Health Care Workforce Frequently Asked Questions
Question:
Why is there a health care workforce shortage problem in rural areas?
Answer:
Health care workforce shortage problems are prominent in rural areas due to several reasons. These include: An aging workforce population; high retirement eligibility; difficulty in retention of workers; difficulty in recruitment of workers; lack of educational and training opportunities; high vacancy rates; high turnover rates; lack of opportunities for career advancement; financial concerns including lower pay as well as lack of benefits; and/or increased work load demand.
Question: What health care professions face workforce shortages?
Answer:
These include but are not limited to primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, licensed practical nurses, physician assistants, dentists, registered nurses, certified nursing assistants, home care aides, lab technicians, pharmacists, optometrists, chiropractors, allied health personnel, public health personnel, and radiology technicians.
Question:
What strategies can communities and states take to help reduce and address the problems of workforce shortages in rural health care?
Answer: Approaches that states can take to help remedy the shortage might be promoting educational opportunities; providing professional training; partnering with educational institutions; increasing pay, benefits and flexibility; marketing public health careers; using information technology; and/or training future health care workers.
Strategies include encouraging individuals to pursue education in health profession fields by offering programs that provide assistance for repayment of educational loans and to assist with the cost of education. These programs can take the form of grants, loans, fellowships, scholarships, state loan repayment programs, and
faculty loan repayment programs.
Some programs have special conditions such as a specified term of service in an underserved area. The Rural Assistance Center has an information guide which covers these programs. For further information, please see Health Education Financial Aid.
Another strategy is to assist in recruitment and retention of health care workforce professionals. Rural areas often experience health care workforce difficulties in the recruitment and retention of primary care physicians. Having quality physicians is essential to providing healthcare in rural communities. Many communities turn to the recruitment of foreign medical graduates with J-1 Visa Waivers
to fill their physician vacancies.
Other communities use the Conrad 30 program, a program designed to provide each of the 50 U.S. states up to 30 waivers for physicians each fiscal year. Further information is also on the J-1 Visa Waiver information guide.
Attracting, recruiting, and retaining foreign nurses is another strategy many institutions are looking towards to fill current registered nurse staffing vacancies.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service gave the recruiting industry a boost at the end of 2004 by issuing for the first time clear guidelines for using a H1-B visa for a nurse. For an explanation of the H1-B Visa as well as further information, please visit the H1-B section on the J1-Visa information guide.
Question:
Where can I find statistics on health care workforce in various states including employment, projected growth and key environmental factors? Also, is there data showing how workforce shortages vary between urban and rural areas?
Answer:
The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis provides in-depth data on supply, demand, distribution, education, and use of health personnel. For further information, please see State Health Workforce Profiles. The American Hospital Association's document, The Healthcare Workforce Shortage and Its Implications for America's Hospitals, does address urban and rural differentials. Other documents that present urban and rural workforce shortage data are The Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Healthcare's document, Nursing Workforce Issues in Rural and Urban Settings - Looking at the Difference in Recruitment, Retention, and Distribution and HRSA's Public Health Workforce Study. HRSA also has a document stating the results of a project on interstate comparisons titled, The Healthcare Workforce in Eight States: Education, Practice, and Policy.
Question:
How can rural employers encourage worker retention and advancement?
Answer: Employers can promote retention and advancement through incentives, training, loan repayment programs, and supportive services including helping spouses find work, providing continuing educational training opportunities, reducing stress, and providing adequate pay and benefits. Incentive programs can reward work-related milestones like sustaining employment over a specified period of time, or work-related achievements regarding productivity or new ideas that can be implemented. These incentives do not have to be financial but could include flexible work hours, time off from work to attend work-related training, special privileges such as VIP parking, or tuition assistance. Employers may also consider providing customized on-the-job training during working hours to help employees upgrade their skills. Other support systems that encourage a positive workforce would be providing on-site child care and transportation services to and from work.
Last revised 05/01/2008
