About 100 jobs soon will be available at the almost-complete Key West Health and Rehabilitation Center on College Road.

To that end, Senior Care Group LLC, operators of the nursing home, will hold a job fair at Florida Keys Community College on Friday and Saturday to describe the jobs and requirements, collect resumes and speak with applicants, said Human Resources Director Kevin Goyer.

"We will slowly add staff as we admit more residents," Goyer said. "We'll need registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nursing assistants, physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, speech therapists, and other professional health staff."

Senior Care, he said, also will accept resumes for: dieticians, a marketing liaison, occupational therapists, admissions coordinator, business office manager, laundry and maintenance and administrative support staff.

Applicants won't be told at the fair whether they have secured a job, Goyer said. The company will keep the applications on file and contact qualified applicants for a second interview as positions become available.

"As the resident population increases, we'll add to the startup staff, to hit a level of about 100 employees," he said.

The new center, built from the failure of the former Key West Nursing Home that closed suddenly two years ago Thanksgiving, will staff three shifts to provide care and services around the clock, Goyer said.

The facility, which is still being renovated inside out into a new building with 120 beds, will be a combination physical rehabilitation center/nursing home for those recovering from serious surgery as well as elderly and infirm residents.

Until it opens, the Lower Keys does not have such a facility.

The facility is scheduled to open with a single "test" patient in November. It will be an actual patient, and the Agency for Health Care Administration will watch as that patient is treated to ensure the facility follows all rules, including paperwork, minimum nursing attention and other requirements.

If the health agency determines that patient is cared for properly, it will give the green light to admit other patients.

Employees of the former nursing home were let go with little notice and had trouble getting their final paychecks when the facility closed in November 2007, former employees told The Citizen at the time.

The facility had about 100 beds and employed 120 people.

Some nursing and administrative employees found jobs at Plantation Key Nursing Home, but that facility also subsequently shut down earlier this year.

jguerra@keysnews.com