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Taylor Leddin-McMaster (Host): Hello, listeners. Thanks for tuning into the Well Within Reach podcast, brought to you by Riverside Healthcare. I'm your host, Taylor Leddin-McMaster. Joining me today from Human Resources is Mary Smith, manager of Recruitment and Workforce Planning, and Sejdije Fejza, professional recruiter at Riverside Healthcare.

They're both here to talk about the emerging trends in healthcare careers that are in high demand. Welcome. Before we get into today's episode, we're going to take a quick break for a message about myChart.

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Host: All right. Before we get into today's topic, I'm going to ask you both to introduce yourselves and your roles here at Riverside. Mary, we'll start with you.

Mary Smith: Yeah. As Taylor said, my name's Mary Smith. I'm the Manager of Recruitment and Workforce Planning. So, I oversee all the recruitment for Riverside and look into planning our pipelines for the future.

Host: Great. Sejdije?

Sejdije Fejza: Yes, I'm Sejdije Fejza. I'm a professional recruiter here at Riverside. And I process a lot of different roles at Riverside, whether those are ancillary roles or roles that are clinical. And then, we do have other recruiters as well that also do the same thing that I do.

Host: Fantastic. So getting into the topic, Sejdije, what are some of the most in-demand healthcare jobs today and which jobs require two years of training or less?

Sejdije Fejza: Yeah. So, the job opportunities that require two years or less of education in healthcare really are limitless and they are overall aspects of the medical field. In addition to that, they are all in demand and high paying. For example, we have CNAs where you could take a six-month course and get certified. Phlebotomists as well are a course. MLTs, or they're called medical lab technologists, as well as coders are a big one, and paramedics. If you are also wanting to be an RN or registered nurse, if you would like to get your associate's degree, those typically take around 24 months. So, a lot of people don't really understand that one because, you know, people think, "Oh, I have to get a bachelor's to be a nurse." And I think that's a really big one to highlight is you don't have to have a bachelor's. You can also be an associate's as well and have that to be a registered nurse.

Continuing on here for more jobs that you could get within under two years. For example, we have radiology or ultrasound techs that are also under two as well as respiratory therapists. So like I mentioned, those are all in-demand and high paying.

Host: Yeah, that's a lot of options. So, like you said, kind of limitless of what people can get into, and it's not all clinical. There's some others that fall into the category as well. So, healthcare system has a little bit of everything. Mary, for someone new to healthcare, which entry level clinical roles are most accessible?

Mary Smith: Yeah. So for someone new, just trying to learn, you know, what they like in healthcare, because as Sejdije said, there's a lot of options out there, there's a lot of specialties, we have a lot of students that come in as CNAs. So, they go through the Kankakee area Career Center. They get their CNA while they're in high school. They graduate with that certificate. And while they're in college, they're working for us as a CNA, whether that's in the hospital or one of our senior living buildings.

A great option if they want in-hospital experience would be the float pool for CNAs, because then they would. Kind of see every unit. And then, also, if they're interested more and so in like clinics, they could do care associate care tech float pools where they go to each clinic and kind of see the specialties that they have there. So, that's a great option for students who went to KACC and got their certificate. Great way to kind of learn about healthcare.

Host: Yeah, absolutely. Sejdije, can you share what skills or qualities make someone successful in these short training medical careers?

Sejdije Fejza: Definitely. Because it's related to patient care, I would say it's very important to make sure that you're asking questions. Asking questions not only helps you understand your craft, but also the patient. And then, in addition to that, being open to feedback. So when you're open to learning, it helps you, again, understand more of what's going on with that patient and it helps you understand more of how can you understand the patient and the hospital better as well.

Host: Absolutely. That's huge. Mary, are there specific roles that serve as great stepping stones into long-term healthcare careers?

Mary Smith: Definitely. I do want to say first every job that everyone has at one point in their life is going to be a great learning moment. You learn something and every single position that you're in. But one of our favorite examples of 2025 was we had a CNA who started at Miller Health Care who was then promoted through schooling. He is now an advanced practice practitioner at Riverside. So, someone who started off as a CNA that went to become an RN, and then just kept continuing his education and continued it through the Riverside continuum that we love. So, every position that everyone does in Riverside is going to teach them something.

Host: Yeah, that's a great story. I'm glad you shared that. Before we continue our conversation, we're going to take a moment to talk about the importance of primary care.

At Riverside, our primary care providers are right here in your community, offering personalized care for you and your family close to home and connected to the specialists and services you may need. Having a primary care provider means having someone who knows you, listens to you, and helps you stay well through every stage of life from annual checkups and preventative screenings to managing everyday concerns when they pop up, because remarkable care should never be out of reach. Remarkable care right where you live.

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All right, and we're back talking about healthcare careers that are in high demand. Mary, can you give an example of how someone can grow from an entry level or two-year role into more advanced positions?

Mary Smith: Definitely, definitely. So, whatever someone's interested in, we have the tools and resources out there for them to learn more about it. So really, just putting yourself out there and figuring out what you want to do and then utilizing allied education to maybe set up a shadow to maybe do some trainings on the subject to see if really that's kind of what you're interested in.

