Is There Still a Shortage of Health Care Workers?
With record unemployment rates, you'd think the health care industry would be closer to filling the workforce shortages that have plagued the industry for years. While a few administrators I talked to told me their staffing levels are stabilizing and they are relying less on agencies, there are still nearly 110,000 caregiving vacancies in nursing facilities nationwide, according to AHCA/NCAL.
AHCA/NCAL recently established the Champion Nursing Coalition, a group of organizations representing consumers, insurers, businesses, health care providers and others committed to highlighting the nursing shortage and its impact on health care quality, access and cost.
"It is critical that this crisis be addressed immediately for those who need care now, and in the future,” said AHCA President and CEO Bruce Yarwood.
In a statement he gave at the Capitol Hill program launch, Yarwood outlined the need to address the long-term care workforce crisis: "Promoting and passing sound fiscal and public policies designed to strengthen our workforce and promote the continued improvement in seniors’ care quality deserves to be a top national priority – since many caregivers are retiring and are joining other retirees in need of care and services. While efforts to recruit and train new qualified long term caregivers are costly, our profession has continued to aggressively pursue potential nurses and caregivers. An unfortunate truth exists that nursing education programs are forced to turn away well-qualified applicants for the sole reason that there are not enough nurse faculty to educate these potential caregivers."
To read more about the program, go to AHCA's Web site. See also the Center to Champion Nursing in America.
I wonder how many job seekers out there might consider a career change to the world of health care? If health care is your second career, share you story with us.