.gif)
Responding to the Crisis in the Allied Health Professions
Health care leaders interviewed reported alarming shortages in key allied health professions.
By 2010, more than 6,725 new allied
health job vacancies are projected in Massachusetts.Massachusetts is world-renowned for the excellence of its health care institutions, with Boston positioned at the center of a vast network of teaching hospitals and academic research centers that are vital to those seeking care and to the economic viability of the city and region. Close to 15 percent of all jobs in the Commonwealth and one of every six jobs in Boston are in health care. Seven of the state’s top 25 employers are hospitals— and Boston has the highest rate of life sciences employment of any metropolitan area in the country.
Today, according to a study commissioned by the Boston Foundation, Boston’s preeminence in health care and bioscience is threatened by an alarming shortage of allied health professionals—a gap that will only grow as the baby boom generation ages and the demand for health care grows with it. (See list of allied health professions in demand.) In addition, advances in technology and bioscience will require a greater number of workers with the skills not only to adapt to a changing landscape, but to maintain Boston’s position as a leader in these fields.
“The Boston Foundation is deeply committed to developing a skilled workforce for Greater Boston and to maintaining excellence in health care.”
“While nursing shortages are well documented and addressed by local and national initiatives, major shortages in the allied health professions are less visible and have not benefited from organized efforts to address them,” says Terry Lane, the Boston Foundation’s Vice President for Program. “The Boston Foundation is deeply committed to developing a skilled workforce for Greater Boston and to maintaining excellence in health care, and so we asked a team of workforce consultants to determine the need for a concerted allied health workforce initiative and consider the ways such an effort might be structured.”
The team engaged by the Boston Foundation was headed by Jeffrey Oxendine, Associate Dean of Public Health Practices at the University of California, Berkeley. Team members interviewed 33 leaders from 18 Massachusetts hospitals, higher education institutions and associations and examined 10 promising workforce programs in other geographic areas. They also conducted their own survey of Massachusetts hospitals and examined additional data. The results further document the looming crisis in allied health professions and lay the groundwork for a comprehensive and effective response.
Health care leaders interviewed reported alarming shortages in key allied health professions—the result of increasing demands for health care, advances in the areas of technology and bioscience, retiring workers and insufficient training programs. Indeed, vacancy rates for some allied health professions (ranging from 6 percent to 16 percent) far exceed those for registered nurses (4.6 percent).
“These shortages are creating cost, quality and access problems,” says Ms. Lane. “Of particular concern are the millions of dollars spent every year by hospitals attempting to cope with the shortages through escalating salaries and overtime costs— and their ability to sustain or increase this level of spending as demands increase.”
Health care leaders interviewed reported alarming shortages in key
allied health professions.The number of job openings in the allied health professions is expected to grow rapidly in Massachusetts, with 10 of the professions growing by 25 percent or more. By 2010, more than 6,725 new allied health job vacancies are projected. That same year, for instance, 50 Medical Lab Technicians are projected to graduate from training programs, but there will be 1,073 jobs to fill in the state.
“Boston’s growing immigrant populations will also need culturally-appropriate care from all health care workers,” explains Ms. Lane. “And hospital expansion plans will require a significant increase in allied health professionals if Boston is to retain its position as a leader in health care and bioscience.”
Promising Models
To assist the Boston Foundation in determining the best way to move forward, team members also conducted interviews with 10 highly promising allied health workforce programs in other geographic areas. Many pinpointed solutions already identified by local leaders, but other solutions were offered, including funding promising programs and bringing them to scale. The Foundation will soon issue a Request for Proposals for programs that respond to the crisis in allied health. The project will be under the direction of Angel Bermudez, Senior Director of Grantmaking and Special Projects.
“Many of these positions can be entered with just one or two years of education and training, offering Boston-area residents tremendous opportunities for meaningful jobs with better wages,” adds Ms. Lane. “Solving this crisis will also provide the people power to maintain the Boston region’s leadership in health care and life sciences and continue to be a provider of the best health care and health research in the world.” As one hospital leader said, it’s a “win-win-win” proposition.
