Careers in healthcare aren’t limited to doctors and nurses, and local hospitals are eager to promote this message.

As staffing shortages continue to affect hospitals across the Capital Region, facilities like St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany highlight a wide range of in-demand roles that help keep patient care on track. From food service and IT to facilities management and patient care techs, hospital leaders say these positions are crucial to daily operations—and they’re hiring.

“It’s facilities, people who work on the boilers, HVAC guys, electricians,” said Meredith Robinson, Chief Nurse at St. Peter’s Health Partners. “It really is mind-blowing when you think of… we have 13,000 employees—they’re not just all nurses and doctors.”

The region’s healthcare sector is still growing, but hospitals are grappling with higher-than-average nursing vacancy rates. That makes support roles more essential than ever, especially in areas like security, kitchen services, and patient transport.

Robinson says many employees start in entry-level roles like Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) or Patient Care Technicians (PCTs), and later move into leadership or specialized clinical positions. However, turnover remains high, as these positions are often seen as stepping stones.

“Once you get your baseline—either your CNA certificate or a PCT—the growth you get from that is huge,” Robinson said. “There’s so much opportunity to grow that you can do that in the hospital.”

To learn more, check out the St. Peter’s Hospital career website.