Your best internal candidates are getting screened out for telling the truth.
A nurse with four strong years asks to move specialties. You ask why she is leaving her current unit. She answers honestly: the ratios, the schedule that changed three times in a year, the night she had nine patients and no tech.
Every word accurate. And somebody writes “running from, not running toward” on the sheet.
I spent twenty years on the hiring side and I have watched this cost good nurses jobs they would have been excellent at, while the candidate who said “I’m ready for a new challenge,” which means nothing at all, moved to the next round.
Two fixes, both yours to make. Ask the ramp-up question directly instead of waiting for candidates to guess at it: how long until you carry a full assignment, what transfers, what will you need to learn? And stop reading honesty about a previous employer as a character risk. The 2026 NSI report puts average RN time-to-fill at 78 days. You cannot afford to screen out capable people for being candid.
This week on Nursing Matters, the five moves that make a specialty change read as a plan.
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Nurse Career Resources: Earn More, Get Hired Faster
Today’s article gives you the edge. These resources from The RN Network help you use it, whether you want a bigger paycheck, a better job or a business of your own.
The Inner Circle: On-demand nursing career coaching library, open 24/7.
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Nurse Business Plans: Step-by-step guides to launch your own nursing business.
Nurse Income Hub: Proven ways nurses earn beyond the bedside.
CE Marketplace: Continuing education for your license renewal in every state.
Career Toolkit & Downloads: Resume templates, negotiation scripts and career guides.
Nurse Salary Database: Know your worth in all 50 states before you negotiate.
Nursing Job Board: Open RN roles across every setting and specialty.
Facility Directory: Research hospitals and employers before you apply.
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Explore everything at rnnet.org, the career community for nurses since 2009.
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