When you’re applying for a nursing job, there are some things you need to watch out for, which I would call red flags.
If you notice any of these, for some it does mean you should run as fast as you can and find something else.
However, for many, it doesn’t necessarily mean you should run away, but rather it should prompt you to seek more information and ask more questions.
Red Flags to Look For in a Nursing Job
The first one I’m going to start off with may surprise you because it seems like a good thing, but it can lead to a lot of headaches.
1. Huge Sign-On Bonuses
When you apply for a position or see one offering a huge sign-on bonus, it can be enticing. In some ways, sign-on bonuses, especially in nursing, can provide stability.
They can lock staff into a position, which, of course, would decrease turnover and increase stability.
And if it’s a place you actually want to be at a sign-on bonus is pretty nice and is essentially like gravy on top. You get to be at a place you want, and you get more money.
However, this can be a red flag when the sign-on bonus is significantly larger than what you would typically expect.
You might wonder why that is a concern; after all, more money seems like a good deal. The reason it raises a red flag is that companies aren’t offering extra money out of goodwill.
A huge sign-on bonus usually indicates that there’s a reason for it—often, it might mean there’s something undesirable about the position that necessitates such a large incentive.
I’ve discussed nursing sign-on bonuses in previous videos and articles, but overall, you need to examine sign-on bonuses carefully.
A sign-on bonus could complicate your life, as once you sign it and get the money, it might make it harder for you to leave without consequences.
2. Poor Benefits
Another red flag would be poor benefits. This encompasses a lot of different things.
I’ve said before on numerous occasions, you’re not working as a charity. You’re not working for free. Healthcare in the US is a business.
Everyone else is thinking about money and the benefits they’re receiving, and so honestly, you have to be thinking like that too.
You have a family to take care of, dependents, and whatnot, so you just have to be in that right mindset.
Poor benefits can often indicate that companies either do not value their staff or are trying to cut corners. Poor benefits could be all-encompassing.
It could mean health insurance that’s terrible, pay that just sucks, or a retirement plan that’s not very good.
Another deceptive aspect could be benefits that take an unusually long time to access, which seems kind of weird.
Benefits Are Only valuable If You Actually Use It!
And while I’m on this, I just want to touch on an important point. Benefits are only valuable if you can actually use them.
Companies will try to throw all sorts of things into your compensation package, but it doesn’t matter if you’re not going to use them.
3. High Staff Turnover
Another big red flag is when you’re coming into a department, unit, facility, or hospital system with high staff turnover.
Now, let me clarify something here.
When I say “high staff turnover,” I’m not just talking about nursing turnover. I know this is a nursing website, and I’m a nurse, so you might think that’s what I mean.
But no, I’m talking about all staff turnover, and there’s a reason for that.
Look, it’s a given that high nursing turnover is a massive red flag. If a place is constantly hiring and burning through nurses like there’s no tomorrow, with a revolving door of staff coming and going, that’s obviously a nightmare situation.
I hope I don’t need to tell you that working for a company like that is going to be miserable.
But what I don’t hear many people talk about is high turnover among other staff members.
As a nurse, you’re like a middleman (or woman) to all these other multidisciplinary groups.
If there’s high turnover in any of these groups you’re dealing with, it can make your life absolutely miserable.
I’ve seen this happen with custodial staff, for instance. When they’re constantly changing, things don’t get cleaned properly.
Can you imagine working in a medical facility where cleanliness is compromised? It’s not just difficult; it’s downright disgusting and potentially dangerous.
Another big thing I look for in terms of consistency is what nursing school would call “unlicensed assistive personnel” – your nurse aides, techs, medical assistants, and other staff that you as a nurse will be relying on heavily.
Based on my experience, high turnover in these positions is probably the hardest to deal with.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: a good nurse aide can make your life as a nurse so much easier.
So when there’s constant turnover in these positions, it just makes life absolutely miserable.
4. New Hire Orientation That is Poor or Non-Existent
The next red flag to watch out for is when the new hire orientation is poor, inadequate, or non-existent.
This applies to all nurses, not just new graduates, though let’s start with them for a moment.
Any employer hiring a new grad nurse knows that extra training and hand-holding will be necessary. It’s just the nature of the job.
If you’re a new grad, you need to be asking specific questions about the orientation process:
- Do you have a new hire orientation?
- What are the expectations?
- How long is the orientation?
- Who will I be working with?
- How is the orientation structured?
They should be able to give you clear, detailed answers that make sense.
