Tampa General: Nursing Offers Unlimited Opportunities for Hispanics

Tampa General Hospital serves a 12-county region with a population of more than 4 million, in West Central Florida. Tampa General serves as the primary teaching hospital for the University of South Florida (USF) College of Medicine. Since 1971, the College of Medicine has graduated nearly 1,700 physicians and prepared 2,000 doctors in specialty residency programs. Ranked among the nations top 100 research universities, USF and Tampa General are committed to developing advances in medicine through both clinical practice and research.

Vision

Tampa General Hospital strives to be recognized as a leading medical center in Florida and one of the best in the nation. With its physician and university partners TGH aims to create, teach and deliver tomorrow's breakthroughs in medical science.

Medical School and Nursing Programs

TGH is affiliated with the University of South Florida College of Medicine and serves as the primary teaching hospital for the university. The hospital also serves as the clinical site for associate, baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs for the University of South Florida, Hillsborough Community College, St. Petersburg Junior College, the University of Tampa and the University of Florida.

Health Professionals

Approximately 3,000 healthcare employees are on staff. TGH plays a vital role in the in-service education of nurses, therapists, technicians and other health professionals. Tampa General offers an excellent benefits package including flexible medical/dental plan, accumulated time off, tuition reimbursement and retirement savings plans. TGH seeks motivated committed individuals to join its staff in many areas of patient care. For information about employment opportunities with Tampa General, call its Jobline at (813) 253-4100 (within Florida) or (800) 288-5444. You can also log on to Tampa General's Web site at www.tgh.org

Great Opportunities for Registered Nurses

As in all areas of the country, there is a great need for trained, compassionate registered nurses. And don't think this field is just for women. Men make excellent nurses, too! Just ask Luis Figueroa, a trauma center RN at Tampa General.

Thanks to current television hits such as ER and Chicago Hope, and movies such as Patch Adams, the medical profession is getting great exposure to Gen Xers who are beginning to consider career paths. Unlike daytime dramas, these endeavors focus more on medical situations and their consequences rather than the personal foibles and exploits of individual cast members. Aspiring to be a doctor is a noble ambition, but students should not overlook the whole medical field spectrum. The medical profession - especially nursing - is wide open to everyone - even more so for bilingual Hispanic men. Spanish-speaking nurses are in great need in Hispanic communities.

For the past 18 years, Figueroa has worked as a registered nurse - most of that time he's been in the emergency room or a trauma center. While all hospitals are equipped to handle emergencies, only select hospitals have trauma centers - that is, specific areas of the hospital ready at all times with staff and doctors in the building ready to handle any emergency from airplane crashes to natural disasters.

"We are a Level One Trauma Center, which means there are trauma surgeons on staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We also have a burn center and a pediatric trauma center," explains Figueroa. (A Level Two Trauma Center has a doctor on staff, but does not have a burn center or a pediatric trauma center.) Figueroa was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, and moved to Brooklyn, New York, with his family when he was ten. He's the fourth of six kids in his family. He graduated from the Beth Israel School of Nursing in New York City, and worked in New York as a nurse for six years. He worked on both a pediatric (children) ward and in an emergency room. "That's where I got hooked on trauma, and I've been at Tampa General since 1987," he adds. He is also trained as a paramedic, and was formerly a chief flight nurse for Aeromed 2, one of the medevac helicopter units. He is currently an ER charge nurse, where his duties include staffing, among many others. "I prefer to schedule nine or ten nurses per shift, plus we have one or two attending doctors, and one physician assistant," Figueroa explains. "And since we're a teaching hospital, there is usually a first- or second-year resident [med-school graduate] on the floor as well." As if being an ER charge nurse is not enough, Figueroa also serves in the Army Reserves, and was recently promoted to the rank of major. He's currently assigned to the 73rd Field Hospital, in St. Petersburg, Florida as the Officer in Charge of EMT Section.

What he likes most about his job is, of course, people. "People trust us [nurses] to care for them in their time of need," he explains. "For example, I remember when I was a student nurse, and caring for a woman in labor. I asked her if she was comfortable with a male nurse. My instructor said, 'You are a nurse,' meaning we're not male or female, we are trained professionals first. This lady had a baby boy and for several years she would send me a card and a picture of him on her son's birthday. That made me feel really great."

Figueroa attended nurses' training nearly 20 years ago - and was one of only three men in his class! So the need for male nurses continues to be great. "It all depends on what area of the medical profession you want to work," Figueroa says. "Paramedics work on the street (first on the scene at any emergency situation) while nurses work in emergency rooms, trauma centers, hospitals, schools and doctor's offices. Nursing is one career where you can work wherever and whenever you want -- the need is that great!

For More About Careers With Tampa General Go to Page 2