Expanding city means growing medical workforce at Roper, MUSC

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — The Charleston area is one of the fastest growing places in the country, and because of that hospitals in the Lowcountry are working overtime to keep up, and expanding facilities to hire hundreds of employees to help those in need.

Sharon Simmons is on her third week of training at Roper St. Francis' call center.

"I am so happy to be back home. Every day is like a new day," she said.

Simmons moved out of state 39 years ago and returned last summer.

"It's just jobs. It's people. It's just growth. Everybody is just coming here because the economy is changing and things are getting better. The workforce is getting better," she said.

On average, 43 people move to the Charleston area every day.

It's a statistic Dough Bowling knows well. He's the Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Roper St. Francis. He says monitoring the growth is critical.

"If we don't keep up with it we are likely going to put ourselves in a position where we aren't really able to serve the majority of the population in the Charleston area," Bowling said.

In the last year alone, they've increased new positions by 20 percent. That includes everyone from doctors and nurses to tech support and call operators.

In addition, Roper St. Francis has acquired the Nason Medical facilities. Those will create 100 jobs by next year. They are also building a new hospital in Berkeley County.

"One of the things that is difficult is the number of doctors that are being trained right now. There are not enough to replace those that are retiring and to keep up with the population growth," Bowling said.

That's why Bowling says recruitment is key. It's happening on a daily basis.

Officials at the Medical University of South Carolina are also preparing for the growth by increasing enrollment in its accelerated nursing program by 13 percent.

To see employment opportunities at Roper St. Francis: http://www.rsfh.com/careers/

For jobs available at MUSC: http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/hr/university/career_opps/