New Nursing’s Growing Role Report

Nursing's Growing Role New Nursing's Growing Role Report - The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that industries and occupations connected to health care will be among people who have the fastest job growth between 2010 and 2020. Future nurses and health sciences professionals at The University of Texas at El Paso polished their resumes and met with nearly 20 prospective employers at the Nursing and Health Professions Career Truthful Sept. 11. Photo by J.R. Hernandez / UTEP News Service Nursing, physical and occupational therapy, speech-language pathology and pharmacy are expected to grow abundant faster than the common for all occupations.

Future nurses and health sciences professionals at The University of Texas at El Paso polished their resumes and met with nearly twenty prospective employers at the Nursing and Health Professions Career Honest on Sept. 11 within the Health Sciences and Nursing Building. "[Health sciences and nursing careers] are in demand right now," said George Barton, Ph.D., director of the University Career Center at UTEP. "Every one of these employers isn't here simply to talk with students. They're here to rent individuals."

The health care and social help business - which includes private and non-private hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, and individual and family service - is predicted to grow by thirty three p.c, or 5.seven million new jobs, by 20twenty, consistent with the BLS. Among the employers at the career fair was Sierra Providence Health Network (SPHN).

Representatives were recruiting nurses and physical, occupational and speech therapists for all 3 of their hospitals.

"They're laborious-to-fill positions because a ton of the scholars finish up leaving El Paso," said UTEP graduate Veronica Ornelas, healthcare recruiter for Tenet Healthcare, SPHN's company office. "But we have a tendency to have masses of benefits and a nice compensation packet."

SPHN had 22 openings for brand spanking new nursing graduates at Providence Memorial Hospital and eighteen at Sierra Medical Center.

Ornelas said that new graduate nurses employed by the network go through the Versant RN Residency program, which is an 18-week program that prepares new nurses to figure as full-time, independent skilled registered nurses in their units. After completing the program, the nurses plan to operating at the hospital for two years.

New nurses must apply and qualify for the program, that begins in October. Ornelas said they're wanting for people who have sensible soft skills, which embody client service and the flexibility to relate to patients.

"If you're visiting become a nurse, clearly one amongst the reasons is to care for others," Ornelas said.

Registered nurse topped the list of Best Jobs of 2012 in U.S. News and World Report, that didn't surprise School of Nursing Dean Elias Provencio-Vasquez, Ph.D. He said the profession offers great job security, pay and edges.

"Nursing offers strong growth in employment and considerable opportunities," he said. "I continually tell students that I actually have been a nurse of thirty three years and that I would do it once more."

Also creating the top 25 list was pharmacist at No. three; physical therapist at No. eight; occupational therapist at No. 10; clinical laboratory technician at No. 13; speech-language pathologist at No. fourteen; and social employee at No. eighteen - all career tracks offered at UTEP's Faculty of Health Sciences.

Stephanie Capshaw, O.T.D., director of UTEP's Occupational Therapy Department, attributes the big job opportunities for occupational therapists to a large aging population and an increased survival rate of premature infants.

"Most of our graduates have jobs secured before graduation, typically while on one in every of the final clinical experiences within the last six months of the program," Capshaw said. "OT will be a very lucrative and satisfying career alternative, with ample chance for growth and diversity at intervals the profession."

UTEP offers a Master of Occupational Therapy degree (MOT). The program has a concentrate on cultural competence and health disparities and offers students the chance to figure with students and school within the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences such as physical therapy and speech language pathology.

Martha Violand, regional director of operations at Reliant Rehabilitation, was at the honest trying to recruit students from the occupational and physical therapy and speech-language pathology departments for positions in El Paso and throughout the United States.

"Therapy positions are traditionally fairly hard to fill, so we reach out to students and new grads throughout the country," Violand said. "At now there's still a shortage of therapists versus the number of jobs that are out there."

Violand said there are some areas in the country where the work market is saturated, except for the most part, graduates in these fields can notice employment anywhere in the country, particularly in El Paso, where there are more jobs than therapists.

"The quantity of folks who are accessing health care, especially the older population, tend to grow additional rapidly than the number of scholars who are graduating from therapy programs," she said.

"We're talking about the baby boomers hitting retirement age needing hip and knee replacements and their oldsters still living and needing health care."

Matt Lares, a junior kinesiology major, met with Reliant regarding physical therapy opportunities.

"I think there's a job there on behalf of me in the longer term," he said.

Kimberly Contreras, allied health and support services recruiter, was hiring nurses, physical and occupational therapists, pharmacists and speech language pathologists for Las Palmas and Del Sol Medical Centers.

"Our services are expanding, therefore we need more employees to accommodate patient caseload," Contreras said.

Anthony Salvatore, Ph.D., speech-language pathology professor and chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, said that a career as a speech-language pathologist is a demanding and rewarding profession that pays very well, and students have wonderful prospects of finding employment anywhere within the country.

The program in Speech-Language Pathology at UTEP offers an innovative 5-year plan that culminates with the Master of Science Degree.

"We tend to have an wonderful school, we all have a clinical background, and we have a tendency to are dedicated to educating outstanding students who will build a difference and who care concerning the individuals they serve," Salvatore said.

Students who missed the Nursing and Health Professions Career Honest will have another opportunity to fulfill with prospective employers at UTEP's Career Expo Sept. twenty-21.

Barton advises students to decorate professionally and convey their resumes.