There are many decisions nurses make while navigating through their nursing career. Choosing the right employer may be the most important.

Whether you are an experienced nurse of 30 years or choosing your first employer out of school, being aware of critical employer differences can vitally impact your engagement, productivity, personal well-being and career satisfaction.

Do your research:

Just as an employer confirms its impression of you by contacting references, you should seek third-party insights into the employers you are considering. Sites like glassdoor.com, indeed.com and Facebook will provide some valuable insights. Also, make sure to ask other nurses in your network for their opinion of the employers you are considering.

Prepare for the interview:

Use your research and reference checks to come up with a few key questions. Hiring Managers prepare themselves with questions aimed at revealing important information about you. So, similarly, you should prepare questions to reveal important information about your employer. Most employers will recognize your questions as evidence that you have genuine interest in finding the right fit. Just make sure they are done in a tactful and respectful way.

8 Important factors and how to tell the signs during your interview[

While pay may be very important to your choice of a company to work for, nurses consistently cite other factors that lead them to one employer over another. Here is a list of some vital factors to consider.

1. Flexibility: With the right employer, one of the greatest perks of nursing can be its flexibility. Flexible schedules allow nursing to be adaptable your lifestyle. Sometimes even the length of a shift is flexible from four to 12-hour periods during days, evenings and weekend shifts. Make sure you understand their scheduling policies and the process of altering your schedule.
2. Support: Make sure you are supported in your role. Find out if your potential employer fosters a supportive environment by asking about staffing levels and aide support to ensure that you have a manageable patient load and can provide excellent care.
3. Values your personal life: Read most employer websites, and you’ll find typical verbiage promoting that they value innovation, a positive work environment, workplace diversity, etc. but to truly understand the climate of the employer’s value system you’ll need to dig deeper. A company who details out their approach to caring for and valuing their employees is a good start. During your interview, use your research to ask about any remaining questions or concerns. Specific examples work great here. Consider asking your interviewer about a specific example of work interfering with important personal life issues and see how they react.
4. Encourages growth: Growth can come from multiple forms including continuing education, on-the-job training, and career advancement opportunities. Ask your potential employers for specific examples where their employees were given these opportunities. Make sure the employer has an intentional culture of giving employees flexibility and encouragement to grow.
5. Job Security: Not every healthcare company is employee focused. Ask about financial stability, census and employee turnover. While nursing positions are in high demand from employers, that doesn’t always mean that hours won’t be cut, or you won’t be pulled off your desired shift.
6. Job Passion: Every nurse deserves to feel passionate throughout a long and satisfying career. An organization filled with passionate nurses results in care-focused, cohesive teams. Don’t let a drama-filled environment keep you from a rewarding career. Be a part of a passionate, cohesive team and you’ll be much less likely to experience burnout. This will be evident in how the Director of Nursing speaks about the type of care that his or her team provides. Also, use your job shadow as an opportunity to observe the nurse interactions.
7. Valued: Will your contributions be valued, or will you be just another nurse on the floor? Your contributions are important and should be recognized. Make sure you choose an employer who has a culture of spotlighting its employees and recognizing their contributions.
8. Culture: Try and notice how peers interact with each other, and how managers interact with employees. Be attentive during your interview process. Often, we are so worried about our own interview performance, we miss key signs like how the company’s employees interact with each other. While work as a nurse is serious and important, it can also be enjoyable and rewarding in the right environment.

The employer of your dreams can be right around the corner. Make sure you do your research, prepare for your interview and pay attention to the important factors that will determine your engagement, fulfillment and happiness at work.

Kingston HealthCare welcomes you to contact our careers representatives with any additional questions you may have by emailing [email protected]. Also, be sure to search for open positions in your area by visiting kingstonhealthcare.com/careers.