5 Nursing Recruitment Strategies for 2025

Your ability to attract and retain top nursing professionals directly shapes patients' quality of care. While the RN workforce is expected to grow by 6% through 2032, experts project a shortage of 78,610 full-time RNs in 2025. That means agency competition for top talent will increase, and agencies need to fine-tune their nursing recruitment strategies. 

Nursing recruitment tools and job boards can help agencies connect with top talent. From AI-powered candidate-matching software to platforms promoting flexibility and professional connections, these tools provide new ways to improve hiring processes, engagement, and retention.

To stay competitive, you must understand what nurses seek in job opportunities and leverage the strengths of today’s top nursing recruitment tools. When you complement these efforts with engaging job postings and the CareAcademy CAREer Path Initiative, you can keep your recruitment strategy in perfect health. 

5 top nursing recruitment tools

Indeed and Glassdoor are fantastic platforms for job seekers, but they may not offer the specialized focus nurses need. Here are five of the top tools for recruiting nurses:

1. SeekOut

SeekOut centralizes all your healthcare sourcing into one platform and has the most robust database of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. 

• Extensive candidate database: Provides access to 31 million healthcare profiles, including licensed nurses in over 45 states.
• Advanced search filters: Includes over 100 Power Filters to simplify searches by specialties, experience, and specific healthcare roles.
• Accurate candidate data: Enriches profiles with verified public data, including detailed licensing information, backgrounds, and experience.
• Comprehensive talent pool: Broadens recruitment efforts to include nursing students, international professionals, and those re-entering the profession. 
• Direct outreach: Provides the most up-to-date contact information for every nursing candidate and allows you to create and send custom messages straight from the platform. 

2. Medely

Medely saves you time and money by helping you quickly find coverage to meet patient demand and support your existing staff. 

• On-demand job booking: Helps agencies quickly fill per-diem assignments, with 85% of shifts covered on the same day.
• Automated credential verification: Ensures compliance with current certifications and licensing requirements. 
• Direct facility-professional connection: Free job postings for agencies, reducing costs and administrative time.  
• Mobile-friendly access: Allows for seamless scheduling management via mobile or desktop.
• Wide specialty coverage: Supports staffing across numerous nursing and allied health specialties. 

3. American Nurses Association (ANA) Career Center

The ANA Career Center has more than 22,000 job seekers and offers tiered pricing to accommodate agencies of any size.

• Job search tools: Keyword, state, or sector filters make it easier for agencies to reach specific candidates.
• Proactive job notifications: Job post email blasts to job seekers.
• Company profile pages: Allows agencies to showcase their culture, values, and other attributes that applicants search for. 
• Career planning portal: Offers industry insights on wages, roles, and required qualifications to help agencies set salaries.
• Resume bank: Gain access to a vast database of potential candidates with keyword, candidate ID, and filtering options. 

4. NurseJobBoard

NurseJobBoard.com lets you maximize job visibility and reach with unlimited search and postings. 

• Real-time job posting: Post and update your listings at any time.
• Built-in applicant tracking system: Organize all resumes sent to you by job seekers who have applied for your positions. 
• Comprehensive job listings: List roles across various nursing positions, including RN, LVN/LPN, CNA, NP, and CRNA, with location-based search and advanced filters.
• Personalized search agents: Receive daily updated lists of every job applicant based on your set specialized search criteria.
• Business profile pages: Create a mini-website with pictures and videos to boost visibility.  

5. NurseRecruiter

NurseRecruiter has more than 462,000 active candidates and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for employers.

• Built-in messaging system: Contact candidates directly through the platform for fast, efficient communication. 
• Pay-per-response model: Maximize recruitment ROI by only paying for candidates who respond. 
• Easy job import: Post jobs quickly using job feeds or CSV file imports.
• Advanced filters: Ensure a more precise match by narrowing down candidates by specialty, license, experience, and other criteria. 
• Relevant matches: Automatically received matched profiles from interested candidates.

What should you emphasize in your job posts?

When crafting job postings, consider what matters most to nurses and how they look for jobs.

Job features

Here’s what some nurses want:

• Work-life balance: Flexible scheduling options, including per diem shifts and customizable hours. 
• Compensation: Competitive pay structures with benefits like sign-on bonuses and performance incentives. 
• Growth opportunities: Career-advancing roles featuring leadership development programs, professional training, and tuition reimbursement. 
• Location: Positions close to home to support personal or professional preferences.

Use clear, direct language to convey these benefits. Overly technical or jargon-heavy descriptions can deter candidates. For more guidance, review this list of the top caregiver interview questions you should ask to refine your hiring process and select the best candidates. 

Education level

Nurses often narrow their search based on their education level to find positions aligned with their qualifications. Highlighting specific credentials in job postings makes them more relevant and appealing. 

Examples of these roles include:

• Vocational and practical nursing: Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) roles focused on foundational patient care. 
• Associate and bachelor’s degrees: Positions for Registered Nurse (RN) with credentials reflecting varying levels of experience and expertise. 
• Advanced degrees: Opportunities for Nurse Practitioners (NP), Nurse Educators, or doctoral-level professionals seeking specialized or leadership roles.

Clearly emphasizing educational requirements and advancement opportunities attracts candidates eager to grow and progress in their careers. 

Specialty areas

Many nurses seek roles within their areas of expertise or passion. Highlighting these specialties draws candidates to focused opportunities such as:

• Acute care: Positions in the ICU, ER, and critical care units requiring fast-paced, high-skill work. 
• Long-term care: Geriatric, hospice, and home health settings offering continuity of care. 
• Surgical care: Roles in operating rooms or post-anesthesia units requiring specialized surgical expertise. 
• Mental health: Psychiatric nurse positions and addiction recovery roles centered on behavioral health management. 

Promote what makes these positions stand out, like access to specialized training or cutting-edge technology.

Keywords

Nurses search for jobs using specific keywords, like “nursing jobs near me,” “travel nursing opportunities,” and “remote nursing jobs.” 

Here are some common keywords nurses search for that can improve visibility for job posts: 

Amplify recruitment with CareAcademy

Access to career-growth training has always been a desirable benefit for nurses. Agencies can offer training and upskilling by joining the CareAcademy CAREer Path Initiative.

This program offers HHA and CNA training, specialized certifications, and NAB-approved CE programs. CareAcademy customers can also offer college credits for training through a partnership with Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU).

Benefits of CareAcademy for agencies include: 

• Attracting new caregivers.
• Upskilling current employees.
• Assigning training within a user-friendly portal.
• Monitoring training and CE requirements.  

Watch our Double Your Caregivers webinar and discover how you can attract the best caregivers in your service area.