I’ve been a nurse for almost 27 years and have spent the past 20 of those years in recruitment. From the employer side, I can say that hospitals and other facilities have very little flexibility in what they’re able to pay you—especially if they’re unionized.

Corporations, agencies and specialty clinics may be more flexible and may be willing to pay more for hard-to-fill positions. In most cases, though, your pay will be determined by a set salary scale based on experience and education.

However, getting “more” doesn’t always have to mean more money. I’ll give you a few suggestions here to help you get more from your nursing career. Once you really focus on it, you’ll come up with many ideas on your own.

• DO: Be determined to learn! Enroll in continuing education in a specialty area you’re potentially interested in working in. On the job, ask your supervisor for different assignments. Or pursue an advanced degree.
• DO: Lead the way! Join or form committees to help make changes in your workplace.
• DO: Explore! If you really need a change, think about moving to a new arena. Nursing offers so many choices! You can work in acute care at a large urban teaching center, a small community hospital or a rural clinic. Offices, corporations, ambulatory care facilities, educational institutions and independent practices are among the many settings from which you can choose.
• DON’T: Complain! Not to be cliché, but personal satisfaction really counts. Do you still wake up in the morning and like what you do? If not, then do something about it besides complain to your family and friends!

If it’s really more money that you want, your options may include:

• DO: Work overtime, work an off shift for the differential or put in extra weekends.
• DO: Take steps to move up the clinical ladder at your hospital (if they offer a clinical ladder).
• DO: Seek a position at a facility where your specialty is in greater demand.

Like most of us, I could always use a raise. But I didn’t go into nursing for the money. Although I knew early on that other careers would pay much more, I stuck to nursing all these years. Sometimes it’s easy to forget the real reasons why we became nurses in the first place.

The one thing I can say at the end of the day is “I am making a difference in someone’s life.” When you consider that, my fellow nurse, you may decide that you’re already receiving more than you could ever get anywhere else.

As time went on, however, I began to realize that the difference I was making was only happening to a select group of assigned patients. I did some research and determined that nursing recruitment was the most effective way to make changes in many patients’ lives, not just the few I was assigned to. After all, I would be hiring the best qualified nurses and steering them into different areas in hospitals and health care facilities. So, in 1988, I decided to expand my reach by becoming a nurse recruiter.

What a wonderful thing it is to fit the right nurse into the right position. At the UMDNJ-School of Nursing, I’m working with potential nurses as well as nurses who want to advance their education. I’m fighting the nursing shortage in my own way.

When I meet with people who are considering a nursing career, I talk with them and help them determine their “fit” into the profession. Potential students aren’t always aware of all the different practice areas in nursing. For example, a former school teacher assumed that upon becoming a nurse he would practice in medial surgical nursing. After talking with me, he realized that he would be a perfect fit for a pediatric specialty clinic dealing with abused children. His teaching experience helped him relate to young children, and he had come from a troubled neighborhood himself. As a nurse, this gentleman will draw on his personal experience, education and skills to be a great asset to that clinic.

So, whether I’m recruiting a potential employee or potential student into our school of nursing, my actions will ultimately touch the lives of many patients. I love nursing and all it has to offer because we can make a difference each and every day. Not every profession can say that!

What can you do about the nursing shortage?
As a nursing student recruiter, I have the privilege of “replacing myself” on a daily basis. It’s my job. However, as a nurse on the frontlines of health care, you can also take an active role in building our profession.

• If you love what you do, tell others. Become a nursing ambassador. Tell your friends and relatives about the many career choices available in nursing. Remind them that nurses will always be in demand—a great incentive in today’s economic climate.
• Become active in a nursing association. State and local organizations can use your help to advocate for our discipline.
• Join a nursing faculty. With a master’s degree in nursing and clinical experience, you can share your expertise as an instructor. A doctoral degree gets you on track to a tenured position. Nursing schools across the country are adding offerings like UMDNJ’s master’s degree in nursing education, which prepares nurses to teach at colleges and universities.

Now, it’s your turn. Let’s see how many times you can replace yourself. And tell us about your successes…you may be a future Scrubs magazine star in our series about nurses who inspire others to enter the field.