Virtual health care job fair planned as Missouri Hospital Association reveals critical need for workers
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A virtual health care job fair is planned for Friday in the Columbia region.
The job fair comes after the release of a new report by the Missouri Hospital Association, which reveals "unprecedented levels of turnover and vacancy," mainly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
New Report from Missouri Hospital Association
The report states the high levels of turnover and vacancy present a risk to health care levels and workforce sustainability. MHA cites this as a risk for both the short and long-term future of Missouri Hospitals.
The report shows nurses and respiratory therapists have the highest rates of vacancy with staff registered nurses (RN) showing a 19.8% vacancy rate. MHA states from 2020 to 2022, staff RN vacancies increased by 98%.
MHA says Missouri has 33,692 staff RNs working in hospitals. Currently, there are 8,334 positions listed as vacancies.
The association cites reasons of burnout and fatigue from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as wage distortion as some of the reasons for the open jobs and turnover rate.
MHA President and CEO Jon D. Doolittle says there's been a shift in the health care workforce within the past few years.
"It's no secret there's been a great change in the last couple of years in the way employers and employees think about work design," said Doolittle. "As we think about the future, we know that we need to focus on providing rewards that are appreciated, and providing support for our workers, so that they can continue to just get better and better at taking care of our communities."
MHA says the data from the report was taken from data from 128 hospitals across Missouri.
Columbia Virtual Healthcare Career Fair
The virtual career fair is a free event to allow attendees to meet with over 25 employers searching to hire health care workers. The event will give individuals the opportunity to virtually interview with employers including HCA Healthcare, Tenet Healthcare, and DaVita.
HireX, which is hosting the career fair, says over 109,747 people are unemployed in Missouri due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Registration for the job fair can be found on the HireX website. Applicants are encouraged to upload their resumes after registering.
The event is scheduled for Friday from 11 a.m. - to 2 p.m.
