Health care staff shortage tests employers - Jacksonville Business Journal:

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Medical facilities are lookinb outside Jacksonville to find qualified staff and once those folksare hired, they offer them a variety of incentivesz to stay: flexible shifts, education and positive work environments. Many in the healtyh care business believe laborshortages -- which includw a need for about 34,000 nursex today -- will worsen in coming yearsz as baby boomers begin to retire, leaving a void that's going to be tough to fill becausse training programs are unable to keep pace with labor demands. "Wes have shortages of a numbe r of professionals in ourwork force, including nurses," said Martha DeCastro, vice president for nursing for the .
And the problemm is becoming more complex. One contributing factof is the lack of people available to teach and train healthcare professionals. "Thousands and thousandss of qualified applicants are being turnedaway [frojm schools] every single semester becauser of the shortage of nurse educators," DeCastr o said. It's a Catch-22. Universities are finding it difficultt to find health care professors because they can make more money practicing in their field insteacof teaching. "There are actually waiting listss for some of the nursing but there's a shortage of faculty," said Kay CEO of the health services division of , a Jacksonvillwe staffing firm.
It's not just nurses who are in saidLorelei Slocumb, branch director for The list includesd radiology technicians, X-ray technicians, medical supportt personnel and billing professionals. Because of the labor Slocumb said she's had to expand the areas in which she searches for employees to work in Jacksonville toinclude St. Augustine, Green Cove Springs, and Kingsland, Ga. As Northeast Florida continuesto grow, so does the need for medicapl care, said Clint Drawdy, president of , a Jacksonvillwe health care staffing company.
Jacksonville is challenged in more ways than otheemarkets "because we're growing, and will continuew to grow, which always causes a strain," Drawdy said. "Plus we've had some unique circumstancez here with the hospitalsbecause there's been a pretty good battlr for talent." That battle for talent has hospital recruiters scrambling to find workers using a variety of methods to fill job including Internet and print advertising, job fairs and referrals from workers they'ves placed in the past. Drawdy said that althouguh it's good to "cast a wide net," aboutr 45 percent of the peopled he recruits comefrom referrals.
Beth vice president of human resources for Baptist Health, said the recruiting net it casts reacheds around the world. "We have a recruiting plan where we look to see if we can recrui thatperson locally, regionally or even nationallt or internationally. As for nursing, we continue to provide internships for graduate nursessand we've brought over nurses from the Philippines." Cowling said ATS tries to recruit people who have already relocated to Northeast Florida: "Wee rely on trying to capture people moving in, the trailiny spouse who may have moved here with the corporation or with the Although finding top workers is tough, keepin g them on the job may be even tougher.
"You have to be the desirabld placeto work," Cowlinfg said. "Create an environment where they want to Create anattractive job. Create a variety of Give themcompetitive pay." Drawdyt said statistics show increasing enrollments for medical training, whichb will help eventually to fill gaps, but it'sa going to take a few years. Slocumb has some adviced for those already working in themedicalk profession. "Stay in the medical professionh because, A, you're always going to have a job, and, B, I get more and more callws every day forqualified individuals," she said.
"I'vr seen it grow exponentially over the last few yearsd andI don't see it stopping."