SEEKING THEBest COURTESY OF MAINE HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION

NationalNurses Week is a time for us to honor the women and men who provide vital care to patients in Maine and around the world.

The practice of nursing has changed drastically in the nearly 180 years since Florence Nightingale professionalized the occupation. Early nurses were little more than cleaners; now they need medical knowledge, technical skills and specialized proficiencies.

We in Maine are fortunate to have such dedicated professionals. Nurses are just one member of a whole care team at our hospitals—teams that include Certified Nursing Assistants, Medical Assistants, Respiratory Therapists, Radiology Assistants, Ultrasound Technicians, Social Workers and more.

There are excellent reasons to choose a career in healthcare:

1. You get job satisfaction by helping and healing others;

2. Increasing demand for workers means good job security;

3. Flexible working hours—are you a night owl? There’s a shift for that!

4. A wide variety of healthcare occupations with something for everyone, no matter your background, experience or interests;

5. Educational opportunities—right now community college in Maine is free. There are plenty of healthcare jobs, including some nursing jobs, that only need an Associate’s degree;

6. Educational benefits—some hospitals will help pay for advanced training;

7. Diverse work settings—in addition to having diverse care teams, different departments, and different patient mixes, Maine hospitals own physician practices and nursing homes. There’s a place for you;

8. Above average earning potential—lots of jobs in healthcare pay better than average, plus hospitals offer health insurance and retirement plans.

As our workforce ages in Maine, there are more and more job openings at hospitals. To help Mainers learn more about becoming a nurse or another care team member, Maine hospitals have started a new website called HealthCareers4ME.com.

The site will include links on how to become a nurse, be it a licensed practical nurse, registered nurse or advanced practice registered nurse, as well as links to the many other healthcare career paths that are available. Videos of healthcare personnel speaking on why they joined the healthcare industry and what they enjoy about their jobs will also be featured on the site.

Every day, nurses and other healthcare workers devote themselves to providing compassionate and healing care. Despite the many challenges that healthcare faces today, these employees remain the backbone of Maine hospitals and the communities we serve. We need nurses and other compassionate caregivers more than ever, which is why we are putting out the call to all those considering a career in healthcare. Come join us today!