11 companies hiring in health care

• By Guest Contributor

by Jason Lovelace, president of CareerBuilder Healthcare

For the remainder of 2013, hiring in the health care industry is expected to remain steady, according to a recent CareerBuilder and MiracleWorkers.com survey. Fifty-one percent of health care employers plan to hire full-time, permanent employees, up two percentage points from last year. Part-time and temporary or contract workers are being hired at an accelerated rate from last year, with 34 percent of employers planning to hire part-time employees, up from 28 percent from last year. Additionally, 27 percent plan to hire temporary or contract workers, up from 12 percent last year.

But despite these optimistic hiring plans, employers are having trouble filling positions. A separate CareerBuilder survey found that health care organizations are struggling to find qualified candidates. When employers were asked what barriers stood between filling open positions, a lack of relevant experience was the most common response from 47 percent of employers (40 percent said applicants had less than three years of relevant experience); 42 percent said salary requirements were too high; 39 percent said applicants don’t have the proper education or training; 38 percent said applicants have poor communication skills and 38 percent cited work schedules/hours that were not desirable.

Job seekers in the health care industry can overcome these challenges by being more flexible about work schedules and pay, fine-tuning their soft skills and seeking out employers who have the resources to train those with little to no on-the-job experience. Joining an industry as dynamic as health care can be a challenge, but the rewarding work is worth the hurdles.

For those job seekers ready to take on an exciting opportunity in health care, here are 11 companies hiring right now:

1. Avante Centers
Health care focus: Skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers
Sample job titles: Registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, certified nursing assistant, executive director, physical therapist, occupational therapist, RN minimum data set (MDS) coordinator
Location: Boca Raton, Inverness, Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Lake Worth, Leesburg, Melbourne, Mount Dora, Ocala, Orlando, Ormond Beach and St. Cloud, Fla.; Charlotte, Concord, Reidsville, Wilkesboro and Wilson, N.C.; Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Roanoke and Waynesboro, Va.

2. Consulate Health Care
Health care focus: Long-term care and skilled nursing
Sample job titles: RN, CNA, MDS coordinator, director of admissions, director of nursing/clinical services
Location: Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin

3. County of Riverside
Health care focus: Health services, hospital, community health
Sample job titles: Clinic assistant nurse manager, institutional nurse, behavioral health specialist, dietitian, certified occupational therapy assistant, RN II/III – RCRMC – Pediatrics RN
Location: Moreno Valley and Riverside, Calif.

4. Genoa Healthcare
Health care focus: Mental health pharmacies
Sample job titles: Pharmacist, pharmacy technician, part-time pharmacist, site manager
Location: Nationwide

5. Liberty Healthcare Services, Inc.
Health care focus: home health care
Sample job titles: RN, CNA, LPN, home healthcare program coordinator, certified home health aide
Location: Elmwood Park, Mount Laurel, Somers Point and Toms River, N.J.

6. Lincare
Health care focus: Respiratory care, home infusion, enteral therapy, pulmonary rehabilitation
Sample job titles: Respiratory therapist, center manager, driver, registered dietitian
Location: Nationwide

7. Midwest Dental, Mountain Dental
Health care focus: Dentistry
Sample job titles: Dentist, dental hygienist, dental assistant, regional director of operations, business office manager, lead patient service representative, patient service representative
Location: Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Pennsylvania,  Wisconsin

8. Ochsner Health System
Health care focus: Nursing/allied health/leadership & management
Sample job titles: RN, LVN, chief financial officer, respiratory therapist
Location: New Orleans, La.

9. Octapharma Plasma, Inc.
Health care focus: Biotechnology/pharmaceutical
Sample job titles: LPN/emergency medical technician (EMT), donor floor technician, medical screener, processing technician, management trainee
Location: Nationwide

10. RSA Medical
Health care focus: Medical risk management services
Sample job titles: Medical case manager, nurse case manager/RN
Location: Naperville, Ill.

11. Stewart Healthcare
Health care focus: Hospital system
Sample job titles: Clinical manager, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, vascular technician, medical assistant
Location: Ayer, Boston, Brighton, Brockton, Dorchester and Westwood, Mass.