Nursing Draft Day

There is a nationwide shortage for nurses, so recruiting is very challenging. Chesapeake Regional Healthcare (CRH) has done “typical recruiting events”, like virtual interviews, restaurant socials, and more. As a smaller health system, we can’t compete solely on salary, so we need to draw recruits in with our welcoming and supportive culture. A nurse leader suggested “Nursing Draft Day” – invite local nursing students to visit our campus, interview with nursing units, and – if accepted – be offered a job on the spot for post-graduation.

Pulling together our team: Nursing Leadership, 11 Nursing Units, HR, Marketing and Facilities, we set out to hold the best recruiting events in the area. Drafts were themed as either football or basketball.

The day/s began with details about working at CRH. Attendees marked their “Top 3” units on a checklist. Leaders interviewed their selectees to determine skill set, work ethic, and personality fit. Once the Draft began, leaders selected an eligible nurse to join their unit. To promote a positive environment, draftees were called in random order.

We transformed our boring conference rooms into epic stadium environments, including crowds and sports backdrops, an elevated stage (with green turf for football!), giveaways and games. CRH teammates wore custom event jerseys.

The Draft was promoted in the students’ classrooms, on local media, and on social as an “exclusive” event to build hype. Media was invited, with two in attendance each event day. Post-events, we received key coverage from Yahoo! News and the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA), reaching 102,000,000+ and an Advertising Value Equivalent of $942,000 - broadcast, social and podcast.

#1 – Football
30 – Attended
26 – Offers Made
9 – Accepted
$10,000 – Total Budget
~$1,100 – Cost/new hire

#2 - Basketball
50 – Attended
38 – Offers Made
28 – Accepted
$5,000 – Total Budget
~$178.57 – Cost/new hire

Average cost per new hire - $405.41!

It costs on average $2,167 for recruitment.1 We spent 81% less for recruiting and quickly filled some much-needed positions!


1 Burns, Martin. (2022, January 27). Recruiting Time-to-Fill and Costs Spiking in Healthcare. RecruitingNewsNetwork.com.