|
Job
outlook for Health and Human Services
grads good
By
Daniel Savino
Daily Forty-Niner
Assistant Opinion Editor
Social
workers, sailing instructors, speech
therapists and second lieutenants all
have one thing in common—their
careers came from an education received
in the College of Health and Human Services.
With
11 departments and four programs, graduates
from this college have a wide range of
job opportunities available to them.
Degrees in communicative disorders, criminal
justice, family and consumer sciences,
health science, kinesiology and physical
education, nursing, occupational studies,
physical therapy, public policy and administration,
recreation and leisure studies and social
work are offered through the college's
departments.
The
programs in the college also offer degrees
covering gerontology, health care administration,
military science and radiation therapy.
Nearly
all of the degrees are sought by employers.
For many years, nursing has been an in-demand
career. The American Hospital Association
reported in 2001 that 126,000 nurses
were needed across the nation. In October
2004, the American College of Healthcare
Executives found that 72 percent of hospital
CEOs had a shortage of nurses at their
facilities.
Hiring
bonuses are common, and because of the
shortage, job security is excellent.
The
U.S. Army is another employer facing
hiring shortages. Regularly reported
in national news, the Army has consistently
fallen short of recruitment targets.
While
it is a relatively simple matter to enlist
as a private, those students who committed
to the Army Reserve Officers' Training
Corps can take a different route to post
collegiate-employment.
The
ROTC program does not offer a degree.
Instead, students pursue their degree
of choice while taking a military science
class every semester to be on track to
both graduate and receive a commission
as a second lieutenant. Because of the
rigors of the program, students who make
it into their fourth year are almost
always guaranteed a military career after
college.
Graduates
from the health care administration program
are another group with ample opportunity
to find a career, post-matriculation.
A 2002 alumni survey found 91 percent
of graduates were working, and most had
a full-time job.
Tony
Sinay, director of the health care adminstration
program, said, "The job market is
always good for our graduates."
The
program puts its students at an advantage
before they even graduate. Every student
is required to participate in an internship
during their studies. Companies ranging
from Pacificare and Molina to Long Beach
Memorial and Children's Memorial Hospital
often accept interns. The 120 hours each
student is required to put in often translate
to a job.
"That's
really the No. 1 way of getting jobs
for them," Sinay said. "They
follow the internship and if they show
themselves well, they get hired."
Recreation
and leisure studies, another department
in the college, can carry a graduate
to a variety of jobs. The city of Long
Beach's Parks, Recreation and Marine
division employs people with, among other
skills, a knowledge of recreation activities.
Cities from Newport Beach to South El
Monte and Signal Hill are also currently
looking for people with a background
in recreation. |
