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First-ever CHP career fair looks at demand by Dick Peterson Public Relations You can't get the job without the degree. But what do you do if you can’t get the job with the degree? Michelle Holmes discusses physical therapy opportunities with Self Memorial Hospital representative Amy Hull Ramos. That's why the College of Health Professions held its first-ever career fair May 4.  The idea is to encourage CHP students to plan their careers beyond graduation to the day they will negotiate salary and choose where they will continue their professional career. “Our students need to think about what their degrees will get them in salary ranges and work experience and to help them find the best possible employment opportunities,” said fair organizer Karen Eippert.  Career fair participants line the walls of the Wellness Center gymnasium. Representatives of health care organizations lined the perimeter of the Wellness Center gymnasium, each offering literature, advice, and some were actively recruiting to fill open positions in their institutions. This event offered networking opportunities for students from programs with a more administrative focus, like the Masters in Health Administration and Bachelor of Health Sciences.  Pssst! By the way, PA is hot! Physician assistants are in demand. “And job demand in the rehabilitation science areas is on the rise,” Eippert said. “These professions have experienced a slump during the past few years, but the cycle appears to be changing, and according to those employers, those jobs are in demand again.” That's what CHP student Michelle Holmes is counting on. About to graduate with a degree in physical therapy, she was talking to Self Memorial Hospital representative Amy Hull Ramos during the career fair. The hospital in Greenwood is certainly a possibility, she said. She described how living between there and Greenville, where she and her husband come from, would be ideal. “Graduates of both the anesthesia for nurses and the extracorporeal circulation (ECT) programs are receiving tentative job offers prior to completion of their degree requirements,” Eippert said. “The programs are unique and the demand is there.” Eippert credited CHP dean Danielle N. Ripich, Ph.D., and associate dean Jerry Blackwell for supporting the fair. “It would not have happened otherwise,” she said. Eippert also credited CHP staffer Fran Clement for the hours of extra work she devoted to making the fair a success. “Events such as this don’t happen without the contributions of many,” she said. Because of the generous support from some of the CHP staff and students and a great group of people at the Wellness Center, I think it’s safe to say our first college career fair is a success. “Our students need to have a plan and know what they want,” Eippert said. “More than just teaching survival here, we encouraged them to explore the health care market for a job that will take them where they want to go.”