First Warn On-Line: Breaking News and Weather Alerts to Your Desktop!
Home  ·   News  ·   Morning Show  ·   Weather  ·   Sports  ·   Entertainment  ·   Health  ·   Schools  ·   Scitech  ·   Agriculture  ·   Send it to 7  ·   Green  ·   DTV  ·   Money
WSAW · Program Guide · Blog Center · Jobs · Community · Contests/Promotions · Creative Services · Sales · World · Featured Links · Obituaries · Golf · Cars
NewsChannel 7 on Twitter
    Live Eye Image

    Online Poll
    Will you be going to any fireworks shows this 4th of July weekend?

    Yes
    No
    Maybe


    About Us
    Company Info
    Career Opportunities
    NewsChannel 7 Bios
    Order a copy of a story or newscast

    WSAW-TV
    1114 Grand Ave.
    Wausau, WI 54403

    Phone: (715) 845-4211
    Newsroom: (715) 845-0077

    More
    Aspirus Hospital In Wausau Is Stepping Up Their Nursing Recruitment Efforts Save Email Print
    Posted: 7:35 PM Jan 12, 2009
    Last Updated: 11:31 PM Jan 12, 2009
    Reporter: Margo Spann
    Email Address: margo.spann@wsaw.com


    A | A | A

    Aspirus Hospital in Wausau is stepping up it's recruitment efforts to bring more nurses to our area.

    In a 2007 report... the US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates we need more than one million new nurses by 2016.

    Julie Reimer, the Nursing Recruitment and Retention Coordinator for Aspirus Hospital says hospitals in other states with a greater need may offer signing bonuses but Aspirus is looking for experienced nurses rather than recent graduates.

    Aspirus doesn't offer signing bonuses... but it has a 10 week summer internship program, where nursing students are paired with a mentor.

    "They are exposed to the hospital working with a preceptor [or mentor] and get the hands on experience so when they graduate they go back their final year more confident," says Reimer.

    She says they are also turning to the Internet to increase the applicant pool.

    Reimer says they've increased their Internet advertising about 30 percent during the last year.

    She says they are offer a Nurse Residency Program for new nurses that get hired and a 10 week Summer Internship Program for nursing students.

    Reimer says the best way to get their message and information about their programs to qualified candidates, was through the Internet.

    "We are focusing on the Internet and getting our ad and info out there more Internet based than before and we are not offering any bonuses at this time."

    Reimer says Aspirus' recruitment and retention programs are paying off for them as well as nurses.

    60 to 70% of the interns who complete their Internship program are hired after they graduate from school.

    Reimer also says about 91 percent of their new nurses stay at least 18 months compared to the national averages where 30 to 60 percent of new grads leave their first job in 1 to 3 years.

    More Stories
    Wisconsin Legislature has Yet to Act on Drunken Driving

    UW-Eau Claire Working to Attract Low-Income Kids

    Stevens Point Celebrates Holiday with 4th of July Parade

    American Legion Withraws From Downtown Celebration

    Wisconsin Fireworks Store Stops Selling Offensive Fireworks

    Karaoke Contest Draws Big Crowds at Riverfront Rendezvous

    Wausau Celebrates Fourth of July in Style

    The Meaning of The Fourth

    Post Your Comments
    First Name:
    Location:
    Enter Comments: characters left
    Email (optional):
    By posting this comment I have read and agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy:
    You must agree to the Terms of Service to continue.
    Read Comments
    Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.
    Posted by: oleb Location: Wausau on Jan 13, 2009 at 09:10 AM
    Kudos to Aspirus in recognizing the potential gain in Ministrie's recent decision to place a hold on all employee wage adjustments and raises. The decision for Aspirus to seek experienced Registered Nurses is a wise one considering that Ministry has spent the past year training newly graduated RN's. These now experienced RN's should be at the point of potentially returning Ministrie's investment to them. Though contracted for a wage adjustment after one year, these individuals are included in the mandatory wage freeze. Aspirus stands to reap the benefits of Ministrie's possible mistake by gaining experienced Nurses that may have other wise stayed to support the facility that trained them. This has forced Ministry into the position of hiring New Grads and has also caused Ministry to require RN's with less than one years experience to "Proctor" these new grads. Aspirus seems to show the kind of management that recognizes potential in the workforce market and should be commended for it.

    AP Online Video
    Send it to 7