Not even a tough economy can keep medical jobs at bay. Many hospitals in South Florida are seeing a hiring frenzy, though most of the jobs require special training, including nurses, medical coders, and respiratory therapists.
”The job market is very active,” said Gregory Ferenchak, dean of health sciences at the north campus of Broward College. However, due to the high demand of both healthcare jobs and applicants, many college programs are at full capacity. “We’re limited to the number of clinical spaces we have available,” said Ferenchak.
Because salaries are influential – up to $70,000 for a nurse, for instance – the training programs must be discerning in choosing applicants. The Mitchell Wolfson Sr. Foundation recently donated $11 million to Miami Dade College to help expand its nursing program. However, teacher shortages are equally daunting.
Even so, healthcare offers many possibilities. ”We’re in an expansion mode,” said George Foyo, chief administrative officer for Baptist Health South Florida, the region’s largest private employer with 12,500 staffers at five hospitals.
Baptist now has 200 openings for medical jobs ranging from nurses and lab techs to respiratory therapists, clerical and construction workers. The nursing shortage still takes center stage, with incentives such as subsidized housing and sign on bonuses.
Though people will always continue to need health care, it doesn’t mean the industry is exempt from the economic hit. “When people lose their jobs or have to work less hours, they may lose some or all of their health benefits, or get into a health plan with higher deductibles and co-pays,” said Ray Kendrick of Memorial Healthcare System.
Still, the Memorial hospitals in South Broward are looking to hire hundreds of both clinical and administrative jobs.
The Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami and its affiliated UM hospital have hired over 400 people this year alone and are still actively recruiting.