Certified nursing assistants turned out to be the hot job among many exhibitors at the Carbon County Health Industry and Human Services Job and Education Fair on Tuesday.

"They're definitely looking for CNAs," said Heather Mullen, the adult education site supervisor at Carbon Career & Technical Institute in Jim Thorpe.Employers with tables at the job fair approached her throughout the day asking about potential new graduates in the nurse aide program. Mullen said the program at CCTI is called short-term, because it takes 162 hours to complete. The cost is $2,000, which includes books, etc. But if a student gets hired by a facility that accepts Medicare or Medicaid patients, then many employers will reimburse the student for the cost of the education. Career Link also has financial assistance available to those who qualify, she said.CCTI has a mandatory orientation for anyone interested in the nurse aide program at 4 p.m. Jan. 19. The orientation will cover the admissions process, paperwork and assessment. More information about the program and others can be found at

www.carboncti.org.To register for a program call 570-325-3682, ext. 1516 or by email at

cgooch@carboncti.org.Lori Malsch, the employment manager for Human Resources at Blue Mountain Health Systems, said the facility is looking for people in a variety of positions."Nurses in general are in desire anywhere. They can go where ever they want to go," she said.Similarly, Lisa Schenck, a human resource specialist at St. Luke's Miners Campus, said the hospital has several positions open and specifically are looking for respiratory therapists and a registered nurse manager."We are getting a lot of great candidates today," she said.All of the employers were directing potential employees to check out openings on the company websites and apply online.Jennifer Halat, a human resource specialist with the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, said candidates can apply through the

www.USAJOBS.gov website, but those in the medical fields should also complete an application with the medical center. The direct hire application is a quicker way for them to contact candidates. They are currently seeking to fill positions for psychiatrists, nurses of all levels, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and social workers.The job fair was held at Lehigh Carbon Community College's campus in Jim Thorpe and co-sponsored by LCCC and Pennsylvania Career Link Carbon County. Like CCTI, LCCC had information available for potential students. Currently, the Jim Thorpe campus offers core curriculum courses, but has plans for expansion."We will be adding more programs for next fall," said Cheryl Fisher, the site supervisor for LCCC at Jim Thorpe and Tamaqua.The employers on hand at the job fair included home health care and rehabilitation providers such as Bayada, Community and Residential Empowerment Services, Delta-T Group, Fitzmaurice Community Services, Resources for Human Development, and Weatherwood; Pleasant Trees Personal Care Home; Blue Mountain, Lehigh Valley and St. Luke's health networks; the Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Kidspeace; and Mid-Atlantic Youth Services.Kate Hartzel, an aftercare and training coordinator at Mid-Atlantic, said they are looking to fill teaching and social services positions.Mid Atlantic works to build up the strengths troubled teens have while teaching them the tools they need to be productive citizens."We are looking for someone who's willing to make youths' lives better and prepare them to the members of the community," she said."It's really a good opportunity for the right person. It's a tough job, but it can be very rewarding."