Recruitment

1. Does the board have a special committee to address worker shortages, and if not, how are trustees briefed on the topic?
2. What hospital departments constantly face personnel shortages?
3. Are those departments recruiting new staff regularly or only when shortages occur?
4. Are there long-term and short-term plans in place to address these shortages?
5. What are the primary tools used to recruit staff?
6. Is your organization currently using online recruiting resources?
7. Does your hospital conduct outreach into local high schools and middle schools to talk about health care careers?
8. Does your hospital provide internships to students who express an interest in health care?

Retention

1. What is the attrition rate in your hospital and how has it changed in the past three to five years? Is it different for new recruits?
2. Does your hospital support continuing education for interested staff? At what level?
3. What are the primary tools used to retain new staff?
4. Is there a mentoring program in place to help new staff adjust quickly?
5. Are cross functional teams used as problem solvers to address issues such as employee recruiting and retention?
6. Does your hospital conduct exit interviews when employees leave, and if so, what are the most common reasons they cite for leaving?

Aimee L. Stern, “Bridging the Workforce Shortage: Innovative Strategies to Retrain, Recruit and Retain Employees,” Trustee, Volume 54, Number 7, July/August 2001, pages 9-11.