Finding a job in Rhode Island these days can be a challenge: Few companies are hiring, and with a 12.7 percent unemployment rate as of February, the competition is stiff. But the health care industry, long one of the bright spots in the state’s economy, continues to hire.
Ruth Ricciarelli, executive director of the Center for Health Professions, has been leading workshops at netWORKri locations statewide, making jobless Rhode Islanders aware of the opportunities available and of the skills they will need to be hired.
With sessions continuing through April, Ricciarelli answered questions about her experience so far, and what she hopes to accomplish.
PBN: Tell us a bit about the Center for Health Professions.
RICCIARELLI: In 1998, recognizing the growing and lasting impact a health care work force shortage would have on their ability to care for our communities, our member hospitals established a new priority – work force development.
The Hospital Association of Rhode Island added a new staff member to foster a collaborative initiative between health care organizations, labor, post-secondary education and state government. For the next decade, they worked together under the Health Partnership Council, and made significant strides in increasing interest and awareness of health care careers.
Last year, Rhode Island joined 23 other states in forming a center dedicated solely to work force development initiatives. The Center for Health Professions was established in state law and charged with health care work force data collection, providing professional development opportunities and streamlining emerging worker training.
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PBN: How did you get involved in doing trainings through netWORKri, and why?
RICCIARELLI: Using funds granted by the Governor’s Workforce Board, the center is working … to enhance collaboration and relationships between the industry and the R.I. Department of Labor and Training. We are [helping] to educate health care employers about the skills and qualification of unemployed Rhode Islanders and to improve awareness of the industry’s needs to those providing services to the unemployed. Several times each week, I visit netWORKri locations and have direct contact with unemployed workers.
PBN: What do these trainings entail, and how do you work with individuals?
RICCIARELLI: Ninety-four percent of all current and projected health care work force vacancies in Rhode Island will require postsecondary training. Most will require at least an associate’s degree. [So it’s critical that] workers considering jobs in health care are aware of the educational and training requirements for the positions they are pursuing.
During my trainings, I specify the importance of the health care industry in Rhode Island’s economy, how a worker’s skills can be transferred to another career, and training available to assist their transition and make them an attractive candidate.
PBN: How big a demand is there still for workers in the health care sector, and what kinds of people are providers looking for?
RICCIARELLI: Since the recession began, each job report has shown Rhode Island’s health care industry continues to grow. We currently employ more than 76,000, and projections show employment could reach 87,500 before the end of this decade. This will include replacement positions for retiring health care workers and new jobs created to meet increasing demand.
Over the past two years, hospitals hired 430 new workers, and ambulatory health care (physician offices and home care agencies) added 139 new jobs. This trend is expected to continue, with great need for nurses and physical and occupational therapists and assistants.
PBN: How big a gap is there between the typical netWORKri client’s skills and education and the requirements for the kinds of jobs you’re trying to fill?
RICCIARELLI: The workers I have met have had a variety of skill sets, ranging from a 55-year-old welder with a GED, to an underemployed 28-year-old waitress with a master’s degree in health care administration who had yet to break into the industry. In the case of the waitress, it was a quick fix by matching her education to current job opportunities. After assisting her with re-evaluating her resume to highlight her skills that matched job requirements, she was hired and is earning a wage and utilizing her degree.
Lacking a degree and experience in health care, the welder was referred to short-term training, paid by available federal and state funds, which will qualify him for an entry-level position.
I have no doubt both of these individuals have increased their chances of a gainful career in an industry that offers steady, well-paying employment with continued opportunities for advancement.
