AIM Magazine 2016 | Page 12

When Arkansas Children ’ s Northwest opens in January 2018 , the new hospital will create hundreds of career opportunities in health care opportunities focused on the unique needs of kids .
With the opening of Arkansas Children ’ s Northwest , the Arkansas Children ’ s Lowell Clinic will soon jump from an employee base of 50 , plus physicians , to about 300 .
The 233,613 square-foot building , rising on 37 acres of land , donated by David and Cathy ( George ) Evans , Gary and Robin George and their families , is located in Springdale near Arvest Ballpark .
The new campus will include 24 inpatient beds , 30 clinical exam rooms , 30 emergency department rooms , and five operating rooms . Also , it will offer the only pediatric emergency department in Northwest Arkansas and immediate access to Arkansas Children ’ s mobile ICU , Angel One .
The new hospital will be part of Arkansas Children ’ s , Inc ., the only hospital system in the state dedicated to caring for children .
“ Our operations will grow from a bustling clinic to a full-scale hospital , complete with subspecialty services that are necessary for caring for kids ,” said Laura Spies , Human Resources Business Partner .
“ Children aren ’ t little adults ,” Spies said . “ They need the care close to home that we ’ ll exclusively be able to offer right here in Northwest Arkansas .”
Parents have to pull children out of school for a whole day to travel to the Little Rock campus .
“ All this travel disrupts lives ,” she said . “ This is just one of the reasons it ’ s important to offer care close to home for the 200,000 children who live in this area .”
The new hospital will need nurses , technicians and support workers in many more roles .
Some of the new jobs will include radiology , cardiology , pulmonary , lab , surgery , pharmacy and patient care technicians . Each of those jobs has specific certification and training requirements .
Patient care technicians will be needed to support nurses and help patients . Those technicians must have completed one semester of health care curriculum , or worked for one year as a certified nursing assistant , or CNA , which involves taking a course and passing a test .
Also needed will be registered dietitians , speech pathologists , audiologists , social workers , physical therapists , child life specialists , interpreters , information technology professionals , human resources professionals , and clerical support people who provide admissions , billing , and scheduling support .
The hospital ’ s nursing staff will include licensed practical nurses and registered nurses from level I through IV , Spies said . The higher the level , the more education , experience and professional competencies a nurse has .
“ Nurses are always a challenge to find ,” Spies said . “ Pediatric
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