Hospitals faces a twin challenge: attracting and retaining replacements for retiring workers, while expanding their workforces to care for an aging population. If current trends persist, there will be shortages of 109,600 physicians by 2020 and 260,000 registered nurses by 2025. But to deliver care to an ever-increasing number of patients, and to make that care more patient-centered, hospitals must focus on developing the careers and skills of all members of the existing workforce, not just doctors and other high-level professionals.
In particular, hospitals can expect to hire additional medical assistants and staff in other allied health occupations, patient care technicians, unit clerks, and nursing assistants and physical therapy assistants. They will also need staff skilled in information technology to handle the transition to electronic medical records and manage and code health records in clinical settings. In addition, they will require staff who can deliver culturally appropriate care and services and speak the languages of growing, diverse populations in the United States.
To meet these needs, hospitals seek ways to better train and retain the women and men who work on the front lines of care and service delivery. Jobs to Careers has helped hospitals respond to this challenge with a “grow your own” workforce solution.
