"Nurses Night Out:" Essentia’s nontraditional way to recruit RNs

RNs are in high demand. So Thursday night, Essentia Health threw a nontraditional recruiting event: Nurses Night Out.

"Our goal is to do something different for nurses. We didn’t want to call it a typical recruitment event because it’s not a recruitment event," Warren Little with Essentia’s Magnet Special Forces said. "A fun event, but if you want a job, we’re going to give you a job tonight too."

There were casino games, a photo booth, snacks, and nurses on hand to answer questions.

They wanted to bring in current nursing students, new graduates, and even nurses looking to make a career change.

"Nursing is probably the most rewarding profession that there is," Clinical Nurse Specialist Ellen Dyer said. "I think just being able to make a patient smile or help a family member out is really what nursing is all about."

The career page on Essentia’s website shows dozens of open RN jobs in the Duluth area. Little said they plan to host more events like this in the future, especially as the Vision Northland project nears completion. e