|
Recruiting and retention
key
to healthcare dilemma
 Throughout
Tennessee, government and private officials are discussing
ways to combat staffing shortages in the healthcare industry.
Pharmacists, radiologic technologists and respiratory and
physical therapists are all in demand. According to the state's
occupational employment projections through the year 2008,
the following professionals will be highly sought after: cardiology
technicians (with an annual growth rate of 4.84 percent),
respiratory therapists (4.83 percent), dental assistants (4.40
percent), surgical technicians (4.38), emergency medical technicians
(4.32 percent), dental hygienists (4.23 percent), medical
assistants (3.84 percent), physician assistants (3.80 percent),
nursing instructors (3.23 percent) and medicine and health
service managers (2.77 percent).
Of
course, like most areas across the nation, the most acute
staffing deficiencies in Tennessee can be found in nursing.
The state's hospitals and public health facilities are experiencing
a shortage of nurses that has been fueled by an aging nursing
population. Other concerns include the increasingly older
age of nurse educators, the declining number of nursing students
in the academic pipeline and the need for more accommodating
working conditions. The most affected areas of nursing are
emergency rooms, operating rooms, pediatrics, surgery, cardiac
care and labor and delivery. A survey by the Tennessee Hospital
Association is helping healthcare facilities answer the challenge
by recruiting more young people into the nursing field. The
association has also formed a task force subcommittee that
is looking at recruitment and retention and is making recommendations
on how to solve staffing problems.
Healthcare
facilities are using several different methods to recruit
and retain nurses, including sign-on bonuses, loan-forgiveness
programs and career fairs. One of the biggest issues for many
nursing professionals is scheduling. Many individuals in this
field are looking for more balance between their personal
and work lives, so hospitals are doing what they can to oblige.
Different shift options are being offered as a way to give
nurses time for business and pleasure. Healthcare facilities
are also working to develop closer relationships with area
nursing schools, as well as with students in elementary, junior
high and high school. This type of contact has become especially
important as more people from generations X and Y are choosing
less of the hands-on occupations in healthcare. Some hospitals
are offering clinical rotations to nursing students in the
hopes that these soon-to-be professionals will choose to work
for the facility after completing their courses and training.
|
