Mercy Health Seeks Long-Term Care Nurses

BOARDMAN, Ohio – Because of the rising demand for nurses across the state and the nation, Mercy Health Youngstown hosted a job fair to recruit licensed practical nurses, state-tested nurse assistants and registered nurse supervisors for its long-term care sites.

For four hours Monday at the St. Elizabeth campus here, interviewers met with applicants for the 50 positions at Humility House in Austintown and The Assumption Village in North Lima.

“Those are the clinical positions that will actually be caring for the patients, which is why we have such a need for them,” said Sharon Luklan, a recruiter for Mercy Health. “The increase in job openings for our company is because we’re growing and expanding. It’s also part of the nature of health care.”

She cited an increase in the number of patients, the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and changing staffing needs as the most recent changes in hiring.

Thirty people interviewed during the first 90 minutes of the job fair, Luklan reported. They had to complete their applications online beforehand, she said, and those at the fair filled out a questionnaire.

“If they’re qualified and meet our needs, they will be interviewed and we’re hoping to fill the bulk of our positions,” she said.

Among those applying was Carol Hostetter of Youngstown, who’s worked as a nurse more than 20 years in fields such as hemodialysis and long-term care.

“I saw this as an opportunity. I like to keep my options open and I saw this as a chance to check into the hospital for something here,” she explained after her interview. “The field for LPNs is opening up and I feel most places can’t do without us. That’s what gives me the opportunity to jump in here and pave a new road. It most definitely gives me more chances [while looking for a job].”

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services’ 2020 Job Outlook projects that nursing and residential care facilities in the Youngstown-Warren area will need nearly 13,000 workers by 2020, an 18.3% increase from 2010.

Between its hospitals and residential sites, Mercy Health Youngstown has some 300 job openings for both clinical and nonclinical positions, Luklan said.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.