The healthcare industry has come to a very dramatic turn among workers within the US ever since the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States at the moment is experiencing a healthcare worker shortage. By the 2030’s, the country could be facing a deadly shortage of nearly 200,000 nurses and 124,000 physicians. US lawmakers discuss the nations shortage, as leaders of historically black medical schools are requesting more funding for more of a diverse workforce.
In communities where a health workforce has been identified, the United States require more than 17,000 additional practitioners, 12,000 dental health practitioners, and 8,200 mental health practitioners. According to the “Health Resources & Services Administration,” those numbers were based on data that the HRSA has received from state offices and health departments.
The shortage of healthcare worker shortage spans across a range of fields. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the country as we know it will face a shortage of 195,400 nurses by the year 2031. The number of openings for home and personal health aides will increase 37 percent by 2028.
Healthcare Staffing Shortages
Major factors that contribute to the US healthcare staffing shortages is demographics; people are living longer, need more medical attention. On the other hand, the members of the aging healthcare workforce are starting to retire faster than they can be replaced. Other reasons include (Overworked employees leaving at an accelerating rate, the rise in diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease). Therefore, overextended staff at hospitals and long-term care facilities and the nations inability to produce doctors and nurses continue to grow. Part of the reason is because of faculty shortages at nursing and medical schools.
- All types of healthcare professionals are short supplied such as doctors, nurses, techs, and aides.
- Reasons for the shortages are often interrelated. They include changing demographics, a limited pipeline, and the rigors of the medical professions.
Already, the growing shortage of doctors is creating a backlog of work for those who are practicing, according to Rush university system for Health CEO Omar Lateef, “The backlogs means that sick people are forced to wait longer for medical help.”
Healthcare Workers Are Burning Out
This topic was highlighted in the recent years by the COVID-19 pandemic. Only one in five healthcare workers quit their job during the pandemic. Furthermore, according to the 2021 Morning Consult Report, then a 2022 study found that nearly 63 percent of physicians experienced symptoms of burnout by the end of 2021, only a 19 percent increase from 2017.
Therefore, physicians are burning out because of the demanding workloads. A 2022 Medscape report found that they experience a variety of reasons. One reason being “too many hours of work.”
Staffing levels are not reason healthcare workers feel burnout. However, the top reason for physician burnout is an increase in bureaucratic tasks. Examples of this are billing, approving health insurance, and covering and overseeing medical personnel. Therefore, an average physician spends 15.5 hours a week on administrative tasks alone. Furthermore some specialists clock in almost 20 hours a week on paperwork and administrative chores, according to the 2023 Medscape Physician Compensation Report.
Healthcare Inequalities
There have been new studies commissioned by the National Institute on Minority Health and health disparities. The economic burden of health inequalities in the US has cost the nation billions of dollars. Subsequently, such inequalities are illustrated in how Black and Brown communities tend to have higher rates of serious health outcomes.
Examples such as maternal deaths, chronic diseases and infectious diseases. The researchers from Johns Hopkins University found that in 2018, the economic burden of health inequalities for racial and ethnic minority communities in the United States was up to $451 billion, and the economic burden of health inequalities for adults without a college degree was up to $978 billion.
These findings provide a clear and important message to health care leaders. The public health officials, and state and federal policy make the economic magnitude of health inequalities in the US startlingly high.
Written By Desmond Jackson
Sources :
Oracle : The Shortage of US Healthcare Workers in 2023
The Hill : The US is suffering a healthcare worker shortage. Experts fear it will only get worse
CNN : Concern grows around US health-care workforce shortage: ‘We don’t have enough doctors
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Mohd Fazlin Mohd Effendy Ooi’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of First Minister of Scotland’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
