Health Care Careers Extend Beyond Medicine

When a local child falls off a trampoline and breaks an arm, having emergency health care available close to home is a welcome amenity.

When that child grows up, a local career in the booming health-care industry may also keep him or her close to home.

Along with providing essential services for local and regional residents, the local health-care industry creates hundreds of good-paying jobs that boost the local population and stimulate growth in the economy.

“We have a wide range of local careers available in the medical community, and we hope our local students and parents consider all of those options when deciding on areas of study,” PCDC Executive Director Ron Tillery said.

Besides the obvious health-care careers in the medical field, the industry also provides jobs in accounting, marketing, IT, business administration, human resources and other fields.

Phelps Memorial Health Center employs 293 staff in a variety of jobs (including staff at Phelps Medical Group), and they are part of one of the best places to work in the world.

Gallup recently chose PMHC to receive a Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award and listed the hospital as 38th on its list of most exceptional workplaces in the world.

Each year, Gallup recognizes the most engaged workplace cultures in the world, “organizations that challenge the status quo and transform their workplaces by putting people at the heart of their business strategies.”

According to Gallup, PMHC’s “consistent attention to doing the heavy lifting around engagement is top-of-mind for everyone in the health center. Phelps Memorial Health Center has never wavered in the face of constant change and is poised to make the future even brighter.”

PMHC’s Chief Experience Officer Lacie Westcott said people are at the heart of the organization.

“Our leadership team invests resources in enhancing our organization’s culture and employee experience,” Westcott said. “For years, we have focused on retaining the right people, with the right attitude, for the right job. For 2020, our retention rate is nearly 98 percent.”

Westcott said they’ve always known that the work the hospital’s team does is special.

“Receiving this prestigious award from Gallup validated the amazing team we have at Phelps Memorial,” she said.

Besides PMHC, the local health-care industry also includes another 450 jobs at Holdrege Memorial Homes, Christian Care Homes Community, ruralMed, Family Medical Specialties, Holdrege Family Vision and local dental clinics.

Health care is the third-largest industry in Phelps County (behind agriculture and manufacturing) and provided an estimated $33 million in salaries in 2018, according to a study by Kenneth M. Lemke, economist with NPPD. Health care jobs comprise 14 percent of the jobs in Phelps County and contribute to 6.2 percent of all sales by local businesses.

"Ripples from the healthcare sector spread throughout the regional economy and help position Holdrege as an attractive destination for new businesses,” PCDC Executive Director Ron Tillery said.

Those doctors and other professionals working in health care need places to buy clothing, furniture, groceries, gifts, appliances and home goods, and that creates more opportunities for local entrepreneurs and businesses.

For more information about local careers in the health care industry, please visit https://www.phelpscountyne.com/phelps-county/workforce-&-careers/start-a-career