Firms Seek Workers in Health Care, Therapy / Training for Medical Field Leads to Good Paying Jobs
By JOAN HUGHES
The jobs are out there.
Health care is a hot market for Virginia job seekers, said Lisa Stewart Barker, director of Human Resources for HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Petersburg. “Therapy, especially,” she added. Those are tough jobs to fill because there are not enough therapists out there, she said.
Nurse Advantage administrator Kimberly Whelan-Williams echoed that sentiment.
“I think there are not enough nurses for the demands of the facilities,” Whelan-Williams said via e-mail. “There is definitely a nursing shortage that has affected everyone in the nursing industry.”
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At the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Fall Medical Job Fair, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Science Museum of Virginia (2500 W. Broad St.), job seekers can explore some of the opportunities available.
Nurse Advantage, a Richmond nursing agency that staffs hospitals, nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, doctor’s offices and correctional facilities, is “always hiring” physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified medical assistants, certified nursing assistants, emergency medical technicians, mental health technicians and phlebotomists, according to Whelan-Williams.
“The positions we are trying to fill are located in the Richmond and surrounding areas, some in the Tri-Cities and surrounding areas, and some in Fredericksburg and surrounding areas,” Whelan-Williams wrote in her e-mail. Nurse Advantage, a branch of Care Advantage Inc. (the home health division), has 15 field offices throughout Virginia, according to Whelan-Williams.
Job descriptions vary for each position as do the training/ education required, according to Whelan-Williams. And, she noted, “All positions have different salaries.”
But one thing is the same for all the positions: Nurse Advantage wants people who are professional and dependable, wrote Whelan- Williams.
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With four in-patient rehabilitation hospitals in Virginia, HealthSouth will be recruiting to fill openings in all of them at the Fall Medical Job Fair, HealthSouth’s Barker said. Most likely there will be one representative from each hospital there, she added.
Barker gave a rundown on the positions each hospital will be trying to fill:
— HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Petersburg is seeking a chief nursing officer (a registered nurse), speech language pathologist, pharmacy supervisor, physical therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapy assistant, registered nurses and a certified occupational therapy assistant.
— HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Virginia in Richmond is recruiting for an occupational therapist, physical therapist, speech pathologist, registered respiratory therapist and registered nurses.
— HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Fredericksburg is looking for an occupational therapist and a physical therapist.
— UVa-HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlottesville is looking for a marketing coordinator, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, registered respiratory therapists and certified respiratory therapists.
While the positions at the hospitals may vary, the type of employee Health- South is looking for does not.
“We are looking for leaders,” Barker said. “We’re looking for people who are willing to take that extra step. We are looking for people that will go above and beyond.”
Barker said salaries at HealthSouth are very competitive and there is an excellent benefits package. “The health and dental and vision benefits start the first day of employment,” she added.
And HealthSouth offers job shadowing for some positions so candidates can see how they would fit in, Barker said.
A person would have already filled out an application and be in the “active interest” phase of employment, Barker said, at which point they can shadow someone.
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Barker said HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Petersburg is a brand new facility (opening June 2006) and “everything is beautiful. You don’t lack for anything, which is an unusual thing in health care,” she said. And, she said, Petersburg is a workable commute for someone living in Richmond. “We invite anyone to come to take a look at any of the four hospitals,” she said.
The Fall Medical Job Fair is “ideal for anyone seeking a position in the medical field,” said LaJuan M. Lewis, recruitment account executive at the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “Including those interested in front and back office positions with doctors offices, insurance companies and hospitals.”
A variety of exhibitors (18 are expected) – from major hospitals to schools offering degrees in the medical field and staffing companies – are participating in the fair, according to Lewis.
For more information on the Fall Medical Job Fair visit www.inrich.com and click on “Jobs” and then “Job Fairs.”
And, as Whelan-Williams said: Bring lots of copies of your resume to the fair.
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO
MEMO: SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: MEDICAL JOBS
Originally published by Times-Dispatch Staff Writer.
(c) 2007 Richmond Times – Dispatch. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.