San Diego healthcare jobs and education positions saw the second-largest yearly employment growth last month, second only to professional and business services roles.

During March, California’s unemployment rate dropped from 12.1 percent to 12 percent, which is the lowest rate the state has seen since September 2009. The San Diego area had an unemployment rate of 10.1 percent during February.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos area employed a total o1,233,200 workers during March, which is up from 1,222,900 workers during February and a 2 percent increase from last year.

The majority of that yearly employment growth came from the professional and business services, which increased by 6.3 percent to 216,100 workers, the largest year-over-year growth of any industry.

Four other industries also saw a yearly increase in employment, including: education and health services by 3.3 percent; leisure and hospitality by 3.2 percent; trade, transportation, and utilities by 1.7 percent; and government by .7 percent.

Employment in the mining and logging industry remained even with 400 workers, while every other industry lost jobs over the year. The construction industry was hit the hardest, dropping by 1.8 percent to 54,000 employees.

The following industries saw a monthly increase in employment during March:

• Leisure and hospitality by 3,100 jobs
• Professional and business services by 2,200 jobs
• Education and health services by 1,700 jobs
• Government by 1,500 jobs
• Construction by 800 jobs
• Trade, transportation, and utilities by 600 jobs
• Financial activities by 400 jobs
• Other services by 300 jobs
• Information by 100 jobs

In today’s economy, many workers in tons of industries are experiencing layoffs, pay cuts and overall difficulty finding work.  Luckily, the best time to shift careers and get into a new line of work is during a recession.  With tons of industries booming and growing in today’s world of advanced technology and larger populations, it’s a perfect time to transition into a more fulfilling career in the health care industry.  Health care jobs exist for every line of work, ranging from administrative jobs to physician’s assistants.  Many people are finding current times to be a great opportunity to train for a surgical technician career.  A surgical technician career can seem daunting and like it requires extensive training, but the reality is many surgical technician training programs can be completed in 9 to 24 months.

Surgical Technician Career Duties

Those considering a surgical technician career can expect to work mainly in hospitals.  According to US Department of Labor statistics, over 70 percent of surgical technicians work out of hospitals, though it is also common to work in specialty clinics and even dental offices. 

Surgical technician job description include prepping surgery tables and instruments for specialized surgeries, assisting the surgeon with instruments as well as sterilization, and usually specialize in certain types of specific surgery in order to assist with basic surgical necessities such as keeping patient airwaves open and blood flow circulating.  Many surgical technicians work in multiple locations or outside of hospitals for specialty teams, such as transplant surgeons.   It’s also possible for a surgical technician career to extend into administrative work for insurance companies and hospital or clinic billing industries.

Surgical Technician Career Training

Surgical technicians can gain their academic experience in college in the form of a Health Information Technology degree in the form of a 4 year or 2 year program, but these degrees oftentimes include general education and a vast amount of curriculum related to hospital front and back offices.  For specialized learning, surgical technician career training will last from 9-24 months, covering courses such as anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and other special areas of study related to surgical equipment and operation. 

Certified technicians earn more than non-certified technicians and specialty surgeries like heart or neurosurgeries will usually compensate their technicians more.  A surgical technician career is likely to earn you 38-46 thousand dollars a year, according to 2008 Department of Labor statistics.

Surgical Technician Career Training Online

Many accredited programs offer certain elements of surgical technician career training online.  Though hands-on learning is necessary for many applications of surgical technician’s responsibilities, courses for anatomy, physiology and pharmacology can definitely be taken online at a student’s pace while working another job.  Either way, a surgical technician career can be a great way to transition into a fulfilling well-paid career in the health care industry as the average surgical technician salary is high.  Surgical technician careers require fairly little training before certification can be achieved and on-the-job training can begin with hospitals, clinics or dental offices.

Many Colorado medical jobs in schools will be supported through a new round of funding.

Gov. Bill Ritter recently announced that Colorado will be included among 10 states to receive $100 million in federal funding for improvements in healthcare quality and delivery systems for children receiving care in school-based health centers.

The funding in Colorado will be received through a joint project with New Mexico. All of the grants are being funded by the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act.


“Colorado has had tremendous success with collaborative community projects like school-based health centers,” Ritter said. “These centers are a resource and a healthy solution for our most vulnerable of families to receive primary care.

“During this financial downturn, we need to get the most out of every dollar spent in healthcare,” he continued. “School-based health centers are an affordable way to provide quality, accessible care.”

Colorado and New Mexico are set to receive $7,784,030 million over five years for school-based health centers. There are several school-based health centers throughout Colorado that work to provide care to rural, under-served and low-income areas.

