Health Care Is Resistant To Layoffs

By JASON ROBERSON / The Dallas Morning News
jroberson@dallasnews.com

Rosemary Hill used to earn more than $200,000 a year as an executive for an information systems company. Her master's degree in management systems and years of telecommunications work in the Air Force gave her a posh life of first-class flights and swanky hotels. But when her aunt grew ill with cancer and died in February 2002, the Lakewood resident began re-evaluating her life.

"I watched the nurses, doctors, technicians and housekeepers come together to take care of her," said Hill, 46.

Motivated by their work, she switched gears and in 2005 enrolled in Baylor University's nursing program in Waco, which gave her credit for her master's degree and years as an executive.

Today, Hill is a nurse in the cancer center at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, earning slightly more than $40,000 a year.

"My priorities are different," said Hill. She's typical of thousands of workers in Texas and nationwide who are finding a second career in health care, one of the few industries in this dour economy that is actually hiring.

Economists and staffing experts say that while other industries are cutting back and laying off employees, the health care industry is in dire need of workers.

In fact, health care will generate 3 million new wage and salary jobs between 2006 and 2016, more than any other industry, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"People are coming out of other industries and getting into health care because it's still growing," said Cheryl Abbot, regional economist with the Labor Bureau. "No other industry can say that."

In December, while the U.S. economy shed more than half a million jobs, the health care industry added 32,000, the Labor Bureau reported.

For all of 2008, the economy lost nearly 2.6 million jobs while health care added about 372,000, the bureau said.

The trend in Texas is the same: Texas added more than 28,000 jobs in health care and social assistance during the 12-month period ending in December.

Abbot said the industry is growing because of the aging population and because the political climate favors improving health care, which requires more workers.

Sarah Friedman, Baylor's director of recruiting, said the Dallas hospital system's hiring has grown steadily, from 3,500 in 2006 to 4,100 last year.

Though Baylor doesn't specifically track which hires are embarking on a second career, about 60 percent of hires are older students, suggesting they are switching careers, Friedman said.

Those who embark on a second career in health care typically enter two-year programs in fields that require passing a certification exam, Friedman said.

"A two-year program isn't as daunting as a doctorate in physical therapy," she said.

The Delta Cos., a Dallas health care staffing firm, is expecting 27 percent revenue growth this year because of the demand for its services. The company said it expects to hire 61 employees this year.

"While the rest of the country is preparing to insulate themselves from this down economy, our stance is that this is the best time to play offense," said Ryan Tipton, Delta's chief talent officer.

Specifically, there's a demand for physical therapists because of the aging baby boomer generation, said Ty Chambers, Delta's executive vice president.

And because of a shortage of physicians, many facilities are hiring nurse practitioners and physician assistants, said Bill Tracewell, Delta's vice president of health care placement.

"These professionals can share in the call schedule, assist in the OR and cover the office when the physician is needed in the hospital," Tracewell said.


Ages creep up

Human resources personnel at Texas Health Resources Inc., a hospital system based in Arlington, said they've noticed the average age of nursing school graduates increasing, an indicator that many are starting second careers.

Spokeswoman Rachel Raya said that in recent years THR has hired nursing graduates ranging in age from 22 to 55, with the average age now 31.

Jamie Glass, 27, of Dallas grew tired of "being pushy and forceful" as a sales and marketing executive in the automotive industry.

"I just realized this wasn't something for me long term," Glass said.

In soul-searching for a better career, she remembered how she felt as a teenager watching nurses care for her premature nephew in the neonatal intensive care unit.

She enrolled in a four-year nursing program at Tarleton State University in Stephenville and now is a neonatal nurse with Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas.


Male nurses

THR's human resources workers also said they've noticed more male nurses, many in their late 20s and early 30s moving from other industries.

Shane Spinks, 35, of Euless used to manage a pub that had a full bar, kitchen and live music. But Spinks now expects to graduate in May from Tarrant County College's nursing program.

"We buried my little sister a few years ago," said Spinks, describing his motivation for pursuing nursing in the intensive care unit.

"I felt God tapping me on the shoulder saying, 'This is what you need to do.' "

Article Source: Dallasnews.com