Hospital offering big incentive to recruit nurses amid shortage
ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- During the pandemic, hospital employees have been working more shifts and overtime. It’s causing longer than average wait times for patients, nationally and locally.
Because of this, Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital is offering a $15,000 incentive for newly graduated nurses to fill the many vacant positions, particularly in the Emergency Department.
"The market is competitive, and most of the other organizations, especially the hospitals, are likewise offering settlements for many of the specialties, "said Troy Kurtz, the Director of Human Resources at Sentara MJH.
He has been working in health care for almost 30 years.
"We've had shortages, I would say that this is probably the worst that I've experienced," Kurtz said.
The $15,000 incentive is part of the hospital’s largest recruitment campaign ever. Given staffing trends, it could take time to solve the problem.
However, Sentara MJH hopes that getting the word out about the incentive will allow it to continue seeing patients in a timely manner, especially in the emergency room.
The University of Virginia Health System has not yet responded to a request for information regarding the nursing shortage.