Nurses can add qualifications and preferences to their profiles, and set preferences for recruiters

Healthcare staffing shortages and burnout are nothing new: even before COVID: more than half of nurses were at least 50 years old, and almost 30% were age 60 and older; at the same time, nearly half of U.S. physicians were exhibiting at least one symptom of burnout. Then the pandemic hit and 300,000 healthcare workers left their jobs in 2021, a trend that continued through 2022.

It’s a bad situation for everyone involved, including the patient: fewer workers means the ones that stay are given more responsibility, which means higher burnout, and decreased quality of care. 

A number of different startups come along looking fix this problem with various different solution, but it’s the big tech companies that have the reach to potentially solve it, including LinkedIn, which announced new tools to help nurses get new jobs on Tuesday.

That includes the ability to fine tune results to better match their qualifications and preferences when searching for nursing positions on LinkedIn, as well as new job search filters for categories like Specialty, Shift, Schedule, and License. Nurses can set job preferences for each of these when turning on Open to Work on their profile, so recruiters know what they’re looking for in their next role.

In addition, LinkedIn revealed it has added more than 65 new nursing credentials and 35 new skills based on specialty that nurses can add, including pediatrics and neonatal, hospice and palliative care, and home health. As an example, an emergency room nurse might list skills such as critical and intensive care, IV therapy, collaboration, or patient advocacy. 

Finally, the company added new tools for nurses to grow their networks, with groups that they can join, including RN Network – Nursing Community or Registered Nurse Network.

The company said will be rolling out these features to members starting in the U.S.; there’s no word on when they may be available to nurses in other countries.  

“The healthcare industry has been a hiring hotspot over the past few years and more than 3 million nurses in the U.S. are using LinkedIn to grow their careers: Every minute, two nurses apply for a job as they look to land their next opportunity,” Rohan Rajiv, Product Lead on Jobseeker, Employer Brand, and Skills, at LinkedIn, wrote in the blog post.

“That’s why we’re excited to roll out new tools to help make it easier for you to land your next nursing job, keep your skills sharp and grow your professional network on LinkedIn.”