For example, if the typical orientation for that position is three months, but they’re only offering a couple of weeks or a month, that’s a red flag that warrants further investigation.
Even if you’re an experienced nurse coming to a new unit or department, whether it’s in a specialty you’ve worked in before or one that’s entirely new to you, there’s going to be a learning curve.
Of course, your learning curve as an experienced nurse will be different from a brand new nurse, but you should still receive a reasonable orientation compared to what’s standard for that specialty.
5. Poor Reputation
Another significant red flag is working for a place with a poor reputation.
If nurses are consistently complaining about a particular workplace, there’s probably a good reason for it.
And to be clear when I say poor reputation, I’m not talking about isolated incidents where one or two people have negative experiences.
I’m referring to scenarios where it’s commonly known in your area that a certain place is terrible to work at.
If a place has a bad reputation, it’s usually for a reason. You’ve been warned, essentially.
This doesn’t mean you should automatically rule out working there, but it does mean you should proceed with caution and do your due diligence.
It’s worth trying to talk to more people about it, especially if you can find someone who has worked there recently. Sometimes, a reputation can linger even after problems have been resolved.
This is a legitimate concern, which is why I still think you should take note of a poor reputation, but it also warrants further investigation.
In these cases, it’s important to:
- Seek out multiple opinions, not just one or two.
- Try to find recent experiences, not just old stories.
- Look for patterns in the complaints or issues raised.
- Consider if the issues mentioned are deal-breakers for you personally.
- If possible, speak to current employees to get a sense of the present work environment.
6. No Opportunity to Job Shadow
Another red flag to keep in mind is when an employer won’t allow you to shadow or doesn’t offer the opportunity to do so.
This can manifest in different ways, such as a manager who won’t take you around the facility during the hiring process, show you the unit, or let you talk to some of the current staff.
I’m always skeptical of a manager who doesn’t offer this opportunity because it might indicate that they’re trying to hide something about the work environment.
This is especially true since if done right this actually benefits the employer as well not just the applicant.
Here’s how
For you, the potential employee:
- You can see what a typical day is like
- You can assess if this is really what you want
- You can observe the personality of the staff, the camaraderie, and physician-nurse interactions
- You can determine if you feel comfortable in that environment
For the hiring manager:
- They can see how comfortable you are in the environment
- It saves time in the long run by ensuring a good fit before hiring
- They can get feedback from current staff about you
Usually, after a potential new hire shadows or visits, managers will ask current staff for their impressions.
Current staff might pick up on things or have conversations with you that the hiring manager wouldn’t see or hear.
This gives them valuable insight into whether you’d be a good fit.
So, if they’re not eager to let you shadow or see the unit in action, it could be because they have something to hide.
They might not want you to see what it’s really like because that could potentially scare you away. This reluctance is definitely a reason to be cautious and perhaps ask more questions.
7. High Ratio of Non-Full Time Nurses
This next red flag might be a bit controversial depending on your background and current situation, but I consider it a big red flag if there is a high ratio of non-full-time nurses.
By this, I mean if there are more per-diem, contract, travel, or part-time nurses than full-time nurses.
To be clear, this information might be hard to uncover, but if you do find out that there’s a high number of non-full-time nurses, I think that’s a red flag for several reasons.
Firstly, companies generally prefer full-time staff because, even with benefits, full-time employees are often cheaper than contract staff.
Contract staffing can be expensive due to the constant onboarding of new people, and it’s generally cheaper in the long run to train employees who stay long-term.
Moreover, for staffing consistency, companies usually want full-time staff. For all those reasons it begs the question If they don’t have full-time staff.
Why is that?
Is there something wrong with the unit or department that causes a constant turnover of new hires?
Secondly, based on my experience, non-full-time workers generally don’t care as much about their workplace compared to full-time staff.
This isn’t meant to condemn all non-full-time workers, but typically, if a job is your full-time gig and you’re there 40 hours a week, you tend to treat the workplace and your colleagues differently.
You have a vested interest in taking care of the environment and being cordial with everyone because you know you’ll be working with them regularly.
It’s almost like a second home, and you’re more likely to take ownership of your work environment.
In contrast, contract and part-time staff may not hold the same level of regard for the workplace. They might not necessarily treat it poorly, but they don’t take as much ownership.
For example, if you’re on an 8- or 12-week contract and know you’ll be moving on soon, your level of investment is different.
Similarly, if you have a full-time job elsewhere and only work two or three shifts a month at this place, it doesn’t feel like your “work home.”
