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If you’re a talent professional looking to hire nurses and other clinical workers, a new report from LinkedIn, Anatomy of Best-in-Class Healthcare Hiring, has a recommendation for you: Don’t sleep on salary.

According to new LinkedIn data found in the report, 68% of nurses and 66% of other clinical talent in the U.S. cite better salary and benefits as motivation for looking for a new job. But on the flip side of the hiring process, only 30% of HR and talent professionals in the healthcare industry believe that salary is a top motivator for these essential workers to seek greener pastures and find another role.

Clearly there’s a disconnect here that may be impacting the outreach efforts of healthcare hiring teams — especially as they grapple with nursing shortages straining hospitals nationwide and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting 1.9 million healthcare job openings annually through 2033.

But here’s the silver lining: Organizations that can bridge this gap and truly understand what drives clinical talent have a real opportunity to outperform their competition in today’s tight labor market.

This disconnect — and strategies that can help overcome it and improve healthcare hiring and retention efforts — are explored further in LinkedIn’s Anatomy of Best-in-Class Healthcare Hiring. The report, done in partnership with the American Nurses Enterprise (ANE), features survey data from hundreds of U.S. HR professionals, nurses, and clinical workers, as well as insights gathered from interviews with talent executives at leading healthcare organizations across the country.

“This report,” says Jackie Hilton, ANE’s chief people and culture officer, “highlights both the urgency and the opportunity before healthcare leaders: to reimagine how we attract, support, and retain the clinical talent that is vital to delivering high-quality care for all.”

The salary disconnect is just one piece of the puzzle. Here are three additional insights from the report that can help healthcare recruiters refine their approach:

1. Staying power: What do nurses and other clinical workers want to do next with their careers? According to LinkedIn’s survey results, many of them may just want to stay put. Nearly half (48%) of clinical workers and 38% of nurses said that staying in their current role is their top career goal. This poses a significant challenge for recruiters looking to lure passive candidates from one healthcare organization to another.

2. There’s room on the AI bandwagon: While only 23% of HR professionals surveyed said that their teams use AI in their recruitment process, 45% of very successful recruiting teams reported doing so. With more than two-thirds (67%) of HR pros also sharing that healthcare roles are becoming increasingly specialized, AI tools can help tailor and personalize outreach at scale.

3. Lead with compassion: Healthcare leaders interviewed for the report emphasize the importance of creating a recruitment culture that prioritizes empathy, especially when dealing with talent who may have entered their field to help others. “We invest time in speaking with our candidates and getting to hear about their priorities and their struggles,” says Brenda Welch, director of talent acquisition at South Shore Health. “Why they’re leaving the job they have now, what they’re looking for to be different in the next place.”

This means recruiters should take the time to understand where nurses are in their career journey and what challenges they face balancing work and life. Even when a role isn’t the right fit, providing guidance and words of support builds trust and creates a pipeline for future opportunities.

Ready to transform your healthcare recruitment and retention strategy? Read the full Anatomy of Best-in-Class Healthcare Hiring report to discover additional insights and strategies that leading healthcare organizations use to build healthy and high-performing clinical teams. You may just find it’s the prescription you were looking for.

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