Hiring guide
How to Hire a Nurse
Hiring a nurse: choose RN, LPN or nurse practitioner, verify the licence, source through nursing boards, run a clinical scenario and spot red flags.
The short answer
Hiring a Nurse comes down to verifying an active, unrestricted licence for the state or country where they will practise, patient assessment and early recognition of deterioration and safe medication administration, including high-alert drugs and the rights of medication administration before you commit interview time. The process below runs 5 stages, screens on evidence rather than résumé claims, and scores every candidate against the same criteria.
- Watch for: Licence lapsed, restricted or under discipline, or a reluctance to let you verify it
- Watch for: Gaps in employment they cannot or will not explain
- Score on: Correct prioritisation in the clinical scenario
- Score on: Recognises when to escalate and to whom
Paste your Nurse job description; Cohesyve finds, contacts and tests candidates on the real work and ranks them. Ten candidates free, no card.
Applying for a role like this? Practise the assessment free →Before you hire a nurse, decide which kind of nurse the work legally needs: a registered nurse (RN), a licensed practical or vocational nurse (LPN/LVN) or a nurse practitioner, because each has a different licence and scope of practice. Get that wrong and you either pay for skills you do not use or hire someone who cannot lawfully do the job. This guide covers choosing the right level, verifying licences, where to source and how to test clinical judgement before you make an offer.
Why this role matters
Nurses are the people patients see most. They assess, give medication, spot deterioration early, educate patients and families and coordinate with doctors and therapists. A careful nurse catches a medication error or a change in a patient's condition before it becomes harm. A poor fit creates safety risk, regulatory exposure for your organisation and extra load on the rest of the shift, which in turn drives turnover.
Where to find candidates
- Nursing school career offices and clinical placement partners, for new graduates who passed the NCLEX
- Nursing job boards such as Nurse.com, Health eCareers, Vivian Health and Incredible Health
- Specialty associations such as AACN for critical care, and ANA state affiliates
- Staff referrals from your current nurses, who know who is safe and reliable
- Travel and per diem nurses who have already worked shifts at your site
- In the UK, NHS Jobs and the RCN; in India, nursing colleges and state nursing council networks
- Licensed staffing agencies when you need cover while you recruit permanently
Skills to look for
Red flags
- Licence lapsed, restricted or under discipline, or a reluctance to let you verify it
- Gaps in employment they cannot or will not explain
- Describes skipping checks to save time as normal practice
- Blames colleagues or patients for every incident they mention
- Cannot describe a time they escalated a concern about a patient
- Applies for a role whose tasks fall outside their licence level
The interview process
- 1
Licence and eligibility check
Verify the licence through Nursys or the state board in the US, the NMC register in the UK or the relevant nursing council elsewhere. Confirm the licence level matches the role and check any multistate privilege under the Nurse Licensure Compact.
- 2
Phone screen
Confirm shift pattern, unit type, specialty experience and certifications. Ask what patient load they managed in recent roles and which EHR they used.
- 3
Clinical scenario
Give a short written assignment of four patients with vitals, medications and new results, one of whom is quietly deteriorating. Ask them to prioritise the shift, say who they see first and what they escalate. A job simulation of the real work is one option for running the same scenario with every candidate.
- 4
Behavioural panel with the nurse manager and a charge nurse
Ask about a medication error they caught, a disagreement with a doctor about a care plan and a time they supported a distressed family.
- 5
Unit shadow and references
Where possible, invite them to see the unit for a short period and meet the team. Take references from a recent clinical supervisor, not only a colleague.
Cohesyve
Start the Nurse interviews from a ranked shortlist
Cohesyve takes your Nurse job description, finds and contacts candidates and tests each one on an AI job simulation of the job, so the stages above start with people who have already done the work. Ten candidates free, no card.
How to evaluate
- Correct prioritisation in the clinical scenario
- Recognises when to escalate and to whom
- Medication safety and knowledge of high-alert drugs
- Clear handover and documentation habits
- Fit between their licence, specialty experience and the unit
- Calm, respectful communication with patients and the wider team
Onboarding
- 1Assign a named preceptor for the orientation period and protect their time
- 2Use a skills competency checklist for your unit and sign items off as they are shown
- 3Train on your EHR, medication dispensing cabinets and escalation pathways before independent shifts
- 4Start with a lighter assignment and build to a full load
- 5Hold regular check-ins with the nurse manager through orientation
Common questions
What is the difference between an RN and an LPN?
An RN has a broader scope that includes comprehensive assessment, care planning and supervision of others. An LPN or LVN provides care within a narrower scope set by state law, often under RN or physician direction. Check your state's nurse practice act before deciding which you need.
How do I verify a nurse's licence?
In the US, use Nursys or the state board of nursing's lookup. In the UK, search the NMC register. Elsewhere, check with the relevant nursing council, and keep a record of the check in the personnel file.
Can a nurse licensed in one state work in another?
If both states belong to the Nurse Licensure Compact and the nurse holds a multistate licence, yes. Otherwise they need a licence in the state where the patient is located.
Should I hire a new graduate nurse?
New graduates can do well if you have a structured residency or preceptorship. If you cannot support one, prioritise nurses with experience in your specialty.
Cohesyve · Skill assessments for hiring
Hiring a Nurse? Start with a ranked shortlist
Cohesyve takes your Nurse job description, finds candidates, reaches out to them and runs an AI job simulation of the real work, then ranks them for you.
1,500+
assessments completed
50%
faster time-to-hire
5 min
from JD to assessment
No credit card · 10 free candidates · Plans sized to your hiring volume
From the blog