8. Management that Constantly Uses the Phrase “We Are a Family Here”
Another red flag is when a company frequently uses the phrase “we are a family here.”
This phrase makes me uncomfortable and somewhat annoyed because, in my experience, it’s often a way to convince employees to give a greater degree of devotion to the company than the company is willing to reciprocate.
I remember reading a Reddit poster once that said it best but think about the notion of a family. You’re willing to give a lot to your family without expecting anything in return.
If a family member is hurt, you drop what you’re doing to help them. If they’re in dire straits, you give them what you can.
You don’t value your family based on what they give you in return, and you certainly don’t leave your family for another because they have more to offer.
This is where I start to get uncomfortable because companies using the “family” slogan often try to convince you to work long hours, weekends, or extra shifts with little notice and to care more about being at work than about the compensation you receive.
However, in my experience, this sentiment is rarely reciprocated by the employer.
Employers generally do not treat employees as family. If a family member is sick, you don’t tell them they’re letting everyone down and dock their pay.
If a family isn’t making enough money, it doesn’t start cutting members out, akin to companies laying people off.
For example, I’ve seen companies lay off employees who were doing good jobs simply due to financial situations, often without any heads-up.
One day, you show up, and you’re told you no longer have a job.
Moreover, if a family member has personal problems, the family doesn’t fire them and replace them with someone else; instead, they support them through their issues.
The “family” slogan in the workplace often seems like a one-sided tactic to encourage employees to give more of themselves without any real commitment from the employer.
It feels more like an exploitation of the emotional connection and loyalty associated with family, without offering the same level of support and security in return.
And some of you might feel differently, and for good reason.
There are exceptions to this rule, so if you have a different perspective, please share it in the comments. However, based on my experience and the stories I’ve heard from other nurses, the work environment feels different.
Unlike a normal family, your relationship in this context is transactional. You do your job, and you get paid for it. If you stop performing your job, you’re replaced by someone who can.
I’m not even suggesting that this transactional relationship is inherently bad. I’m just wary of anyone who claims that it isn’t a transactional relationship.
9. Vague Responsibilities or Unrealistic Expectations
The second to last red flag I want to point out is encountering vague responsibilities or unrealistic expectations.
During the interview process, if you ask about your responsibilities and duties and receive vague responses, that’s a significant red flag.
You should have clear and specific answers about what your job entails and what is expected of you.
In nursing, unlike some other professions, you might not have a rigid contract outlining every detail of your role.
However, it’s still crucial to have clarity on your job duties and expectations.
If the responses are vague, it’s a warning sign that the employer might not have a clear structure or could be setting you up for unrealistic expectations.
Clear job duties and realistic expectations are essential because they allow you to gauge whether the role is manageable and if it aligns with your skills and career goals.
Companies that provide vague descriptions might be those that hire quickly, burn out their staff, and then repeat the cycle.
10. Your Gut Tells You Something is Wrong
The final red flag I want to discuss is when your gut tells you something is wrong.
This might sound vague and not very concrete, but it’s essential to pay attention to your instincts.
As you go through the hiring process—whether you’re on a tour, talking to a recruiter, or meeting with a hiring manager—sometimes you’ll get a feeling that something is off.
This feeling can be hard to quantify.
Maybe the nurse manager’s answers seem vague, or something about their demeanor feels insincere.
Perhaps as you walk around the facility, there’s a vibe from the staff that makes you uncomfortable. Your gut might be picking up on subtle cues that something isn’t quite right or genuine.
If you have a strong history of your gut feelings being accurate, it’s worth considering this instinct seriously.
It might not necessarily mean you should turn down the position outright, but it should prompt you to ask more questions and dig deeper to ensure you understand fully what you’re getting into.
Don’t Let Your Enthusiasm Cloud Your Judgment
With all that said, I just want to remind you not to let your enthusiasm about a job cloud your judgment.
Don’t be so eager for a position that you overlook these red flags.
It’s important to ask questions during the interview process and investigate the unit culture if possible.
Inquire about team dynamics, support systems, and how communication works within the unit. Be observant during the interview process for any red flags.
If you get a chance to tour the facility, definitely take it and pay attention to what you see.
Observe how the nurses interact with one another, as well as with other staff members like the ancillary staff and techs.
Notice the interactions with physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. What is the overall vibe of the unit? Try to pay attention to these things.
While most of the red flags I mentioned might not be complete deal breakers, they should at least prompt you to ask more questions and flesh out more details.
