When an experienced, direct care nurse applies to an inpatient position at UCHealth, a new pre-screening step is making the process faster and more effective for both the applicant and manager.

Applicants are messaged within five minutes of submitting an application and are invited into a pre-screen discussion. This immediate touchpoint is a satisfier for applicants who apply to jobs within and outside of business hours.

Specialty nurse recruiters conduct the pre-screen analysis to assess applicants on key criteria — such as job match, patient advocacy and communication under stress — developed by a team of nurse managers. They then provide nurse managers a concise summary of each screened-in candidate’s responses, along with the resume, to review ahead of the clinical interview.

Within one to three business days from the pre-screening, top candidates are invited to a clinical interview with nurse managers. Thanks to the pre-screen, this interview drives focus to clinical skill set, unit nuance and potential orientation needs.

The process launched in February for acute care, critical care and women-and-infants service lines, and it will continue until all inpatient units are included. Early outcomes indicate an improved average of five business days from application submission to clinical interview and an improved interview-to-offer ratio from 15% (pre) to 70% (post) across UCHealth nursing recruitment. This represents substantial time saved for applicants and nurse managers, and it improves the critical process of hiring the best-matched nurses to care for our patients.

Candidates have shared feedback that the pre-screens gave them a strong opportunity to showcase skills, experience and talents to align with the job.

“I was also impressed by the questions pertaining to work-life balance. I’m so glad to start at UCHealth,” said one of the applicants.

 

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The visual companion to our 2026 Nursing Year in Review showcases the print edition’s visual storytelling with connections to all of the articles.