HCA’s Permanent Recruitment and International Solutions teams partnered with a leading private hospital in South Australia to resolve persistent nursing shortages, placing 16 skilled international registered nurses into its surgical and acute wards.
Post-pandemic workforce shortages left the hospital carrying ongoing registered nurse vacancies in its surgical and acute wards, with the local market unable to meet demand. The hospital wanted more than shift coverage: it sought long-term workforce stability, built on candidates with genuine experience in high-acuity care and patient-centred practice. HCA designed a targeted international recruitment and onboarding program that treated relocation, credentialing and pastoral care as part of the placement, rather then an afterthought, so that every nurse arrived ready to contribute and supported to stay.
Client Overview
The client is a respected private hospital in Adelaide with a strong reputation for surgical and acute care. Its nursing teams work in high-acuity environments where clinical readiness and patientcentred practice are essential from day one. Facing sustained post-pandemic shortages, the hospital needed a partner able to reach beyond the local market and to manage the full complexity of international recruitment, from registration and visas to relocation and retention.
The Challenge
Like much of the sector, the hospital emerged from the pandemic into a structurally short nursing market. Vacancies in surgical and acute wards persisted despite local campaigns, forcing reliance on agency shift fill that carried both cost and continuity implications. The bar could not be lowered to fill the gap. The hospital required nurses with demonstrated experience in highacuity care (including specialised perioperative roles) and a practice style consistent with its patientcentred culture. Volume alone was not the answer; capability and fit were. International recruitment offered the reach, but also the complexity: AHPRA registration, visa processing, credentialing, relocation and the very real risk that an unsupported recruit does not stay. The program had to manage all of it, end to end.
At a Glance
- 16 RNs Registered nurses placed across acute and surgical units
- 4 Countries Global campaigns across the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and the Philippines
- 100% Compliance with all credentialing and documentation requirements
- High Retention High retention at six months, underpinned by onboarding and welfare programs
The Solution
HCA’s Permanent Recruitment and International Solutions teams partnered to deliver a single, targeted program spanning sourcing to settled placement. Global campaigns ran across the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and the Philippines, using SEO-optimised marketing and referral programs to reach experienced, high-acuity nurses actively considering a move to Australia.
Spotlight on Relocation and Pastoral Care
Every placement came with a soft landing. Relocation assistance included accommodation coordinated through HCA’s Corporate Travel Management (CTM) network, followed by cultural orientation, clinical induction and ongoing pastoral support from HCA’s SA-based team, providing the difference between a nurse who arrives and a nurse who stays.
Credentialing was streamlined through Bullhorn and REX, with AHPRA registration validation built into the pipeline and visa processing supported by EY Migration; keeping every candidate’s pathway compliant, visible and moving. The 16 registered nurses were placed across acute and surgical units, including specialised orthopaedic scrub scout, anaesthetics and recovery roles, precisely the high-acuity capability the hospital had been unable to secure locally. Nursing unit managers reported strong candidate readiness and clinical standards from the outset, with comprehensive onboarding meaning new arrivals integrated into ward teams quickly and safely.
Comprehensive onboarding and welfare support turned international recruits into long-term members of the team.
Impact
- 16 Registered Nurses Placed Across acute and surgical units, including orthopaedic scrub scout, anaesthetics and recovery roles.
- Full Credentialing Compliance Every placement met all credentialing and documentation requirements, first time.
- Improved Staff-to-Patient Ratios Permanent capacity reduced reliance on agency shift fill and strengthened ward stability.
- High Six-Month Retention Comprehensive onboarding and welfare programs kept nurses settled and engaged. Ward-Ready Candidates Nursing unit managers praised candidate readiness and clinical standards from day one.
Conclusion
This program shows international recruitment done properly. Not a pipeline of CVs, but a managed pathway that delivers experienced, high-acuity nurses into the wards that need them, credentialed, supported and ready to practise. For hospitals facing structural shortages, the lesson is that long-term workforce stability is built at every stage of the journey, from the first global campaign to the pastoral care that follows placement. It is an approach that reflects HCA’s promise: where care begins, not just for patients, but for the professionals who deliver it.
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