About this time each year, when spring weather seems to be really taking hold and deep greens dominate the landscape, IHA staff get a special assignment – a chance to play Santa Clause.

Our Santa Clauses don’t come bearing festively wrapped parcels.  Instead, they hand out freshly cut $3,000 checks to college students studying to enter or further a health care career. 

It’s quite a treat for our springtime Santas to make calls to recipients of IHA’s Health Care Careers Scholarships with the good news – and the folks at the other end of the line (32 of them this year) don’t seem to mind, either. 

With long strings of “I don’t believe it” and “thank you so much,” these scholars react as if they’ve won the lottery (well, almost), but unlike a lucky drawing, they haven’t won anything.  They’ve earned this cash with outstanding academic achievement, glowing letters of recommendation and sincere personal statements that illustrate their commitment to professional, compassionate care for their patients and their communities. 

Here is part of what Emily Turner, a two-time scholarship recipient who is progressing toward her nurse practitioner degree while working at Greater Regional Medical Center in Creston, had to say:  “What you do is a blessing and I hope you continue to offer this scholarship for years to come.  I am honored and thrilled to be able to be a second-time winner and I promise I will fulfill my duties to Iowa and the health care field.” 

Hospital CEOs are the lucky ones – they get to read through the applications.  Yes, it’s somewhat arduous and definitely time-consuming, but it reminds them that health care still attracts its share of the best and the brightest – probably more than its share.  And it confirms that not only are there great minds in health care, but great hearts that are committed to serving their Iowa communities. 

It’s also important to note that donations from these hospital leaders helped set up the Iowa Hospital Education and Research Foundation Health Care Careers Scholarship Fund and have allowed the fund to provide more than $500,000 in scholarships so far. 

And it’s also a fact that in addition to supporting IHA’s statewide effort, all Iowa hospitals provide their own scholarship programs for their communities and support education, from preschool to post-doctoral, in countless ways. 

It’s great to be Santa.

The U.S. health care sector created 14,500 new jobs in January, while overall employment from all U.S. business sectors fell by 20,000 jobs, according to new Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) preliminary data released late this week.  Those additional health care sector jobs helped the national unemployment rate fall from 10 percent to 9.7 percent. 

Hospitals accounted for 5,000 new payroll additions in January, while ambulatory services accounted for 15,000 payroll additions and physicians’ offices accounted for 5,600 payroll additions.  Some areas of the health care sector lost jobs in January; nursing and residential care facilities reported 5,800 payroll reductions. 

The health care sector created 267,000 new jobs in 2009, including 22,000 payroll additions in December, according to BLS data.

Throughout the economic downturn, hospital and health care employment has remained relatively stable. Many Iowans who have lost their jobs have turned to health care to start new careers. This is a smart move; health care offers work that is challenging, rewarding and well-paying.

Many hospitals offer scholarships to help pay for college education in health care.  IHA has its own scholarship program that has helped dozens of Iowans start or advance their hospital careers.

The mismatch between the skills required for most jobs and the skills of the U.S. workforce is having a significant impact on all businesses and industries, including the health care sector.

Hospitals need reliable ways to measure foundational skills to ensure they are hiring the most qualified, trainable candidates. ACT, a  not-for-profit organization that provides assessment services in the areas of workforce and education, has two products that fit the bill for hospitals: WorkKeys and the National Career Readiness Certificate.

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