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Orlando Health and Watson Clinic are aiming to fill 1,500 jobs<\/a> before their new, seven-story hospital opens at the southeast corner of the Polk Parkway at Lakeland Highlands Road in late June or early July.\u00a0<\/p>\n People interested in working at the Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highlands Hospital<\/a> can meet with recruiters on Jan. 31 during a public hiring event at Polk State College.\u00a0<\/p>\n Once it\u2019s fully staffed, the hospital is poised to be the sixth-largest employer in Lakeland<\/a> and the 15th-largest employer in Polk County<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hiring event details<\/p>\n Who: The job fair is open to anyone, from experienced nurses to those seeking entry-level support roles.<\/p>\n When: Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026<\/p>\n 9 a.m. to noon: Interviews for non-nursing, non-physician roles including therapy, respiratory, imaging, pharmacy, food and nutrition, environmental services, customer service and more.<\/p>\n 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Interviews for nursing and nursing support professionals.<\/p>\n Where: Polk State College \u2013 Lakeland Campus, Lakeland Technology Building (LTB), 3425 Winter Lake Road<\/p>\n What to bring: A printed copy of your resume<\/p>\n How to prepare: Registration is not required, but applicants are encouraged to review openings at OrlandoHealth.com\/Lakeland<\/a> and apply online before the event.<\/p>\n The upcoming fair will be the hospital\u2019s second public hiring event. More than 1,000 applicants attended the first one in August<\/a>, according to Public Affairs and Media Relations Manager Kimberly C. Moore.<\/p>\n The hospital named its leadership team in October<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are now hiring mid-level managers and supervisors, along with the front-line team and members in all disciplines,\u201d Moore said. \u201cWe still have several hundred positions open as we move into the next phase of hiring.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The hospital at 4000 Lakeland Highlands Road is expected to open with more than 300 inpatient beds, 69 emergency and observation beds,<\/a> 11 operating rooms, four cardiac and interventional suites and an 18-bed intensive care unit, which will grow to serve 36 patients.<\/p>\n Obstetric services will include eight labor and delivery rooms, two special C-section operating rooms and more than 25 postpartum rooms. A 12-bed neonatal intensive care unit is expected to debut shortly after the hospital opens.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is one of the largest hospital capital investments Orlando Health has made,\u201d Hospital President Carlos Carrasco said<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s a big commitment to the community. But it\u2019s a big commitment because the community deserves it.\u201d<\/p>\n Health care building boom<\/p>\n The new facility will be only the second hospital to open in Lakeland \u2014 arriving more than a century after Lakeland Regional Health, founded in 1916<\/a> as Morrell Memorial.\u00a0<\/p>\n But it won\u2019t be the last. AdventHealth is planning a 10-story, 400-bed hospital<\/a> at the southeast corner of Harden Boulevard and Frontage Road\/Polk Parkway that could open as early as 2027.<\/p>\n The new hospitals join six new freestanding emergency rooms and at least 14 urgent care centers<\/a>, four of which opened last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n Building a talent pipeline<\/p>\n Will Polk County have enough health care workers to staff all of these facilities?<\/p>\n