New Report Details Strategies for Building a Robust Heartland Health Care Workforce

Heartland Forward releases study of 10 health care professions

BENTONVILLE, Ark., June 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Across the country, thousands of jobs remain unfilled as the number of available opportunities far outstrips the supply of workers. In no industry is this trend more apparent than in health care, where, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, job openings outpaced qualified applicants. And yet, a functioning health care system requires an adequate supply of workers, especially as the demand for its services increases.

Heartland Forward's new research report, Keepers of a Healthy Heartland: Strategies for Building a Robust Health Care Workforce, explores strategies for balancing supply and demand, especially among health care professions that need only a bachelor's degree or less. These 10 occupations are: medical assistants, phlebotomists, home health and personal care aides, licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses (LPNs), health information coders, registered nurses, surgical technologists, diagnostic medical sonographers, radiologic technologists and clinical lab technologists.

Across the 10 occupations, the report finds four challenges in the five micro and metropolitan communities in Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas the authors studied.

These include general lack of awareness of these types of careers among potential workers, lack of educators who can teach and train the next generation of health care workers, insufficient pay and satisfaction across the occupations, and lack of coordination among the entities that supply workers.

The report goes on to propose eight policy strategies for local workforce development professionals and organizations hoping to recruit and retain workers in allied, supporting and non-physician health care occupations. These strategies are:

1. Create strong partnerships across the entire ecosystem for an inclusive outreach effort that builds awareness about the opportunities in health care.
2. Create comprehensive pathways for opportunity and career growth.
3. Build an adequate supply of qualified health care educators by improving salaries and other benefits.
4. Increase flexibility around training opportunities by utilizing technology and novel educational practices.
5. Provide more clinical opportunities for students and trainees through externships, internships, simulations and coordinated efforts.
6. Provide flexible benefits that are tailored to the needs of targeted recruits.
7. Offer clinical rotations and cross-training with more pay and less monotony.
8. Connect the dots by coordinating efforts.

Ross DeVol, president and CEO of Heartland Forward, said: "As the baby boom generation ages, it puts pressure on the system in two ways: there is more demand for its services and decreasing supply of health care professionals as older Americans retire. This is not a new problem, but in order for the heartland to realize its economic potential, it's one we must approach with renewed vigor in light of the once-in-a-generation pandemic and its associated impact on employment. This report is practical, actionable and accessible."

Anusuya Chatterjee, director of health research, said: "Many health care occupations provide above-average wages and career growth potential, and many do not require a commitment to long-term training or multiple college degrees. So this 'ticket to the middle class' is an important lens through which to view the opportunities and challenges in heartland communities. We hope that this report will enable those working in policy and workforce development to build partnerships to ensure there is an adequate pipeline of allied health care workers."

Heartland Forward is a nonpartisan, 501c3 organization whose mission is to improve economic performance in the center of the United States by advocating for fact-based solutions to foster job creation, knowledge-based and inclusive growth and improved health outcomes. Heartland Forward conducts independent, data-driven research and programs to facilitate action-oriented discussion and impactful policy recommendations. To learn more, visit https://heartlandforward.org/.

CONTACT: Erika Tannor, [email protected], 917-626-2487

SOURCE Heartland Forward