SSM Health’s Nurse Influencers Are Filling Jobs Faster — and Going Viral Doing It

Nurse recruitment at SSM Health has gone viral — literally — and it’s reshaping how the St. Louis–based system fills open positions. What began in 2022 as a small social media experiment has grown into a high-impact strategy that speeds up hiring, reduces the need for travel nurses, and strengthens retention.

The key? A small but mighty team of nurse influencers creating short-form videos for TikTok, Facebook Reels, Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and LinkedIn.

From Hiring Headaches to Social Media Hits

Before the program launched in summer 2022, SSM Health — which operates 23 hospitals across Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, and Wisconsin — was facing multiple workforce challenges:

• Long hiring timelines (up to 133 days)
• Outdated job postings and low search visibility
• Cumbersome application processes
• Nonclinical recruiters unable to answer job-specific nursing questions

Nurse influencers changed that. They create authentic, relatable content while directly connecting with applicants through DMs, texts, and real-time conversations.

“It’s really unique to have that same nurse reply to comments and DMs, connect with them in real time, text them instead of emailing them back and forth to set up interview logistics,” said Seth Lovell, BSN, RN, system vice president of nursing transformation and innovation.

The Numbers Behind the Success

The results have been striking:

• RN hires up 140% from 2022 to 2023
• Additional 109% increase in 2024
• Another 128% increase in 2025 (through June)
• Full-time/part-time RN positions rose from 63% in 2022 to 78% in 2025
• Time to fill dropped 70% (75 days → 22 days)
• Time to hire down 62% (133 days → 50 days)
• Travel nurse costs cut from $305M in 2022 to a projected $115–$120M in 2025

On social media, SSM Health now has:

• 70,000 followers across five platforms
• 2.1% engagement rate (above the healthcare average of 1–1.5%)
• 122M impressions, 3M engagements, 3,800 videos, and 75+ viral posts

The most popular video — a playful “day shift vs. night shift” TikTok — has racked up over 5.3 million views.

@ssmhealthjobs

 

♬ original sound - ssmhealthjobs

Authenticity Over Perfection

Nurse influencers follow an approval process to ensure posts fit the Catholic health system’s values and maintain patient privacy. Chief nurse executive Amy Wilson, DNP, RN, noted that the goal is to keep the content authentic — showing both the challenges and rewards of nursing — rather than relying on clickbait or overly rosy portrayals.

Different Ways to Be an Influencer

The role looks different depending on the nurse. One primary influencer spends about 20 to 25 hours a week on recruitment tasks and another 15 to 20 hours generating, creating, and editing content. Some full-time bedside nurses contribute by making videos outside of their clinical shifts, while others work part-time in patient care and dedicate 12 to 16 hours a week to content creation with some recruitment duties. 

This flexibility has helped the program thrive and adapt to different schedules, making it easier for nurses to participate without stepping away from the bedside entirely.

@ssmhealthjobs Who’s ever had to channel their inner Ross and PIVOT?! 🛏️😂   #nurse #pivot #healthcare #humor #hospitalbeds ♬ original sound  - warnerbrostv

A Playbook for Other Health Systems

For hospitals considering this model, leaders recommend:

• Aligning the strategy with the organization’s mission and values
• Involving nursing leadership early to build trust
• Preparing for an initial learning curve in balancing creativity with professionalism

The approach is paying off. Dr. Wilson said three of the five nurse influencers were most recently nurse managers, and by taking on recruitment tasks, they have given hours back to leaders. 

“That was definitely an unexpected benefit that is really being magnified within the organization: the trust that’s been able to be developed amongst nurse leaders the time given back to them,” she said.

 

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