Northern Illinois Foot and Ankle looking to hire workers without clinical backgrounds

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The healthcare market is strong in Illinois, and while that usually brings to mind doctors and nurses, you don't necessarily need a medical degree to get a job in the health industry.

"It really tugs at your heart strings when you see people who are good workers who are laid off due to no fault of their own," said Dr. Patrick McEneaney, owner of Northern Illinois Foot and Ankle. "And so when we're able to grab those people and bring them in use their expertise to help our patients, it really makes me happy."

McEneaney said during the pandemic his practice has expanded by 50% and he's hiring, but not just doctors.

"What people don't realize is there is a whole backbone behind the scenes. We have people who make phone calls to patients. We have people who help patients fill out paper work," he said.

There are lots of jobs outside of doctors and nurses in healthcare, like receptionists or office managers, and schedulers. They don't require advanced medical training.

"If you're somebody who hasn't worked in the healthcare sector, you're not someone that has a clinical background, there are a lot of opportunities in the healthcare space today," said Chris Salzman, director of healthcare at CareerBuilder.

Salzman said the healthcare market here in Illinois is particularly good, whether you're a medical professional by trade or not.

"We saw you know over 2,900 jobs being available in healthcare last month in June, we're up to 4,300 plus in July. So we're gaining jobs steadily here over the last couple months," he said.

That includes the dozen or so non-clinical positions open here at Illinois Foot and Ankle. Take it from clinical manager Mark Rintz.

"Obviously this is a scary time. People still need to come in and be treated, and I just feel great that we have that opportunity," he said.