Nursefinders Inc. Turns Thirty

• September 7, 2004
• Arlington, Texas

Thirty years ago in 1974, Alan Alda captured an Emmy for his starring role in the M*A*S*H television series featuring a military medical team in which nurses and doctors became rating favorites with American audiences. Careers in nursing were popular and the healthcare system wasn’t experiencing the nursing shortage that it faces today.

It was the year that Richard Nixon resigned, but not before officially having declared the first national Nurse Week. It was amid this timeframe of change in America and the world that Nursefinders, Inc., opened its doors.

Today, Nursefinders has grown to become one of the nation’s largest providers of healthcare personnel and per diem nurse staffing. However, 30 years down the road, the company is doing what it’s always done, according to Bob Livonius, CEO.

“The key to the company’s success hasn’t changed in 30 years,” Livonius said. “The success of our business is based on hiring and retaining the best talent to staff our service offices. With that talented team we hope to hire and retain the best caregivers in each market. No matter how many competitors in staffing or home care try to sell at lower prices, the client’s most important requirement is the quality of care provided by caregivers.”

Suzanne Hanna, director of quality standards for Nursefinders, an RN since 1979, joined the company 11 years ago and has seen many changes during that time in the healthcare field. “Nursing as a career has changed a lot in 30 years. Today, hospital organizations are recognizing that the nurses provided by staffing agencies are the majority of caregivers on a unit or floor at a hospital,” said Hanna.

“I think it is very wise that Nursefinders recognizes that home care and staffing are a great balance for the company,” Hanna said. “When home care offices were disappearing and staffing was at its peak, Nursefinders wisely kept both businesses,” she said. Mary Edwards, RN, director of quality standards in Nursefinders’ Patient Care Division entered the healthcare industry 29 years ago. Over the years she has observed that things have changed in the healthcare industry.

“Healthcare staffing systems manage their personnel better and provide more qualified nurses to hospitals, home care and nursing homes,” Edwards said. “Home healthcare has become more challenging,” she added. “We now do things everyday that we once thought could not be done in the home setting, such as working with IV and ventilator patients.”

With America’s aging population, home healthcare is definitely a growing area and many qualified caregivers choose to work in home settings, whether that means visiting a variety of homes or working for a particular patient. Today, Nursefinders delivers coordinated home health services from 29 licensed/certified home health agencies in 14 states.

“Nursefinders places emphasis on the recruitment and retention of the most qualified professionals,” said Pamela Wendt, RN, chief nursing officer for the company. “The company establishes a personal relationship with each caregiver to understand the candidate’s career goals and lifestyle interests. We want people who work for us to enjoy their careers and their personal lives,” she added.

Nursefinders has an online database of more than 15,000 jobs. “It’s the perfect way to explore a future that lets you change jobs, try out a location, switch from a hospital to a clinic to a private home and back to a hospital without disrupting your life or feeling insecure about your job. Nursefinders provides the opportunity for a tremendously fulfilling growth experience,” said Nanci Mitchell, RN, a Nursefinders’ regional vice president. Nanci has been with Nursefinders for 12 years.

“I really like to hear clients tell us that we have the best standards of quality and excellence in communication,” said Joyce Robinson, an area vice president for Nursefinders who has been with the company for 14 years. She added that she really appreciates hearing clients say, ‘We trust you to take care of all aspects of our healthcare needs’.