The project will showcase the ability of school-based health centers to address the healthcare needs of children and adolescents, as well as expand on the understanding of how school-based health centers contribute to the healthcare system in Colorado and New Mexico.

Colorado’s education and health services industry employed 261,000 workers during December 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the same as during November and a 2.5 percent increase from December 2008.

There are plenty of hospitals where those looking for San Diego medical jobs may be able to find work.

The healthcare industry as a whole has remained stable – continually adding jobs and growing in popularity and necessity – despite the economic recession. Although San Diego’s healthcare industry has lost some workers on a yearly basis, it has been growing month-to-month.

The San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos area’s education and health services industry employed 137,200 workers during December 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 137,000 workers during November, but a .4 percent decrease from December 2008.

Hospitals serve as the focal point of the healthcare industry and provide employment opportunities for doctors, nurses, assistants, and many other medical professionals. Many hospitals throughout the country are facing a shortage of these employees, leaving plenty of opportunities for qualified workers to find jobs.

San Diego is home to the Bob Wilson Naval Hospital, which is considered to be the most technologically-advanced Navy medical treatment facility. The mission of the hospital is is to provide family-centered medical care to those in the operational forces and their families, as well as those who previously had military jobs.

The hospital operates the hospital ship USNS Mercy and a network of clinics at military installations. Bob Wilson Naval Hospital also is considered a major training facility for the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, according to Wikipedia.

Sharp Memorial Hospital, also located in San Diego, is Sharp’s largest hospital and home of the system’s only Level II trauma center. At the beginning of last year, the hospital opened the Stephen Birch Healthcare Center, which offers operating suites, intensive-care beds, all private rooms at no extra cost, and the largest and most modern emergency and trauma center in the city.

The hospital was recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2008, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With the Guidelines program in 2008, the Leapfrog Hospital Quality and Safety Survey’s “Excellence in Patient Safety and Health Care Quality” in 2007, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology‘s Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2007.

UCSD Medical Center, which consists of the Hillcrest Medical Center and Thornton Hospital, serves as a major research center and the primary teaching center of the UCSD School of Medicine and School of Pharmacy. The center currently employs about 5,200 workers.

During 2007, U.S. News & World Report named UCSD Medical Center among the best hospitals in the nation in six specialty areas. The hospital was again named among the best hospitals for six specialty areas during 2009. Last year, the hospital was ranked 14th in respiratory diseases, 20th in psychiatry, 21st in rheumatology, 39th in urology, 43rd in kidney diseases and 47th in cancer.

Other hospitals in San Diego include:

• Alvaredo Hospital Medical Center
• Children’s Hospital of San Diego
• Children’s Hospital and Health Center
• Kaiser Permanente Medical Center
• Kindred Hospital – San Diego
• Mary Birch Hospital for Women
• San Diego County Psychiatric Hospital
• Scripps Mercy Hospital
• Sharp Mesa Vista
• Sharp Cabrillo Hospital
• Vencor Hospital

Anyone looking for a career in the healthcare industry could benefit from obtaining Dallas medical jobs.

The healthcare industry is one of the few that has remained stable across the board despite the economic recession. During December 2009, the healthcare industry throughout the nation employed 16.4 million people and had an unemployment rate of 5.5 percent.

The Dallas-Plano-Irving area’s education and health services industry employed 255,500 workers during November 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 254,900 workers during October and a 9 percent increase from November 2008.

As a whole, the education and health services industry in Texas employed 1,376,500 workers during November, up from 1,371,900 workers during October and a 4.6 percent increase from November of the previous year.

The City of Dallas itself is home to UT Southwestern Medical Center and affiliated UT Southwestern Medical School. Parkland Memorial Hospital, Children’s Medical Center, St. Paul University Hospital and Zale Lipshy University Hospital.

The Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center also is located in the city. The center includes a Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy, which is part of an initiative by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide mail-order prescriptions to veterans by using computerization at strategic locations throughout the country.

Other nearby hospitals include: Baylor University Medical Center; Methodist Dallas Medical Center; Methodist Charlton Medical Center; Medical City Dallas Hospital; Presbyterian Hospital; and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.

Check out this recruiting video from Keller Oaks Healthcare Center, another nearby facility:
Video By Jobing

As the city’s unemployment rate declined and more jobs were added during November 2009, Austin medical jobs and teaching jobs saw the biggest yearly increase in employment.

From August through October, the Austin-Round Rock area’s unemployment rate remained at 7.2 percent, but during November, that rate decreased to 6.9 percent. That places the city well below the national unemployment rate of 10 percent.

