Community healthcare needs are growing in the Lakes Area of Northwest Iowa. If you have any healthcare training – or are willing to acquire training – then this is excellent news for you. It means many healthcare employers will definitely want to talk to you about employment opportunities.

And there are many of those opportunities. Healthcare, or health services, is one of the top industries by jobs in our region, alongside manufacturing and whole sale and retail trade. Over 250 businesses located in the Lakes Area of Northwest Iowa employ over 5,500 people

It won’t take any person in search of employment long to locate opportunities here. Just take a look at some of the open positions at some of our region’s featured healthcare employers here in our job directory.

However, our directory is only one of the many resources available that can assist you while you look for a healthcare job in our region. Here are a few more places you should look in your job search.

Use local job search resources

If you want to find a job in the Lakes Area of Northwest Iowa, then you will want to think like a local and look where they would look.

Many of the better local job boards and job hunt resources are area media. A few popular websites to take a look at for any healthcare industry openings include:

• Dickinson County News
• Estherville News
• Explore Okoboji
• Spencer Daily Reporter
• Storm Lake Pilot-Tribune
• Storm Lake Times

There are several other popular job boards outside of area media. Some of those options include the jobs listings maintained by the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation, as well as the following:

• Estherville Area Chamber of Commerce
• Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce
• IowaWORKS (a great tool for the broader region)
• Spencer Area Chamber of Commerce
• Storm Lake United

Those organizations all keep close tabs on industry activity in the communities they cover. So, if you visit one of their websites and are unable to find what you are looking for, be sure to give them a call. They may be able to do a little bit of hunting or asking around.

Don’t forget about the major job search websites

As with any other area, many of our region’s employers post and promote their jobs heavily on major job board websites, including Indeed and Monster.

You can’t go wrong with using those websites, but consider reaching out to the area organizations listed above to help you with any questions you might have about the job or company that has the opening. You might be surprised what a little networking ahead of sending in an application could get you.

Jobs for a variety of education levels

Healthcare employers in the Lakes Area of Northwest Iowa regularly have job openings for many levels of education.

Some positions, such as doctors, surgeons and pharmacists, require more advanced levels of education, but there are jobs readily available that the right person can apply to without having to meet higher education requirements. That would include some positions like medical transcriptionists, pharmacy technicians, dietary aides and more. For those jobs, you may want to look into whether an employer would cover or help cover the cost of any needed training or certification programs.

Experience wanted

In addition to education requirements, many healthcare employers want to see applicants with prior experience. That can look like past full- or part-time jobs, but it could also be internships or even time spent volunteering at a hospital or other medical facility, such as a nursing home.

These medical jobs are in demand

Northwest Iowa communities tend to be getting older. This is not unique to our region, as it’s the case throughout the country’s more rural communities, but it does explain the high demand of many jobs in the medical field.

One of the top priorities for many of our employers is filling out their nursing staffs. Nurses of all education and certification levels are in high demand, including licensed practical nurses (LPN), registered nurses (RN) and certified nursing assistants (CNA).

But other jobs in this field are in demand here, too, including home health aides, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physical therapists and, of course, physicians and surgeons.

If you are experienced in or drawn to explore options in these positions, then Get A Lakes Life! See what it means to love a Lakes Life.

Need help relocating?

We know relocating for any type of job can cause headaches and stress. But try not to worry. The team at Get A Lakes Life and the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation are here to do what we can to help with relocating, even if that means helping out family members who may move with you.

Reach out to any of the chambers of commerce listed above to see how they can be of assistance. Don’t forget to contact local governments, either. Some may also be able to help ease the burden.

Of course, Corridor staff is available to help however possible. Simply give them a call at (712) 264-3474 or send an email.