The Kansas Recruitment and Retention Center has made a first-of-its-kind placement in its 22-year history, connecting a registered nurse with the University of Kansas School of Nursing in Salina to serve as a part-time adjunct clinical nursing educator this fall.

Coming soon after celebrating its 400th placement, the center's 401st reflects an evolving mission to meet Kansas' changing healthcare workforce needs.

While the center has long recruited physicians, nurses, dentists, allied health professionals and behavioral health providers for rural and underserved communities across Kansas, this marks the first time it has successfully recruited a nursing educator. Although the position differs from traditional clinical placements, its impact reaches far beyond the classroom. By helping the School of Nursing educate future nurses, the placement strengthens the pipeline of healthcare professionals who will go on to serve Kansas communities.

"At the end of the day, our mission is to strengthen the healthcare workforce in Kansas," said Natalie Olmsted, manager of the Kansas Recruitment and Retention Center. "Whether we're recruiting a physician for a rural hospital or helping a nursing program find the right educator, the goal is the same: connecting the right people with the right opportunities so Kansas communities have access to the care they need."

The Kansas Recruitment and Retention Center is part of Rural Health Education and Services at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Unlike private recruiting firms, the center takes a relationship-driven approach, focusing on long-term success for both employers and candidates. That philosophy has resulted in hundreds of lasting placements throughout Kansas over the past two decades.

Olmsted said the opportunity was a natural fit because the School of Nursing's Salina campus prepares nurses to serve rural Kansas.

"Supporting the people who educate our future nurses is another way we can strengthen the rural workforce," she said. "When our academic partners succeed, the communities they serve benefit as well."

The placement also highlights the center's ability to respond to Kansas' evolving workforce needs. While physician recruitment remains a core service, the growing demand for healthcare professionals has created new opportunities to support employers in innovative ways.

Addressing rural provider shortage

The need is expected to continue growing. Through the Kansas Rural Health Transformation Program, the state has invested in expanding rural graduate medical education, including a rural psychiatry program in Hutchinson and several rural subspecialty training tracks.

Separately, the School of Nursing has expanded outreach and training opportunities for prospective rural healthcare providers. The school recently increased class size and partnered with McPherson College to let students complete prerequisite credits at McPherson, earn guaranteed admission and finish their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at the KU Salina campus and online without relocating.

The school also organizes annual tours of critical access hospitals in northwestern and north central Kansas to introduce students to rural healthcare settings. 

As more physicians, nurses and other health professionals train in Kansas, the recruitment center expects to play an increasingly important role in helping connect graduates with communities where they are needed most.