LUBBOCK, Texas — During the last 11 months, hospitals have struggled with having enough staff during the pandemic, but UMC is actively looking for more nurses.

“You know it is very stressful for anybody working on the floor being a nurse. It’s a really tough job,” said Director of Nurse Recruitment, Lindsey Rangel.

Currently, there are around 43 positions open for nurses at UMC, but they say even with all the open positions, they have not experienced a shortage.

“We’ve been doing a great job of OK these nurses are going to be deployed now, and these nurses that work in areas like I do we are going to deploy you now and we made a huge strategic plan,” said Rangel.

A reason they have not seen a major hiring crisis is because nurses from other areas have stepped in.

“We are getting such grateful help from the state, and we are getting nonclinical nurses like myself from other departments, where you are helping with anyone that is quarantined. We can go staff the unit we are trying to be deployed as much as possible to the area that needs it,” said Rangel.

With COVID still alive and well, hiring has faced new challenges with the processes now almost entirely virtual.

One of the biggest changes has been candidate questions.

“They want to know you know what the area looks like. Are you seeing a lot of COVID? Is there a huge surge? Is it safe for my family? Is it safe for me? What is the patient ratio?” said Rangel.

As UMC works to keep up with the hiring demands of COVID-19, they hope prospective nurses know how valued they are.

“Yes, it’s scary. It’s a difficult time, but we aren’t going to throw you out there with no support,” said Rangel.

If you are looking for a nursing job at UMC you can find their available positions here.