Healthcare: Where the jobs are

HAMPTON, Va. - Lisa Terry started working with seniors as a certified nursing assistant last year. She left her job as a security guard for the security of a job in healthcare.

"I give them a bath somedays. I might have to feed them, assist them to the bathroom, you know, just general care," she said.

The best part she says, Riverside Regional Medical Center trained her for free.

They also paid for most of Mercy Haag's education. She started as an activities coordinator at a seniors home and now, 15 years later, is an assistant director of nursing.

"I love it. I enjoy my position right now and hopefully one day I will become a director of nursing," said Haag.

All Hampton Roads Hospitals have similar scholarship programs and we found out all of them are hiring.

"We have jobs that require little training such as certified nursing assistants. We have 90 openings for CNAs today," said Mike Martin, Vice President of Lifelong Health and Aging Related Services with Riverside.

Martin says the reason is simple, people will always need healthcare and as baby boomers get older we'll need even more of it.

"It's almost hard to get your arms around the fact that the world has never seen this many older people."

Riverside already serves more than 3,000 seniors a day at daycare centers like PACE in Hampton, and through home healthcare.

So yes, Martin says job security is better in healthcare than in most places and Terry says so is the pay.

Related Links:

Riverside Regional Medical Center: www.riversideonline.com/

Bon Secours: bonsecourshamptonroads.com/

Sentara: www.sentara.com/Search/Results.aspx

Chesapeake Regional: www.chesapeakeregional.com/opportunities/index.html