How to Become a Headhunter for Nurses
Career News November 24, 2013Nursing is a very large field, and one that requires specialized individuals to fill roles within hospitals, clinics, institutions and other locations. Because of this, there is a job that many people may not realize actually exists—headhunters for nurses.
A headhunter, in the traditional corporate sense, is a person who searches for suitable candidates to fill business positions. This is something that can easily translate into a place in the medical field. Essentially a nursing headhunter would be someone who tries to fill these positions that require specialized training or certain types of experience. A nursing headhunter can be a major boon to the human resources department of a hospital or other medical practice.
For the most part, a nursing headhunter will be in charge of finding applicants for specialized positions, rather than general charge nurses. However, this will vary from location to location and may shift over time.
One of the reasons that the need for nursing headhunters has grown is due to what is known as a worldwide nursing shortage. Essentially, positions in nursing are growing at a more rapid rate than educated nurses are becoming available to fill them.
What is a Nursing Headhunter Position Like?
It is impossible to document what this position would cover since it will vary from practice to practice. However, in many cases a nursing headhunter position involves quite a bit of travel. It may be that the headhunter visits various nursing schools to talk about possible positions with students at the school itself. A nursing headhunter spends the majority of the workday communicating with potential employees and employers to help match up candidates.
Working with a Headhunter
If you are a nurse who is having trouble finding a job that matches your unique skill set, you may consider contacting a headhunting agency directly to put yourself on the radar. While headhunters are often able to scout out nurses they need, it does not hurt to put your name out there and perhaps get yourself the consideration you need for certain positions.
How to Become a Headhunter for Nurses
If you are interested in pursuing a career as a nursing headhunter, you will often want to talk with someone in the field. Another headhunter, or even someone who works in human resources for a large hospital or medical group can help you decide if this is something that would work for you. This is one of those positions where there is not a clear line from A to B for those interested in achieving this position. Often a headhunter will be someone who has worked as a nurse and later gotten further schooling in business and maybe then worked in an administrative capacity for a hospital or medical practice.
Becoming a nurse headhunter is a lofty goal, but one that is possible to achieve with hard work and effort. Learn more about the position and find out if there is a need in your area. You may find this is a rewarding position that allows you to improve healthcare for many, without ever working directly with patients.
