Skilled nursing facilities that hire from within their organizations had 22% less turnover in the past year than those that hire from outside their organizations, on average, according to the results of a recent survey by Software Advice.
The company in May queried 204 nursing home workers about staffing shortages. Respondents were limited to those who had worked in their roles for at least six months.
Staff turnover is high, the survey found: half of the respondents said they had lost between one and 10 employees in the past year.
Also, the survey found that internet career boards are less effective for nursing home positions than simply asking current workers for applicant recommendations.
“We found that practices using internal recruiting methods (in-house recruiters and referrals from existing employees) have a significantly lower rate of turnover,” Software Advice said.
A key benefit to using internal recruiting methods is finding candidates who are better prepared for jobs, according to the research advisory group.
Staffing shortages affect the level of care residents receive, the company said, so reducing staff turnover is key.
