Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) are valuable members of the healthcare team who provide direct patient care and support nursing staff. In Florida, there's a very high demand for these workers, making CNA recruiting an important concern. The challenges facing Florida facilities in this area are numerous, and include a fast-growing aging population, high turnover rates for entry-level healthcare workers, and a shortage of CNAs. Florida faces an estimated shortage of 44,000 nursing assistants by 2037.
Despite these challenges, Florida facilities often don't have the option to let openings go unfilled. Florida's staffing laws for long-term care (LTC) facilities require a specific minimum CNA-to-resident ratio, and also set standards for hours of direct care per resident, per day. In other healthcare settings, CNAs are critical for safe and productive patient care.
If you're searching for the best ways to recruit CNAs in Florida, we've got you covered. We'll discuss the top places to find nursing assistants, along with tactics you can use to move potential candidates through your recruitment funnel to their first day of work. We'll also give you highly targeted strategies, like how to recruit CNA students from Florida training and test-prep programs, and how to build a graduate pipeline that actually works.
Florida CNA Recruitment Overview: Finding Fast-Track Candidates
Florida's unique requirements for CNA licensure create important CNA recruitment opportunities. In Florida, individuals can obtain CNA certification by examination if they pass a background screening and meet one of the following requirements, paired with passing the exam:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Hold a high school diploma or equivalent
- Complete a board-approved CNA training program
This means that individuals 18 and over can challenge the CNA exam without completing a formal, state-approved training program, if they wish — creating a "fast-track" option for individuals who want to quickly enter the healthcare workforce.
Individuals in this group are often seeking a way to work in healthcare while pursuing their next benchmark, such as earning an LPN or RN license. People pursuing other careers in healthcare, including physical therapy, nutrition, nursing home administration, social work, or psychology, may also take this fast-track path to join the healthcare workforce.
Where CNA Recruiters Can Tap Into the Fast-Track Candidate Pool
Motivated learners who wish to quickly enter the healthcare workforce represent a valuable CNA candidate pool that can be found through educational institutions, including:
- High schools that feature medical and nursing career programs
- Vocational high schools
- Nursing schools
- Medical schools
- Universities that offer health sciences, kinesiology, biology, or psychology courses
- Technical and vocational colleges
Finding CNA Candidates in Training Programs
If individuals don't feel confident that they can pass the CNA exam, or fail three times or more, they can take a formal, state-approved CNA training program to learn the skills required for the role. There are nearly 200 CNA training programs that have been approved by the Florida Board of Nursing, which provide great sources for CNA candidates.
Additional Sources for CNA Candidates in Florida
Not all CNAs are taking the first step toward a longer healthcare career journey — some enter the profession because it's the position they want. The nursing assistant role is hands-on and patient-facing, requiring a desire to engage and provide service. This service-minded applicant pool can be found working in:
- Professional caregiver services
- Hospitality
- Retail
- Childcare services
5 Tips for Effective CNA Recruiting in Florida
Successfully recruiting CNAs for your team will involve knowing not only where to find candidates, but also how to successfully move them through your funnel. Here are five tips that will boost your current strategy and efficiently source CNAs for your staff.
1. Target Fast-Track CNAs by Marketing Flexible Scheduling
Individuals who challenged Florida's CNA exam to efficiently enter the healthcare workforce will likely need to balance their CNA work with career development pursuits. Promote engaging recruitment materials that highlight the ways that the job's schedule can fit in with coursework.
Suggestions:
- To attract CNA workforce that's using the work as a stepping stone, pitch schedule flexibility.
- If you offer per diem shifts or other flexible scheduling options, market them to this group.
2. Collaborate With CNA Programs by Offering Clinical Hours
In Florida, state-approved CNA training programs involve approximately 120 hours of coursework, including 40 hours of clinical instruction at a healthcare facility (or multiple facilities). Consider reaching out to local CNA training programs and offer your facility as a clinical site. This will involve working with your legal department to define the terms of the arrangement.
Hosting students for clinical rotations is an excellent way to introduce them to your facility and staff, and get them excited about joining your team once they complete their program and get certified.
Suggestions:
- Learning how to recruit CNA students successfully will involve finding ways to make the clinical experience positive and sustainable for the students, their instructors, your facility, and your team.
- When done well, this can become a strong pipeline.
3. Use Bilingual CNA Recruiting Content
About 23% of Florida's population are native Spanish speakers, and in some parts of the state this is much higher. Florida CNA recruiters who use English and Spanish content can attract Spanish-speaking individuals who may otherwise overlook the opening. Providing content in both languages signals inclusiveness, which may encourage candidates to engage with the job post.
Suggestions:
- Create recruitment content that highlights the value your facility places on culturally competent care.
- Emphasize the value that bilingual CNAs bring to care teams.
4. Target Service Workers and Sell Job Satisfaction
Though the payscale difference between service work and CNA work may be minimal, providing patient care can be very meaningful. For a job seeker deciding between working at a fast-food window or nursing home, the prospect of satisfying work could tip the scales.
Suggestions:
In your recruitment materials, emphasize elements of the job that could provide satisfaction, such as:
- Becoming like family to our residents.
- Sharing a smile.
- Making a difference in patients' lives.
- Experiencing the emotional reward of connecting with patients.
- Building meaningful relationships with our nursing home residents.
- Having a positive impact on others.
5. Develop and Advertise a Nurse Shadowing Program
As an entry-level position, the CNA role attracts people interested in future clinical roles. Attract attention from people with interest in healthcare by offering nurse shadowing opportunities at your facility. This is a productive way to recruit those interested in a career in nursing, who need stepping stones to get there — which CNA work certainly provides.
Suggestions:
- Be ready to share about how CNA work fits in with career development, and any ways that your organization facilitates progress (such as tuition reimbursement).
- Consider marketing a shadow program on your website, at local schools, and through social media.
Connect With Highly Matched CNAs for Your Care Team
Facing the challenges involved in CNA recruiting in Florida can be daunting, especially if your facility is facing an urgent shortage — but you're not alone. Find out how we can help you reach qualified CNAs who are actively seeking their next job.