Saturday, July 20, 2013

Nursing Home Jobs: A Booming Industry


Why Choose Nursing Home Careers or Assisted Living Facility Jobs?

With over 4 million baby boomers turning fifty, the number of senior citizens is soon to be double its current size. Along with the influx of elderly patients comes a need for people to care for them in retirement homes and skilled nursing facilities. Choosing the right retirement home position allows you to make money while helping a vulnerable population. You may also receive health and wellness benefits, retirement, tuition reimbursement and the ability to choose from three different work shifts. Some facilities even pay for non-medical staff to go to school to become qualified or therapists with a guarantee of retirement home employment following graduation.

What Type of Nursing Home Jobs Are Available?

A retirement home requires a large staff to run efficiently. Daily patient care falls upon the registered nurses, licensed practical caregivers and certified nursing assistants. Physical, occupational and speech therapists, as well as their assistants often perform specialized rehabilitative services. Many retirement communities have on-site pharmacies needing a pharmacist and pharmacy tech to staff them. Physician's assistants, qualified practitioners and physicians often make rounds and some maintain permanent nursing home careers as full-time staff. There are also many non-clinical retirement home positions such as receptionists, accounting, managerial, food service and maintenance.

What Qualifications Do You Need for Nursing Home Employment?

Qualifications for these positions range from a high school diploma or GED to a medical degree. Most medical Assisted living and retirement home employment opportunities require a college level education in order to obtain a license. Registered nurses require a minimum of an associate's degree and licensed practical caregivers require a specialized certificate, as do certified nursing assistants. Therapists of all specialties commonly hold a minimum of a master's degree with assistants holding an associate's degree or bachelor's degree. Pharmacists, physician's assistant's, and nurse practitioner's all hold a master's degree or higher. Physician's must be a medical doctor or doctor of osteopathy and hold a state medical license. Receptionists, secretaries, personal assistants and some managerial positions may require a high school diploma, college or job related training.

Where to Look for Assisted Living Facility or Nursing Home Careers?

When looking for retirement home careers, many people choose to start with the internet. Many internet sites allow you to search specifically for retirement community jobs and some sites cater to finding only these jobs. Newspapers commonly have assisted living and assisted living jobs under office work, professional and medical categories. Employment agencies can also help you find assisted living and assisted living careers in your area. Another possible venue for assisted living facility or retirement home employment is the actual facilities themselves. Often, introducing yourself to the human resources director can humanize your qualifications and give you a leg up against the competition.

No comments:

Post a Comment