Nurse manager selection process (Part 1). Survey of selection process (Part 2)

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Human Resources in Healthcare
• Nursing Leadership

Background:

• Mergers are increasingly common in healthcare organizations.
• Limited literature exists on the human resource aspects of large-scale healthcare mergers.
• The Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre merger involved 7000 staff, including 2700 nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the nurse manager hiring process during a major healthcare merger.
• To identify and discuss challenges encountered during the selection and placement of 52 nurse managers.
• To gather feedback from applicants and interview panels on the hiring process.

Main Methods:

• A concentrated six-week hiring process for 52 nurse manager positions.
• Addressing issues such as union status, educational backgrounds, and management structures.
• A post-hiring survey of applicants and interview panel members.

Main Results:

• The hiring process for nurse managers was completed within six weeks.
• Key issues included managing diverse staff, educational requirements, and multi-site roles.
• The overall hiring process was perceived as successful, despite being stressful.

Conclusions:

• Effective human resource strategies are crucial for successful healthcare mergers.
• Addressing specific challenges in nurse manager selection is vital for organizational integration.
• Feedback mechanisms are important for refining future large-scale recruitment processes.