits Nurses, you have your work cut out for you. As a husband of a Nursing Supervisor, it is a true challenge finding good nurses.