HANYS’ Report Finds Hospitals Prefer Highly Educated, Specialized Staff to Advance Health Care Delivery Reform
(ALBANY, N.Y.) Health care reform, combined with an aging health care workforce and population will increase the demand for health care professionals and expand their roles dramatically, according to a new study by the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS). HANYS’ 2013 Nursing and Allied Health Care Professionals Workforce Survey Report, New York’s Health Care Sector: A Changing, Growing Workforce, provides findings from a 2013 survey of hospitals, including questions on hiring trends, vacancies, turnover, and current hospital workforce practices.
“As hospitals and health systems across New York State embrace innovative new ways to care for their communities, we will need health care professionals trained and ready to provide this needed care,” said HANYS President Dennis Whalen. He noted that HANYS and its members have been advocating for legislation to address workforce shortages; educational capacity; advancement of health care professionals; regulatory reform for workforce flexibility; and additional funding for recruitment, retention, and retraining.
With the transition in health care to alternative and innovative models of care delivery, such as the Patient-Centered Medical Home and Health Home models, nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) will play an increasingly important role in providing care, particularly in communities with insufficient primary care physicians. HANYS’ report found the NP vacancy rate nearly doubled from 6% in 2011 to 11.4% in 2012, and the PA vacancy rate increased from 6% to 7.3%.
HANYS’ survey found nurse managers, experienced registered nurses (RNs), clinical laboratory technologists, medical coders, and physical therapists were the most difficult occupations to recruit. The report noted that while health care was the only sector that experienced growth during the recent economic downturn, current levels of RNs will not meet future demand, a problem compounded by the need for a workforce with specialty skills.
For the first time, a majority of respondents noted preference to hire nurses with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree: 70% favored advanced education, a significant increase from 46% in 2011.
The report includes responses from 110 hospitals and health systems across New York State. The survey was conducted by HANYS and Greater New York Hospital Association, in collaboration with Western New York Healthcare Association, Rochester Regional Healthcare Association, Iroquois Healthcare Alliance, Suburban Healthcare Alliance, and the State University of New York Center for Health Workforce Studies.
The Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) is the only statewide hospital and continuing care association in New York State, representing 500 non-profit and public hospitals, nursing homes, home care agencies, and other health care organizations.
