HEALTH CARE
ospitals and other health care facilities are trying to make sense of a pandemicperpetrated topsy-turvy business-scape . It ’ s one that emptied many medical institutions of top-drawer talent due to fear , burnout and , in some cases , the deaths of frontline caregivers who may not have been adequately prepared or protected from COVID-19 .
The job market offers a mirror of the chaos . “ Last March ( 2020 ), when COVID struck , health care hiring was at a complete standstill ,” says Preet Kuar , CEO of Sacramento-based Pacific Staffing . “ The temporary employees for whom we helped secure jobs , were suddenly furloughed .”
But in June and July 2020 , “ there was an equally sudden hiring rise ,” Kuar says . “ People had left their jobs in health care not only because of burnout but also because they were simply terrified . Some essential workers started staying home or taking indefinite leaves of absence . Nurses were quitting because they were scared for their lives . Or they stopped working with patients in person and transferred to call-center jobs , especially in the ( medical ) insurance field , where they were helping people with their policies and payments .”
For some medical systems in the Capital Region , the past year may have been full of chaos , but it has also meant expansion in terms of jobs . “ We added approximately 40 new hires in January and February ( of this year ),” says Siri Nelson , CEO of Marshall Medical Center , which is based in Placerville and has about 1,800 employees spread throughout several El Dorado County clinics . “ During the pandemic , we increased new hires in the areas of respiratory therapy , staff and triage nursing , and screening staff .”
Nelson says , “ El Dorado County continues to grow , and our mission is to take care of our community . I would expect that , over the next few years , we would also continue to grow . We continue to add to and expand our services . With that , we will need health care providers and staff to support these needs .”
Beginning to reboot
This may be a bad time for people to quit a job in the health care industry .
“ El Dorado County continues to grow . … I would expect that , over the next few years , ( Marshall ) would also continue to grow . We continue to add to and expand our services . With that , we will need health care providers and staff to support these needs .”
SIRI NELSON CEO , Marshall Medical Center
As The George Washington University School of Business states on its website , “ Not only does the world need more healthcare professionals , but the career itself can be rewarding to the individual . A career in healthcare may afford one the opportunity to have an impact on the health of an entire town , state , or nation .”
Online job-search services show a pent-up demand for health care jobs erupting , especially for vaccinators and non-physicians . “ We ’ ve seen an uptick , yes , but in my opinion and the opinion of my peers , most of the hiring is due to the vaccine rollout ,” says Kim Dukes , the Sacramento region vice president and health care practice manager for Robert Half , an international employment agency . “ People are needed to administer the shots , but permanent health care jobs aren ’ t necessarily on the rise .”
In fact , Dukes says , citing data from the U . S . Bureau of Labor Statistics , “ Education and health services ( hiring ) fell by 7,600 jobs since last March . Employment losses were reported in health care and social assistance , which are down by 5,000 jobs .”
On the other hand — the one trying to get a firmer grasp on the elusive subject of whether the health care industry is booming or bottoming — in El Dorado , Placer , Sacramento and Yolo counties between February 2021 and March 2021 , the combined employment in all industries totaled 979,000 jobs , an increase of 5,000 . Nevertheless , “ Industries reported month-over-month declines ,” Dukes says .
Dukes says the Robert Half agency ’ s health care employment mainstay is placing people in nonclinical jobs : receptionists , accounting and finance clerks , and medical billing and collections . “ Most of the region ’ s bigger players , like Sutter Health , Dignity Health , Kaiser ( Permanente ) and UC Davis Medical Center , recruit for the C-suite jobs by other means ,” she says . The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the five key health care jobs in high demand now and through 2029 include nurse practitioners , whose employment figures are expected to go up by 52 percent ; occupational therapy assistants , a category looking at a likely 35 percent increase ; and physical therapist assistants , with a 33 percent rise .
44 comstocksmag . com | June 2021