Build Your Healthcare Career in Springfield and Sangamon County
Illinois residents in Springfield and Sangamon County can build a healthy career.
As a medical professional, it’s no secret that your skills are in high demand across the country.
But your quality of life matters just as much as your pay and benefits. You want a place where your family can thrive, where you can grow in your career and where you can pursue your hobbies and interests in your free time.
If you’re looking for a change of scenery or want to jumpstart a new healthcare career, put Springfield, Illinois, at the top of your list. This mid-sized city in central Illinois is home to a thriving healthcare industry with a wide range of career opportunities — and it could be the perfect place to make your next home.
“Springfield has a very robust medical community, including well-established hospitals, clinics, provider groups and a medical school,” says E. J. Kuiper, president and CEO of Hospital Sisters Health System St. John’s Hospital. “We continue to grow year after year as we serve the region with high-quality care.”
Read on for seven reasons why Springfield and the greater Sangamon County area is a great place to live and work if you’re in the medical field.
In This Article
1. There are tons of healthcare jobs.
No matter your specialty, you’ll find amazing opportunities in the Sangamon County area thanks to an incredible collection of cutting-edge healthcare providers. Your future employers include SIU Medicine, Memorial Health System, Hospital Sisters Health System and Springfield Clinic, the second-largest multi-specialty physician group in Illinois, just to name a few. There are also providers specializing in fields like physical therapy, chiropractic medicine, nutrition, dentistry, occupational therapy and beyond.
“There are a large number of opportunities to work in the healthcare field in Springfield,” says Kuiper. “[Jobs] range from registered nurses to surgical technicians to physical therapists.”
2. There are tons of other jobs, too.
Even if you don’t specialize in a medical field directly (or you have a spouse or partner who doesn’t work in medicine), you can still find work in a healthcare-adjacent role in Sangamon County. All of those doctors, nurses and therapists need help ranging from administrative support to billing and IT.
“You can support those who care for our patients in roles like accounting, human resources, food service or environmental services,” Kuiper says. “Springfield is a growing community with increasing opportunities and endless possibilities.”
3. The care here is cutting-edge.
Healthcare providers in Springfield are constantly innovating, which means you’ll be working with the latest technologies and systems.
The pioneering Prairie Heart Institute at HSHS St. John’s Hospital, for example, was one of the first hospitals in the country to perform a transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedure (TAVR) and was one of the first in the world to successfully implant a special valve in a patient with an existing artificial heart valve.
Down the street, the Institute for Plastic Surgery at Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine is home to one of just 11 hand transplant programs in the country. The university’s Simmons Cancer Institute (SIU) regularly conducts cutting-edge research into new types of cancer treatment.
“We’re always thinking about how we can use technology to create a better patient care experience, to make things easier on the doctors so they are able to devote more of their time and attention to the patient,” says Katie Rutledge, vice president and chief human resources officer at Springfield Clinic.
4. Your money will go further.
Springfield is an affordable place to live, and you’ll be well compensated for your healthcare job. Case in point: family and general practitioners make an average annual salary of $225,940 in Springfield. Pharmacists make an average of $132,700 per year, and optometrists make an average of $144,000 per year. These wages are even more impressive when considering the median home value in Springfield is around $110,000. You’ll be able to support your family, save for retirement or meet whatever other financial goals you have — while making the most out of all the fun things to do in the area.
5. It’s a great place to raise a family.
Whether you have dreams of raising a family someday or you already have children, Springfield and the Sangamon County area are for you. Not only will you find fantastic schools here, but there are also tons of activities, ranging from sports leagues to museums, so your family will never be bored on the weekends. Plus, it’s easy to get around Springfield, which has an average commute time of 17.6 minutes, so you’ll never be late for soccer practice or ballet.
“Springfield is a great place to live and work for families,” says Rutledge. “There are a lot of great educational facilities and schools in the area. It’s a close-knit community, so you get to know people. There are lots of activities for kids to do. It’s really the best of every world.”
6. It’s centrally located.
While Springfield has everything you need — from arts and culture to outdoor recreation — there are times when you want to get out and explore. You’re in luck because Springfield is centrally located in close proximity to other major metro areas like Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Indianapolis and Nashville. All are just an easy one day drive.
“Residents only have a short drive for big-city offerings, but Springfield has all you need without the traffic and hustle and bustle,” says Kuiper.
7. People value relationships here.
Sangamon County is home to roughly 200,000 residents, so it’s just the right size — it feels like a small town, and yet, you have access to all the big city amenities and services you need to really thrive. The size also makes it easy to network and form meaningful relationships. In Springfield, you’ll find a collaborative, supportive environment of healthcare professionals in particular.
“We value relationships,” says Rutledge. “People can get to know each other, especially within the healthcare community, and be able to have that networking and relationship component.”
This article was sponsored by the Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance.