Hospital hiring trends may be looking up. Analysts with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) project that private and public hospitals will add more than 500,000 healthcare jobs to payrolls over the next eight years. Robust clinical employment opportunities include ER nurse jobs, med/surg jobs and a bevy of critical care nurse specialties. Director of talent management at the Cleveland Clinic, Lois Bock, told Hospital & Health Networks that during the first two months of 2010, the Clinic filled 500 physician and RN jobs, along with numerous clinical support positions. Hospitals doing well as the economy recovers will be ones focused on quality patient care, said Deborah Bacurin, clinical coordinator for American Traveler Staffing Professionals, a leading employer of ER and med/surg nurses. With healthcare reform’s emphasis on performance and efficiency, Bacurin said, hospital’s looking for maximum reimbursements can’t afford to cut back on staff, as fewer nurses can lead to increased medical errors, a breakdown in patient-doctor communication and a drop in positive outcomes. At University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, patient admissions are up by 14 percent, prompting the hiring of 50 new nurses in recent months, reports the Iowa City Press-Citizen. [+]