Job seekers poured into the Workforce Development Center in Mount Airy yesterday afternoon to apply for jobs at the Health Occupations Job Fair.

The job fair began at 1 p.m., and within an hour more than 70 people had come to take advantage of the service. Job seekers continued to come in until the fair ended at 4 p.m.

Carmen Parker Eldridge, director of the Workforce Development Center, said, “We’ve had an excellent turnout.”

The job fair was a collaboration between Surry Community College, the Workforce Development Center, Goodwill of Northwest North Carolina, and Surry County JobLink. Around five employers were present at the fair, and they were looking to hire medical transcriptionists, pharmacy technicians, coding/medical technology workers, health care billing/reimbursement workers, personal care assistants, certified nursing assistants I and II, medical office/clerical support workers, and phlebotomists.

Paper applications were also available at the job fair from many other companies which had immediate needs for employees. Participants in the job fair went into a classroom to fill these out. The computer classroom also was open for people to fill out online applications.

“Some people still don’t have access to computers ... Some aren’t familiar with online applications, which can be a barrier,” Eldridge noted.

Workforce Development staff were present to assist with the online application process.

Many of the people who attended the job fair had just finished medical courses with Surry Community College. Eldridge said, “It’s that time of year when a lot of people are finishing school and looking for jobs.”

Crystal Cail is looking for a CNA II (certified nursing assistant) or phlebotomy position. She just finished her last exam after working toward her CNA II certification.

“I think the fair is good. Hopefully I’ll get a job,” she said.

Before coming, Cail made sure she had a resume and references prepared.

Mary Turney just finished her PCA class, and she noted that looking for a job is tough. Of the job fair, Turney said, “It’s good, because there’s so many people out of jobs.”

Turney decided to get into the medical field because she said, “I just love it and looking after people.”

Beulah Whitaker has been unemployed since the end of March. She came to the job fair with a single purpose in mind.

“I’m looking for clerical support jobs in the medical field,” she said.

Whitaker has been participating in the JobLinks program, and she said, “I’m trying to take advantage of all of the opportunities that are available for me.”

She said she has been specific in the type of job she is looking for, because she will lose her house if she has to work for minimum wage. She said, “Most of us can’t live on that.”

Of the job fair, Whitaker said, “I think it’s a good idea. I wish there’d been a few more employers.”

One need in the medical field that Workforce Development workers noted was more CNAs. Employees with Carolina Select Home Care were at the job fair taking applications. The employers said they were looking for caring, reliable people with a good work ethic. They look for certified CNAs, and experience is good but not absolutely necessary.

Scott Stanley with Carolina Select said, “In order to do this work and do it well you have to be a caring person. That’s hard to find in an application. You have to find that through interviews.”

He suggested that applicants bring resumes with them when they apply for jobs and copies of any certificates they might have. Betty Stanley, also with Carolina Select, said applicants should come with an idea of what hours they are available to work each week.

Deborah Cave, director of nursing assistants and related programs at Surry Community College, said it takes around 4 to 4-1/2 months to become a CNA. She said the new Workforce Development Centers starting up in Pilot Mountain and Elkin will likely offer accelerated CNA programs in the at some point.

“For nursing assistants it’s a really good field right now,” she said.

Larry Calloway, a veterans employment consultant with the Employment Security Commission, said opportunities in the medical field will continue to grow, especially with the aging of the population. He also noted that not as many people take care of their older relatives now since they live all across the country, so there is more of a need for retirement homes and assisted living facilities. Many people want to live on their own, though, so in-home care is also a big market, he said.

Calloway suggests that if people are interested in entering the medical field, they should go online to research the demand for the specific type of job they are looking into. The Employment Security Commission also is a good resource, he said. If people are unable to find work at this time, then he said they need to spend their time wisely.

“The best thing to prepare yourself is continuing education,” said Calloway.

People also need to become computer literate, Calloway says, because manufacturing and textile jobs have mostly left the area. He said, “Be ready for the future.”

For more information about health occupation classes at Surry Community College or Workforce Development Programs, visit www.surry.edu and click on continuing education.

Contact Meghann Evans at mevans@mtairynews.com or 719-1952.