Filling much needed positions
Increase and improve recruitment efforts
Recruiting
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an average of 800 job openings across our health care partners at any given time. That number rose to 1500 open positions in September 2021 and peaked in September 2022 at around 2200. Since September, it has dropped to around 2000.
The persistently high volume has stretched our recruiters, often requiring them to shoulder more than double the optimum workload. But the UVM Health Network’s new centralized talent acquisition function is making it easier for them to attract, engage, and recruit high quality and diverse candidates.
To meet this challenge, we have evaluated our recruitment programs to innovate and strengthen these efforts.
Increase Graduate Nurse hires
We are working to increase the volume of Graduate Nurses we hire by partnering with local and regional schools. The Network has two full-time staff members devoted to recruiting candidates who fit this profile.
Historically, we hire 110-115 Graduate nurses at UVMMC annually. To date in 2022, we have hired:
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160 Graduate Nurses at UVMMC, with a target of 185-200 hires for 2023.
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At CVPH, we are also aiming to hire 50 Graduate Nurses in 2023.
Investment in employee housing and child care
To recruit and retain the workforce we need and reduce our reliance on expensive temporary workers, the UVM Health Network is taking a bold, new step by investing in two housing complexes for our employees, one of which will contain a child care center. While the two initial projects will be built in South Burlington, similar projects are being explored in our other service areas in Vermont and northern New York.
The first south burlington project will consist of
61 apartments.
The second south burlington project will consist of
120 apartments PLUS a child care center for 75 children.
See how these projects can make a difference:
We don’t just want more applicants, we want to attract the strongest candidates. We’re making this a great place to work by offering:
Competitive wages and bonuses
We are analyzing compensation for positions across the Network so they are competitive in the labor market. Additionally, we are offering sign-on bonuses for many roles at this time. As part of this effort, we successfully increased wages for nurses at the UVM Medical Center, Porter Medical Center, Central Vermont Medical Center, Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, and Elizabethtown Community Hospital.
Remote and hybrid work opportunities
We are putting into place a more flexible approach to work that creates opportunities for us to staff some positions differently. For some roles, we are offering hybrid work and moving some functions to remote off-site work.
Diverse and inclusive environments
We strive to create an inclusive, welcoming workplace that fosters a sense of belonging. We continue to support this effort by hiring our first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the UVM Health Network.
Improving our technological reach
We continue to find new ways to reach potential employees. In service of this goal, we have built a UVM Health Network Careers website that includes a list of job openings across health care partners, information about benefits, resources for training and career advancement, and an overview of the culture at our organization and in our region.