We’re experiencing a healthcare workforce shortage and it will affect the quality of patient care in the coming years. The National Center for Healthcare Workforce Analysis says that over the next 15 years, they predict a shortage of allied health positions. These include respiratory therapists, physical therapists, pharmacists and chiropractors. There will also be an increase in demand for behavioral health specialists and registered nurses. As more Baby Boomers and Gen Xers retire within the next few years, the shortage will need to be fixed to provide the best care possible for these patients. Here is what you should know about the current healthcare workforce shortage.
Shortage of Healthcare Educators
This contributes to the overall healthcare worker shortage. Since we need educators to train future healthcare professionals, it will be detrimental to our country’s well-being if there are not enough of them to prepare students for this demanding career. It has gotten so bad that some medical schools are turning away qualified applicants due to a lack of educators.
Former and Current Healthcare Workers Are Burned Out
Burnout also plays a role in our country’s healthcare worker shortage. The long hours on the job and sleep deprivation are two main reasons for this burnout but there are more reasons. As more hospitals adopt new technologies and equipment, it’s a struggle for healthcare workers to get training on how to use them while still having adequate time to tend to their patients. When this burnout goes on for too long, it causes workers to leave the profession.
Travel Nurses Have and Continue to Fill the Void
If there is any positive news in this crisis, it’s the fact that many hospitals have and continue to hire travel nurses to fill the void left by the mass exodus of regular healthcare workers. A majority of regular full-time nurses are quitting because of inadequate staffing that puts more loads on them and causes them to not give the quality care that patients deserve. This is where travel nurses can assist hospitals.
Travel nurses are in high demand and if you’re looking for a healthcare job with flexibility and good pay, travel nursing may work for you. Travel nurses support hospitals during periods of high demand and they adapt to different situations within healthcare.
It Hurts Rural Communities and Low-Income Communities of Color
The healthcare workforce shortage also hurts rural communities and low-income communities of color. We can solve this problem by intentionally recruiting healthcare workers to work in these areas and developing more educational initiatives that make it easier for future healthcare workers of color and rural healthcare workers to get the training they need to serve their communities. Nonprofit organizations, state governments, local governments, and the federal government can provide business grants specifically for healthcare workers who desires to open clinics and hospitals for underserved populations.
Let’s Improve Salaries and Benefits for Healthcare Workers
Healthcare workers are essential to our nation’s well-being so we must improve their salaries and benefits to retain our current healthcare workers and recruit new talent. Many healthcare workers work long hours during the night shift, and employers can offer higher wages for those who work during these hours, weekends, and holidays. Employers can also offer 24-hr. on-site childcare, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, and wellness programs.
For example, nursing assistants and home health aides do not receive high salaries. In 2019, the average salary for home health aides was $12.01 and $14.00 for nursing assistants. These wages aren’t adequate to keep up with the rising costs of living. These are also high-stress positions and more should be done to ensure that these workers earn better wages. In addition, people of color are overrepresented in these low-paying positions. This makes it more difficult for them to build wealth long term.
Telehealth As A Solution to Healthcare Workforce Shortage
In recent years and especially after the pandemic, we saw a rise in telehealth services. Virtual healthcare enables doctors to offer quality care to patients in rural areas, low-income communities, and to disabled and senior citizens who can’t always get to a clinic for regular visits. When patients can monitor their health and record data about their symptoms through wearable tools, it enables doctors to know more about their patients without always having to meet with them in person.
There Is Also a Shortage of Mental Health Specialists in Schools
It’s no secret that there is a mental health crisis among our youth and it affects their academic performance. The problem is that there is a shortage of mental health specialists in the schools. According to the American Psychological Association, there was just one school psychologist for every 1,127 students in K-12 schools during the 2021-2022 school year. This is troubling for students who are dealing with family trauma and other mental health issues that hinder their academic success. In 2023, the U.S. Department of Education gave $141 million in grants to various school districts to assist with recruiting and training more school counselors.
The APA also stated that in 2021, 57% of teen girls stated that they felt sad or hopeless according to a report from the U.S. Center for Disease Prevention and Control. Educators are also witnessing an increase in emotional dysregulation, aggressive behaviors, bullying, and disruptive behaviors in students in recent years. Current school psychologists are overwhelmed with their workloads, and this means that we must find creative ways to recruit and retain talented school psychologists.
Hospitals Can Partner With Local Medical Schools
Another way hospitals can recruit more healthcare workers is by partnering with local medical schools. One idea is to establish a mentorship program where medical school students will pair up with veteran nurses and other healthcare professionals to learn about certain healthcare careers and how to enter and succeed in them. Hospitals can also recruit medical students to participate in research projects that will increase their chances of getting research-based jobs. Finally, hospitals can provide tuition assistance to medical school students in exchange for their agreement to work at the hospital after graduation.
In order to provide the best healthcare for our patients, we must do more to ensure there are adequate workers to relieve our current healthcare workforce shortage. By providing easier access to training, better compensation, and more flexible schedules, we can reduce burnout and retain our current healthcare workforce.
