Visual Media   More NurseWeek Features   Smoke-Free Zone   Nurses and patients tackle nicotine addiction   Bloodless Survival     Surgical techniques to use when transfusion drops out of the equation   Finding the perfect nursing job requires a little detective work first, health care recruiters say. From left: Cindy Fife, RN, senior nurse recruiter, St. Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri Mary Jane Brecklin, RN, coordinator for recruitment and retention services, St. Louis-based SSM Health Care Marilyn Stewart, manager of human resources and operations, Saint Anthony’s Health Center in Alton, Ill., and president of the St. Louis Area Health Care Recruiters

Sherlock Holmes, RN? Sam Spade, RN? Magnum, P.I., RN? No, they weren’t really nurses, but with their skills they probably could find work in the nursing field that would make them happy. Why? Finding the perfect nursing job requires a little detective work first, health care recruiters say. Nurses who investigate their desires and strengths and who prowl the market stand a much better chance of getting where they want to go in the wide field of nursing.

And it is a wide field, said Cindy Fife, RN, MSN, a senior nurse recruiter at St. Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri.

“I never would have thought I would be sitting in a recruiter position when I went into nursing,” said Fife, who now is the North Central regional chair of the National Association for Health Care Recruitment. “That’s the neat thing about nursing — there are so many pathways you can take within the field.”

Keep an open mind

The best way to figure out which job you will love is to make the most of your education and clinical experience, Fife said. Because goals can change, entering each class or clinical rotation with an open and enthusiastic mind not only helps a student choose a career path, but also impresses employers and instructors.

“It needs to be a win-win situation for everyone,” Fife said. Staying committed and focused to a clinical track, even if it doesn’t seem like the perfect role, may reveal elements of nursing you didn’t know about and actually like. No matter what, a hardworking nursing student leaves a good impression with supervisors, which means positive recommendations down the line.

Furthermore, if a clinical experience does not interest you professionally, you may find resources, including mentors, that will help you figure out where you want to go. Fife said finding a mentor is one of the best things an inexperienced nurse can do.

“If you can connect with a mentor, that can give you opportunities you need to go in [the] direction you want,” she said.

Fife advises everyone from high school graduates interested in nursing careers to experienced nurses to contact community hospitals and ask to shadow nurses on units that sound interesting. Shadowing is a great opportunity to see life on a unit and provides the chance to ask questions about the best and worst aspects of a particular job.

What works for you?

Now that you’ve looked outward, it’s time to focus some attention inward because recruiters agree that knowing the ins and outs of a particular field is not enough.

Those searching for nursing positions should review their past work experiences and pick elements of each job that satisfied and frustrated them, said Christina Purcell, RN, BSN, manager of nurse recruitment and retention at Elmhurst (Ill.) Memorial Hospital.

“Someone gave me advice once,” said Purcell, past president of the Chicago Area Healthcare Recruiters.

“Think about those times in your career when you really wanted to get up and go to work.”

When Purcell interviews nurses for new roles, she asks them what they are looking for in the new position that they didn’t have in previous jobs, as well as what they liked and didn’t like about their old jobs. Don’t stop investigating once you’ve examined all the jobs you’ve held in the health care industry. Looking at other work experience you’ve had can yield important information about what makes you tick.

“I’m a nurse, and I approach things as an assessment: Let’s find out what’s important to you and what you want to do with your career,” Purcell said.