CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The ‘Now Hiring’ signs are everywhere, even hanging on the gate of Corpus Christi’s State Living Center. They are competing for applicants in multiple departments, especially nursing.
The need is so great, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission is now willing to pay out thousands of dollars in hiring bonuses.
“Yeah, it's been a hit for us,” said Scott Schalchlin, deputy executive commissioner of Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s health and specialty care system.
The count by THHSC shows it needs to hire around 3,000 people across the state.
“We were used to getting, before the pandemic, about 15,000 applications a month across our system. Now, we're getting about 6,000,” Schalchlin said.
There is a bigger focus on boosting recruitment for these roles: registered nurse, licensed vocational nurse, direct support professional, and psychiatric nursing assistant. Those are the jobs THHSC is now paying up to $5,000 in hiring bonuses for.
“They will see that it is a very rewarding job,” Maria de Luna said.
She is the chief nurse executive at the Corpus Christi State Supported Living Center. De Luna hopes to share the pride that comes from this line of work with more Texans.
“It's the satisfaction that you get when you're able to help the individuals that you serve. You can see it in their face,” she said.
You can also see it on the windows of her facility. The words ‘best staff’ and ‘heroes work here’ are painted on them.
To have the chance of joining a THHSC team, applicants can get started at the HHSC website. Job seekers who have questions and want more information can email healthcareers@hhsc.state.tx.us. To view open positions by location, view the Health and Specialty Care System jobs map.
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