And then, also finding a mentor in the system. If you are in housekeeping or if you're in dietary or you're currently A CNA and you're like, "I'm really interested in respiratory. You know, I was in the ED and I saw some of the things they do," go up to a respiratory therapist, start a conversation, get a mentor there.

And then, also, we are a Magnet-designated hospital, so we have committees out there for everything. So, getting on a committee and kind of building those relationships there.

Host: Amazing. Yeah, that's great information. Sejdije, how does Riverside support professional development for team members in these roles?

Sejdije Fejza: Yeah. So, the main thing I would say is tuition reimbursement. And I would encourage anyone, not even at Riverside, but just to look at our tuition reimbursement and look at other organizations that offer it. You can use that for certifications. You can use that for degrees through different schools. We also have affiliations with different schools as well, so that's something to look at.

And then, we also have Riverside-specific growth opportunities. We have programs such as emerging leaders, as well as Riverside Young Professionals. So, that helps us understand in terms of our communication, how do we better utilize our communication with stakeholders, how do we build a team, things like that. And then, our education department does a really good job of offering the upkeep of certain certifications or even just providing different training opportunities for different jobs.

Host: Yeah, absolutely. Mary, what would you say are some common misconceptions that people might have about healthcare jobs that require shorter training times?

Mary Smith: Yeah, definitely. I would say there are some common misconceptions with careers that require less education or no education at all, is that they're not as important as our physicians and our nurses. And obviously, our physicians and our nurses are very important, but so is every position in Riverside Healthcare. Everyone makes a difference in our community health. They make a difference in patients' lives by doing what they do, whether that's scheduling a surgery and calling the night before and giving the directions for the surgery; whether that's bringing in a food tray, because food is very important; whether that's keeping the room clean, whether that's being a smiling face at a clinic when someone's bringing in a loved one. Every person that works at Riverside Healthcare makes a difference. And that's one of the biggest misconceptions I think that's out there-- that not all these people make a difference, and they really do.

Host: Yeah. Yeah. We couldn't do what the organization does without everybody's input. So, it's all very important. Sejdije, what trends are you seeing right now in the healthcare job market?

Sejdije Fejza: Yeah. So, there are more shortages and different programs due to the fact of the uncertainties that we had previously from the pandemic and just other items that have happened. Within the last year, we've seen people that are enrolling more and more, getting interested in healthcare. I think they're recognizing, again, that healthcare will always be necessary. So, it's really important that these people are getting into these programs because, like I said, there is a need.

Host: Mary, are there positions that weren't in high demand five years ago but are now essential?

Mary Smith: Well, the good thing in healthcare is most of our jobs are usually in high demand, right? There's always going to be a need. But what we're seeing trend-wise now is obviously an increase in IT. With all these challenges that some other healthcare facilities have had with downtime, our IT department is great with keeping us afloat with that. But obviously, with those, we're going to need more ITs. So, IT, we're seeing as growing.

And also, we're seeing more surgeries that aren't really cutting someone open. They're less intrusive. So, we're seeing more needs for techs to help with those type of surgeries. In addition, like rad techs, surgical techs, we're seeing need of more there.

Host: Yeah, that all makes sense. As technology evolves and we can do more outpatient procedures, that's where those things are falling, definitely. Sejdije, what makes a candidate stand out when applying for these in demand roles?

Sejdije Fejza: I would say hiring managers definitely look at whether that candidate is a good cultural fit. We want to make sure that who we're hiring aligns with our mission statement and our values. And with that being said, I would encourage candidates to also look at the mission statements of different organizations and make sure that your values and what you stand for aligns with that also. If you're willing to ask questions, kind of like I said earlier, it helps you understand what you're working towards, who you're working for, and helps you understand your community as well.

Host: For sure. Yeah, I like the idea of looking at other mission statements and seeing how that aligns. So, this question's for both of you. You can decide who wants to hit it first, but is there anything else on the subject you would like listeners to know about?

Mary Smith: So, what I said earlier is healthcare, there's always going to be demand for jobs. Healthcare is always going to be in a necessity. And then, also, with healthcare, it's never too late to start. If someone's realizing, "Hey, I want to be a nurse because this nurse changed my life," it's never too late to get into nursing school, especially with all those online options.

If someone's realizing, "Hey, I want to get into coding because that is something that I can do from home most of the time. It would be great for my lifestyle," there are online courses to get into that. So really, with online school, the potentials are endless. I mean, it's not going to be easy to work full time if that's what you have to do and go through school, but it's going to be worth it in the end. And there's going to be a position for you in the end there.

Host: Yeah. Thank you.

Sejdije Fejza: I would echo a lot of the items that Mary said, but I would also say get involved in your community. See what organizations are out there that participate with the one that you're working with. For example, Riverside communicates with a lot of different organizations within the community. We collaborate, we participate in a lot of different events as well. So, kind of looking at your community and thinking about how are we all connected and what connections can I make with other organizations to strengthen our whole community.

Host: Yeah. That's great advice. Thank you so much. Well, thank you both for being here today. And thank you listeners for tuning into the Well Within Reach podcast. We were joined today by Mary Smith and Sejdije Fejza from HR at Riverside Healthcare. I'm your host, Taylor Leddin-McMaster. Be sure to like and subscribe to Well Within Reach on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about career opportunities at Riverside Healthcare, go to riversidehealthcare.org/careers.