BY CORIE LYNN
Friday morning, FHSU students walked about the Memorial Union’s Black and Gold Room, browsing the tables and meeting employers.
That morning, Fort Hays played host to the Health and Wellness Fair, a job fair in which students could learn what employment opportunities are available within the health field. Radiology and nursing students alike visited the fair, but it was open to all students interested in health professions.
According to the Karen McCollough, Director of Career Services, Fort Hays also holds the fair so that students have an opportunity to connect directly with employers and learn more about the fields in which they are interested.
“It’s great for them to connect with many different employers to learn what types of job opportunities or even internships are available,” she said, “what the needs are for the specific industries the students are in, what types of benefits might be available to them, different opportunities throughout our state and all the employment that is available.”
Because of this, the tables at the fair came from across the state. Students were able to learn, not only about full-time jobs, but also about further educational opportunities and internships.
“We have a wide variety of employers from schools, if students want to continue their education through chiropractic school, occupational therapy school, physical therapy school. We have a lot of hospitals and clinics. YMCA is here. We have a pediatric nursing agency. So there’s a wide variety of employers for students to check out lots of different employers in many industries,” McCullough said.
For radiology student Jordan Haan, attending the fair was a great way for students as well as herself to learn what jobs are available in the healthcare field. In fact, she believes it is important for FHSU to continue hosting job fairs for this reason.
“I think a lot of students don’t know how many jobs are out there and what’s available to them, so it’s nice that Fort Hays kind of brings in a bunch of people from all over the place, so they can see that they don’t have to stay where they’re at and there’s a lot of opportunities for everyone,” Haan said.
McCullough shares a similar opinion, though she believes that the importance of the Health and Wellness Fair expands beyond the Fort Hays campus. It serves as a way for students to learn about employment or even what major they should choose, but it also brings jobs into an industry in need of workers.
“There is a need for our students to be employed in the healthcare fields. We’re seeing shortages of workers in every healthcare industry, and so it’s a great opportunity for students in the fields to come and meet employers and learn about all the different hiring that is available,” she said.