Sep. 12 -- BEMIDJI -- A world of careers exists within the health care industry, and
Setting up shop on Wednesday, the expo offered insight into current job openings, responsibilities and qualifications for roles across a wide swath of departments.
From nursing to food service and security to environmental services, current
Sanford Health
employees visited with attendees to help them find their occupational match.
"There's a lot of people that come from different areas, different experiences," Sourcing Specialist Jaxon Wetzel said, "so this variety is really crucial for everyone trying to find the perfect job."
Sanford Bemidji held on-the-spot job interviews last fall, and Wetzel noted a desire to expand on that for this year and moving forward.
"We decided we wanted to do a career fair for the community aspect and have a variety of different departments here at the same time," Wetzel said. "We're super excited to host this and we're looking to grow every year."
Among those tabled was Meagan Johnson, manager of Sanford Bemidji's critical care team. The expo was a fitting venue for Johnson to highlight several open nursing positions as well as opportunities for advancement, sign-on bonuses and internship opportunities.
Above all else, Johnson aimed to emphasize the culture of her department and Sanford Health in general.
"With the culture of our nurses and looking at what Sanford has to offer, it's kind of like a family," Johnson mentioned, "and everybody works together to provide care for our community."
Recruiting for an open surgical technologist position, Ashley McDonald spoke on rewarding aspects of working in her department as no two days are ever the same.
"It's a pretty exciting job that's also really important," McDonald said. "You get to play around with a lot of instruments and you get to see some really cool surgeries, all while helping a lot of patients."
McDonald noted a couple different ways to earn a surgical tech degree including a two-year program or Sanford Health's 18-week med-certs class, a job-specific option that offers a bit more flexibility than two-year schooling, McDonald mentioned.
Other positions in other departments -- such as sterile processing -- don't require any formal education and simply conduct on-the-job training before the employee attains their Certified Registered Central Service Technician certification, or CRCST.
As attendees explored their options and took advantage of on-site application assistance, Wetzel expounded on a key takeaway of the event.
"We just hope (attendees) find that future career that they want," Wetzel left off, "and create long-lasting connections."
Sanford Bemidji's efforts to highlight its career opportunities didn't stop once the expo concluded. Aimed toward middle and high school students in grades 7-12, Sanford Health's MedX career exploration program will host four fall sessions starting Tuesday, Sept. 16, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center.
Additional dates include Oct. 21, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9 with spring sessions set for Jan. 20, Feb. 17, March 17 and April 14.
"MedX gives students a behind-the-scenes experience of various health care careers through interactive activities, facility tours and presentations from professionals in the field," a release said.