Scrubbing up for a new career

As the real-estate market continues to crumble, a Germanna Community College counselor has noticed a significant trend in potential students during the last two years.

Mark Haines, coordinator of counseling services for Germanna Community College’s Fredericksburg campus, says increased numbers of people affected by the slumping housing industry are looking to new careers in the health-care field.

Among these people are mortgage bankers, real-estate agents and construction workers — most of whom were accustomed to earning large salaries.

“What we’re seeing is folks who were making more than $60,000 a year three years ago aren’t making anything anymore,” said Haines, who began working at Germanna in 2000. “People are leaving these good jobs and they’re looking for something stable.”

According to Haines, about one in five potential community college students that walk into his office inquire about the nursing program whether it’s becoming a phlebotomist, LPN, RN or nurse’s aide.

Patti Lisk, a professor of nursing at Germanna’s Locust Grove campus for about 20 years, said she’s well aware of the increased attraction of the nursing program, but hasn’t seen those students sitting in her classes just yet “because they’re just entering the pipeline.”

When asked how many students enroll in Germanna’s nursing and Allied Health programs because they consider the health-care industry more secure right now than jobs in other fields, Assistant Professor of Nursing Marie Messier said, “Well, that’s everybody.”

Darrell Hale, 40, of Orange is one of those students who made the switch for more stable employment in October.

“Construction is not the business you want to be in right now,” said Hale, who worked as a carpenter for the last 23 years. “There are very few houses being built these days and there are always patients that need medical assistance.”

He just completed a preliminary eight-week nursing-assistant course and is scheduled to begin prerequisite classes for the practical nursing program in January with a long-term goal of becoming a registered nurse.

Actual enrollment numbers for the spring semester won’t be made available until January, Germanna spokesman Mike Zitz said.

Meanwhile, hospitals nationwide are seeking nurses to fill vacant positions.

According to the Virginia Partnership for Nursing, the commonwealth will experience a 36-percent shortfall in the number of nurses required by health care employees by 2020.

“What makes the health-care industry most appealing is that there are currently — and will be for a number of years to come — huge shortages of nurses and some other health care tech positions nationwide,” said Abra Hogarth, spokeswoman for Culpeper Regional Hospital.