Let’s talk
blog details
The number of healthcare workers needs to increase dramatically to meet current and future demand for healthcare services in the US. As one of the largest generations, Baby Boomers are quickly aging. In addition to this, people are living longer due to advances in medicine, however as they live longer, they are also managing chronic illnesses. The number of people in the 65 and up age range will increase by a whopping 48% by 2030. By the same year, it is predicted that we will have a shortage of about 122,000 physicians nationwide because many working physicians are also part of the Baby Boomer generation. These forces push quite a bit of pressure on the demand for more healthcare professionals to enter the field.
Unfortunately, these shortages will only become wider year over year in a few select areas of healthcare: physicians, nursing, home health aides, and nursing home workers. When it comes to the shortage in physicians, this pain point is felt more acutely at the general practitioner level. Primary care doctors are normally the first step for patients to visit on their health journeys and help a patient create a baseline for their health status so that changes in health can be monitored more efficiently. General practitioners also refer patients to specialists to further the search into an ailment, however these doctors are becoming fewer and fewer. As medical students matriculate through their medical programs, they are able to choose which specialty they would like to focus their studies on. Many emerging physicians will choose to become a specialist and focus on a more narrow field rather than general practice. Specializations often come with more pay and prestige and are held in higher regard than primary care. If there are not enough primary care physicians, appointments for patients will be pushed out very far and time sensitive illnesses such as cancer could be missed. This shortage will be felt even stronger in rural areas where there aren't many physician's offices to begin with.
Of all of the areas experiencing a shortages, the nursing shortage is the most dire. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing predicts that we will need 200,000 new nurses each year and according to the US Chamber of Commerce, the unemployment rate for nurses is only 1.6% and there are only 9 RNs on average for every 1,000 people in the US. The nursing shortage is so sharp that many rural hospitals are forced to close because they do not have the nursing staff to aid patients, furthering the lack of access to care for those who live further away from city centers. During and after the pandemic, many nurses left the profession altogether. In a profession where burnout was already high, the pandemic magnified stress and burnout further than before. In addition to this, many nurses are aging and not being replaced fast enough by younger professionals, however there is a barrier to entry for many new nurses: not enough educators available to teach and train aspiring nurses. With this, there is a bit of a catch-22. You need experienced nurses to educate the next generation, however many are at retirement age. Because of this, nursing schools must limit the amount of new students into their programs limiting the number of new nurses that can enter the field.
By 2030 the entire generation of Baby Boomers will be over 65 years old. This is a massive strain on the need for care workers like home health aides and nursing home workers. Care workers unfortunately are some of the lowest paid of healthcare professionals. The industry was already facing a shortage prior to the pandemic, but just like with nursing, the pandemic drove many care workers out of their jobs in search of less stressful and higher paying employment. Because of the staffing shortages, nursing homes are forced to turn away people who wish to make the nursing home their residence, or are having to shut down completely. There is a growing trend for Baby Boomers to want to age in place in their homes due to comfort, the cost of a nursing home, or simply nursing homes not having vacancies or staff to take on new patients. The desire to age in place further increases the need for home health aides. Unfortunately, we don't have enough home health aids either which further hinders the ability of patients to age in place in their homes.
Although it will take multiple efforts from various organizations, there are things that we can do now to help alleviate the healthcare worker shortage with advocacy, education, and partnership. Healthcare organizations must take strong measures to provide more support to their nurses and direct care staff. Burnout is very high in these professions and organizations who focus on providing mental health and support services for their staff have better employee retention outcomes. We must also focus on recruiting more educators to train the next generation of healthcare employees such as nurses. Partnerships between educational and healthcare institutions could inspire qualified individuals to teach and train others if they are looking to leave the bedside care model. Outreach to the younger generation is also crucial and these partnerships are integral to encouraging students who are trying to figure out their career paths to join the nursing industry. More telehealth and virtual services will allow doctors to see more patients, and give access to care for patients who live in rural areas. The general practitioner shortage can also be alleviated by utilizing NPs and PAs to fill the gaps in baseline care. There is a long road ahead to solve the healthcare worker shortage, but with the right thought and leadership, we can help to increase access, employee engagement and happiness, and inspire others to join the field.
