This February, executives from the American Healthcare Executives Forum, American Medical Association, American Hospital Association, American Academy of Nursing and the healthcare magazine Modern Healthcare will convene to address looming physician and nursing shortages, job opportunities for veterans, and the challenges and opportunities associated with a multigenerational work force.

Medzilla Reports: Job opportunities are on the rise along with hourly wages as October showed the first drop in unemployment across the country. Job cuts are also beginning to decline, demonstrating a year-long trend of increasing stability in a weakened economy. Health care employment opportunities continue to flourish on the heels of last month's surge. Reports indicate that because of an increase in demand coupled with a proliferation of diversified opportunities, the medical industry is creating more new jobs openings and career prospects than any other field.

This updated edition of Atlantic Information Services' annual publication provides valuable information on important trends that are re-shaping the health care industry, including in-depth coverage of: insurance exchanges, Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) regulations, accountable care organizations (ACOs) and the use of social media tools.

Smaller hospitals should take advantage of programs such as the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program, and the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program.  The government is currently working out plans to expand the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program, which will enable participation by critical access hospitals. This particular program also will allow use of the loans to recruit hospital physicians to rural healthcare facilities.

The MedZilla Employment Report for October 2011 -- New White House Regulations Pave the Way for Integrating More IT Positions in the Healthcare Industry - MedZilla Reports: While August showed renewed support and recognition by White House officials for the importance of incorporating and updating the IT systems in rural hospitals and doctor’s offices around the nation, the announcement of the new American Jobs Bill earlier this month captured the spotlight in employment news around the world. The question remains: How will the Administration’s objectives affect the country’s progress in healthcare reform and increase employment opportunities within the medical field specifically? Reports from the Department of Labor suggest that the biggest employment gains continue to be in the professional and healthcare fields.

The MedZilla Report for September 2010 - The Recent Employment Reports Show Healthcare Industry Bright Spot on Bleak Economic Horizon - MedZilla.com Reports: Good news for job seekers as the US job market showed signs of recovery when layoffs slowed by nearly a quarter last month. Challenger, Grey and Christmas, Inc. (CG&H, Inc.) reported an upturn in the country’s employment woes. Their report indicated that the gap between 2010 and 2011’s year-to-date job cut percentages has continued to close dramatically during the past months. 

"Technology really is the biggest stumbling block when it comes to health care IT, and the jobs that will come with it," said John Burkhardt, Managing Director of MedZilla.com, the internet's most established source for health care, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology employment information. "Though the government is spending a lot of money supporting electronic health records and other new technologies in the medical field, there's virtually no standardization and many companies create proprietary data you can only view on their apps or with their devices."

The MedZilla Report for July 2011 -- Health Care Employment Gains Hindered by Cuts in Pharmaceuticals and Managed Care. - Although health care employment was up in June, deep cuts in pharmaceuticals and managed care along with decreased job satisfaction among nurses ended the first half of 2011 on a less-than-positive note, reports MedZilla.com.

U.S. jobs numbers and several layoffs nationwide contributed to uncertainty in May, as more and more companies were forced to close open positions and not fill those opened due to attrition. Additionally, privacy and security concerns in health care IT have many leery of the 2014 due-date to get electronic health records implemented nationwide.

News was good on the employment front in April with the creation of 37,000 new health care jobs and no major layoff announcements being made. Also, a piece from U.S. News & World Report examines the benefits of niche sites for employers and candidates. Despite generally good news on the employment front in the U.S., the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in April that the nation's unemployment rate increased to nine percent. They noted that of the 244,000 new jobs created, 37,000 of them were in the health care field.