The Austin area had a total non-farm employment of 780,900 workers during November, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 778,500 workers during October and only a .5 percent decrease from the previous year.

Six industries saw a monthly increase in employment, including: trade, transportation and utilities by 1,300 jobs; information by 100 jobs; professional and business services by 600 jobs; leisure and hospitality by 600 jobs; other services by 100 jobs; and government by 200 jobs. Employment in the education and health services industry remained even at 85,900 workers.

Six industries also saw a yearly increase in employment. The education and health services industry added the most jobs, accounting for a 4 percent gain, followed by leisure and hospitality by 3.5 percent; other services by 2.5 percent; financial activities by 2.2 percent; professional and business services by 1 percent; and government by .6 percent.

Only four industries saw an over-the-year decrease in employment. The manufacturing industry took the biggest hit when compared to the previous year, employing 50,800 workers during November, down from 50,900 workers during October and an 11.2 percent decrease from November 2008.

In addition, employment in the mining, logging and construction industry decreased by 7.1 percent, the information industry lost 3.8 percent of its workers and employment in the trade, transportation and utilities industry declined by 2.7 percent.

Portland medical jobs and healthcare positions throughout the State of Oregon will account for the majority of employment growth through 2018.

The Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton area’s education and health services industry employed 137,100 workers during October, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 134,100 workers during September and a .6 percent increase from last year.

According to the Oregon Employment Department, the state as a whole is expected to add more than 160,000 jobs between 2008 and 2018, accounting for an increase of 9 percent. This is similar to the 165,000 jobs, or 10 percent, growth seen during the previous decade.

The Portland area and the Willamette Valley will add the majority of jobs through 2018, with the highest levels of job growth expected in the central and southern regions of the state and the lowest levels of job growth expected in the northeast region.

Statewide, the education and health services industry should add about 50,000 jobs, which is the highest expected growth for any industry, with private education and health services employment to increase by 23 percent. Healthcare will account for most of the new jobs, mainly because of Oregon’s aging population, as the number of those 65-years and older could grow by 45 percent through 2018.

The professional and business services industry is expected to add 27,600 jobs, an increase of 14 percent, with industry growth driven by growth in the state’s economy and more firms hiring other businesses to provide support activities.

The leisure and hospitality industry should add 21,500 jobs, an increase of 12 percent. Food services and drinking places, the largest sector in the industry, are expected to grow as the population increases, adding 15,700 jobs, while the arts, entertainment and recreation sector will add 3,200 jobs.

The trade, transportation and utilities industry – the largest industry in Oregon – is expected to add 30,900 jobs, the second-highest amount of any industry. The retail trade sector will add about 20,000 jobs.

The government industry should add 25,000 jobs, an increase of 8 percent. Throughout Oregon, federal government will see a decrease in employment, mainly because of U.S. Postal Service job cuts and the cleanup of the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency. At the same time, tribal employment will grow by 14 percent as casinos expand.

The construction and information industries will grow at a slow pace and add few jobs. After losing thousands of jobs during the recession, construction is expected to return to its share of about 5 percent of total employment. For the information industry, losses in the traditional print industries will offset job gains in software publishing and data hosting services.

The manufacturing industry is expected to rebound during the 10-year period, but will not return to its pre-recession employment level, and is the only industry expected to lose jobs through 2018.

To compile the report, the labor department examined historical trends and other forecasts to help project state employment changes during the 10-year period. The forecasts are meant to be used in conjunction with occupational reports to help students decide on careers, schools decide on training programs, businesses decide on strategic plans and governments decide on budgets and services.

With the promotion of information technology in healthcare, the industry is all set for the revolution. The healthcare and IT industries will see a major boom in the coming years — translating into an influx of jobs in healthcare.

The $19 billion economic stimulus bill signed by President Barack Obama will give a much needed boost to the healthcare information technology sector. This will promote the use of healthcare technology in a big way and will also create a safety revolution in the healthcare sector.

This will encourage e-prescribing in a big way. According to Reuters, as many as 75 percent of US doctors will be writing electronic prescriptions within the next five years and 90 percent will be e-prescribing by 2018. E-prescribing will help prevent medical errors and also would save the US government $22 billion over the next decade according to the report prepared by the healthcare research firm Visante. ”Greater use of e-prescribing also will prevent 3.5 million medication errors and 585,000 hospitalizations by 2018”, as predicted by the Visante report.

”The growth in e-prescription will result in a surge in the demand for healthcare technology professionals. Healthcare technology jobs are becoming increasingly popular, and InformationTechnologyCrossing has already started adding thousands of such jobs to its niche job site,” says A. Harrison Barnes, CEO of InformationTechnologyCrossing.

