Healthcare Personnel Shortage Q&A

Q: Don’t we just need to get more people into educational and training programs?
A: Educational capacity is one of the key barriers to remedying this shortage.  Educational and training programs across the state are overburdened and are forced to turn away qualified students. In addition, health care education and training programs are much higher cost than other postsecondary programs, limiting access even more. Many programs cannot find enough clinical training sites, an essential component. Finally, there is a lack of available qualified faculty. Nurses and other allied health professions can usually receive higher salaries outside of teaching.

Q: Isn’t this shortage similar to those in the past?
A: No.  This is the most severe personnel shortage in the nation’s recent history of health care, and it will continue to worsen if the status quo is maintained. By 2020, the number of persons over age 65 in Washington will double, while 70 percent of those now working as nurses will have retired, creating a shortage of health care personnel that will place a severe strain on the system.

Q: Isn’t this primarily a nursing shortage?
A: Nursing positions comprise the greatest percentage of vacancies, but Washington has a shortage of virtually all health care workers. This includes pharmacists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, radiology technologists, medical aides, dentists, dental hygienists, billers and coders, and laboratory personnel.

Q: Washington’s unemployment rate is one of the highest in the country - won’t the shortage just fix itself?
A: An unemployed individual without health care training or education cannot help fill the void. Efforts to increase access to educational opportunities, reduce bottlenecks in the educational system, and increased recruitment and retention efforts will be required.

Q: Don’t we just need to do more recruiting?
A: Recruitment and retention strategies are needed but must be combined with strategies to increase educational capacity. Currently, programs cannot accept a new influx of students.

Q: Shouldn’t hospitals be responsible for solving this at the local level?
A: Hospitals are not the only facilities affected by this shortage. Clinics, nursing homes, medical laboratories, personal care facilities, in-home care services, and dental offices are also impacted by the shortage. Because the shortage affects a wide variety of health care workers and all parts of the state, a statewide comprehensive plan is required to effectively address it. The Health Care Personnel Task Force issued this plan in 2002 and Progress Reports in 2003, 2004, and 2005.

Q: Why does Washington need a regular census of all licensed health care personnel?
A: Washington does not have the data to make the best use of scarce resources. A regular census would provide information to address shortages with greater efficiency including

• Projecting the number of graduates needed more accurately
• Planning for the future to avoid shortages or an oversupply
• Recruiting diverse populations to specific professions