Today’s Rural Healthcare Workforce

Challenges

Rural Health Roundtable

October 2, 2008

Catherine CrowleyVice President

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Nationally Hospitals Face Workforce Shortages in Key Care-giving Professions…

8.1% 8.1% 8.0%

6.6%5.9% 5.9%

11.4%

Therapists (ST, OT, PT)

RegisteredNurses

Pharmacists NursingAssistants

LPNs LaboratoryTechnicians

ImagingTechnicians

Source: 2007 AHA Survey of Hospital LeadersNote: 116,000 vacancies is a national estimate created by extrapolating the vacancy rate to all 5,000 community hospitals in 2005. ST: Speech Therapist, OT: Occupational Therapist, PT: Physical Therapist.

116,000 RN Vacancies*

Vacancy Rates for Selected Hospital Personnel, December 2006

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Current Reality

Source: 2007 Maryland Hospital Personnel Survey

Vacancy Rates Selected Hospital Positions 2006 vs. 2007

0 5 10 15 20 25

Speech/Language Therapist

Respiratory Therapist

Occupational Therapist

Physician Assistant

Occup.Therapist Assist.

Laboratory Technician

Dietitian

Pharmacist

Physical Therapist

Radiographer

Pharmacy Technician

Registered Nurse

Ho

sp

ita

l Po

sit

ion

% of Vacancy

2007

2006

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Future Reality

Source: Who Will Care? The Case for Doubling the Number of Nurses Educated in Maryland

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Our Challenges Aging workforce and

retirements → vacancy Aging population →

growing demand for services

Educational capacity→ limited

Advances in technology → improved diagnosis, treatment options, demand for services

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Passionate PartnersMaryland Schools of Nursing & Allied Health

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It’s a Regional Dilemma

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Initiatives

Who Will Care? NSP I and NSP II Hospital Sponsored Scholarships,

Shared Faculty Nurse Retention Collaborative Robert Wood Johnson – Nursing

Education Capacity Summit

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When You Are The Patient…

Sustaining the Healthcare Workforce . . .

Partnerships are Key Funding is Crucial Innovation the Norm Public Policies Needed