While the economy has taken a toll on most areas of employment, those of us in healthcare have seen quite the opposite. Over the past year, we have witnessed steady growth in several areas such as nursing, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. At Broward Health North Broward Medical Center our nursing vacancy rate remains well below both state and national average.
Heres what happened. Three years ago we were experiencing a loss of workers due to escalating real estate prices. Many employees chose to leave South Florida in search of more affordable housing in Georgia and the Carolinas. However, when the economy started to turn downward, we saw several things happen: unable to afford moving and thankful for their jobs, many employees chose to remain in the area; numerous workers who had previously chosen to leave the workforce or retire early decided to return; and several people who lost their jobs opted to go back to school, many of which pursuing a career in healthcare.
All three scenarios have boded well for the healthcare field we stopped losing employees to relocation and we saw a surge in applicants, both experienced and fresh out of school.
We are now in a position to be more selective in our hiring practice. For every one position, there are at least fifty well qualified applicants waiting for the opportunity. With the advancement of technology in healthcare, we are seeing new jobs and new opportunities for healthcare professionals to seek out further education and training to help distinguish themselves. Our challenge no longer remains finding workers, but instead finding the most qualified workers to help us continue to provide the best quality care possible.
The outlook for healthcare careers as we enter 2010 looks brighter than ever before.
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