InformationTechnologyCrossing searches, organizes, and displays every information technology job it can find on the Internet. It is a private website, and only members have access to its job-opening research.

Despite bad economic conditions over the last year, jobs in healthcare have seemed immune to the problems other areas of employment have been faced with. In most states, this industry showed the most or only job growth each month that the  U.S. Labor Bureau Statistics reported. Now the recession may be catching up with medical jobs in some areas, according to new data.

The Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) released a survey they recently complied which showed that 80 percent of hospitals in the state are having money trouble. This has caused them to have to look into the possibility of slashing the services they provide, laying off workers or delaying large scale improvement projects they have planned.“Hospital balance sheets have gone from bad to catastrophic,” said Daniel Sisto, HANYS’ President. “The national and state economic crises and repeated governmental cuts to health care have devastated the most important services our communities need.”

This has resulted in the state’s hospitals, which received the second worst operating margin in the country last year, to see themselves fall even further behind. Now medical facilities in the area have reported an average decrease to minus 1 percent.

Over half (68 percent) of participating hospitals reported that they are currently scaling back their improvement projects. At this time, 51 percent are in thinking about the possibility of a hiring freeze. Another 30 percent said that they might cut existing services. Only 18 percent reported that they may do away with healthcare jobs. Out of the 80 percent that feels they need to take one measure or another, 75 percent said that they might have to find more than one solution to fix their problems.

“Hospitals are the economic anchors of the communities they serve. As the financial condition of hospitals continues to degrade, there will be very little choice than to eliminate jobs in order to protect core services—further weakening already fragile local economies and threatening the level of care and service the public demands,” said Sisto. “For years, New York hospitals have been victims of government cut after government cut. As a result, we have the second worst operating margins in the country, and have been placed in a position to fail as we try to navigate through the worst economy in generations.”

“The warning signs are clear,” Sisto went on to say. “And policymakers should heed the alarms. The ability to continue to provide critically needed health care services in communities across the state is very much in doubt. Even in the best of times, New York ’s non-profit hospitals must scratch and claw for every dollar, just to cover basic operating costs. In this economic climate, patients’ access to care and hospitals’ ability to deliver services face the threat of being eliminated.”

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the State of Louisiana have jointly announced the selection of adjacent downtown sites for construction of their replacement medical center projects. The two projects, called the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Louisiana State University Academic Medical Center, restore greatly needed health care capability lost in New Orleans during flooding after Hurricane Katrina in late August 2005.

New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin said, “The new VA hospital in downtown New Orleans will provide needed medical care for veterans throughout the region and will serve as a key economic driver for our future.  Along with the new LSU hospital, it will serve as the centerpiece of our biomedical district, generating thousands of healthcare jobs and enabling our city to compete with communities that are known for their medical services and research.”

“Restoring a full capability medical center for our veterans in New Orleans and southeastern Louisiana is one of the Secretary’s highest priorities,” said Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gordon H. Mansfield.

“VA selected the downtown site because it offers the best solution for our veterans, today and into the future,” Mansfield added. “The site, located within a robust medical district with affiliate health care teaching universities, promotes long term operational synergy and efficiency.  The selected site aligns with the City of New Orleans and State of Louisiana Hurricane Katrina recovery and redevelopment plans.”

An agreement between VA and the City of New Orleans obligates the city to acquire the land for the new facility, prepare the site for construction and turn over the site to VA within one year.

“Constructing this state-of-the-art medical complex near downtown New Orleans follows through on the Administration’s commitment to fully support recovery efforts,” he said.

The announcement follows a nearly one-year process of extensive study of site alternatives, including analysis of the potential impacts on the environment and historically significant structures.

“The announcement by my colleagues at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs brings to closure a collaborative and inclusive process involving Federal, state and local government, as well as stakeholders who determined the location of the new veterans hospital,” said retired Maj. Gen. Douglas O’Dell, federal coordinator for Gulf Coast rebuilding.

“The hospital is a key component of the city’s vision of a revitalized downtown area and a world class medical campus,” O’Dell added.  “Further, this decision advances the goal President Bush and Secretary Peake established of better access to quality health care for the needs of current and future veterans.”

Dr. John Lombardi, LSU System President, said that building these hospitals in close proximity to each other assures the future of top quality health care, research, and medical education not only for the New Orleans area but for the entire state for many years to come. “This is a major milestone in constructing these joint academic medical centers that are destined to be models of health care reform for the nation in creating thousands of jobs while delivering cost-efficient medical treatment and disease management,” he said.