Signature HealthCARE boosts nursing applicants 52% after tech overhaul

Signature HealthCARE, a long-term and post-acute care provider operating 67 skilled nursing, rehabilitation, and home health facilities across five states, has reported a 52% increase in nursing applicants after replacing its fragmented recruiting technology stack with a unified platform from iCIMS. The overhaul, which began in February 2024, also reduced candidate application times to under one minute, according to a newly released case study highlighted by HR Tech Feed.

The healthcare network, which fills roughly 6,000 vacancies annually, previously relied on seven disconnected point solutions that created administrative bottlenecks for recruiters and friction for job seekers applying for frontline clinical roles such as registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and certified nursing assistants.

Consolidating a fragmented recruiting stack

Before the change, Signature HealthCARE’s talent acquisition team managed a patchwork of systems that slowed hiring during a persistent healthcare labor shortage. The organization had already been using iCIMS for candidate text messaging since 2020, but expanded that partnership to include the iCIMS applicant tracking system, automated interview scheduling, and integrated onboarding after evaluating competitors including Workday, Jobvite, and Greenhouse.

The transition simplified the front-end candidate experience, cutting mobile and desktop application completion times to under 60 seconds. This reduction in friction was a key factor in the subsequent rise in applicant volume.

Measurable gains across the hiring funnel

Since deploying the unified platform, Signature HealthCARE has reported improvements at every stage of its talent pipeline. Nursing applicants increased by 52%, while overall completed applications rose by 47%. Nursing hires specifically grew by 17.5%, and total organizational hires increased by 17%.

Recruiter productivity also improved, with a 50% increase in completed recruiter screens and interviews, and a 21% boost in formal job offers. Average time-to-hire compressed to just 11 days, operating at a 6.1% applicant-to-hire conversion rate.

Beyond operational metrics, the overhaul contributed to a sharp rise in candidate perception. Between February 2024 and February 2025, Signature HealthCARE’s employer ranking in the skilled nursing sector on Glassdoor surged from 4,500th to 165th.

Automation frees recruiters for strategic work

A major driver of the efficiency gains was workflow automation. Routine administrative steps such as triggering status updates, generating IT equipment requisitions, coordinating accommodations, and scheduling interviews were shifted away from manual tracking spreadsheets. Consolidated onboarding workflows gave recruitment teams real-time visibility into post-offer credentialing and paperwork without requiring manual queries into separate HR information systems.

Marc Thompson, CEO of iCIMS, said, “For a healthcare organization like Signature HealthCARE, having the right people in the right roles at the right time is essential to the business and the communities it serves.” He added that the results show what happens when you connect the hiring process, reduce friction, and give talent teams the visibility they need to make better decisions.

Practical implications for HR and recruiting teams

For HR and recruiting leaders, Signature HealthCARE’s experience illustrates the value of consolidating disjointed talent acquisition tools into a single platform. Reducing application friction can directly increase candidate volume, especially for high-demand roles in competitive sectors like healthcare. Automation of routine tasks can free recruiters to focus on more strategic activities, such as building pipelines and improving candidate engagement.

However, organizations should note that technology consolidation alone does not guarantee results; success also depends on aligning workflows and ensuring adoption across the talent team. Rules and regulations around hiring and credentialing vary by jurisdiction, so HR teams should consult legal counsel when implementing new systems or processes.

According to Signature HealthCARE leadership, modernizing the core infrastructure allowed the talent acquisition division to shift from administrative triage to strategic growth, subsequently rolling out structured volunteer recruitment programs and faster credentialing pipelines over the two and a half years following go-live.

Sources: HR Tech Feed