WHY WAS THIS SURVEY DONE?

Workforce shortages affecting any area of the hospital health care team can impact the ability to provide quality care for Vermonters. The Health Workforce Assessment Team (HWAT)1 was charged to develop a new system to assess Vermont’s health care workforce, including new ways to measure the state’s need for various health care positions. The following is a report of the 2003 pilot survey of the state’s 16 hospitals. Adaptations will be made to this survey as a result of this pilot.

WHO WAS SURVEYED?

In February 2003, the Vermont Health Workforce Survey was sent to all hospital nurse executives. This contact person was asked to participate in the data collection with assistance from human relations and other department heads as needed. The response rate was 81% (13 of 16 hospitals responded).

WHAT WAS LEARNED?

Most reported unavailable professionals

Pharmacist

Radiologic technologists

Medical laboratory technician

Radiation therapist

Vacancy Rates2	%
Pharmacy Tech	35%
Pharmacist	23%
Respiratory Therapist	18%
Dietetic Tech	18%
OR Technician	16%
Radiologic Technologist	13%
Clinical Laboratory Medical Technologist	11%
Speech Therapist	9%
Social Worker	7%
Physical Therapist	5%
Clinical Laboratory Medical Technician	5%
Nuclear Medicine Technologist	5%
Sterile Reprocessor Tech	2%
Occupational Therapist	2%
US tech/sonographer	1%
Radiation Therapist	0%
Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant	0%
PT assistant	0%*
Dietician/Nutritionist	0%

 

Turnover Rates3	%
Dietetic Tech	70%
Occupational Therapist	38%
Radiation Therapist	27%
US Tech/Sonographer	24%
Pharmacist	23%
Respiratory Therapist	23%
Sterile Reprocessor Tech	20%
PT assistant	18%*
Dietician/Nutritionist	17%
Speech Therapist	17%*
Radiologic Technologist	16%
OR Technician	15%
Physical Therapist	15%
Pharmacy Tech	14%
Clinical Laboratory Medical Technician	11%
Social Worker	9%
Clinical Laboratory Medical Technologist	5%
Nuclear Medicine Technologist	4%
Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant	0%

 

% of FTEs filled by travelers for these positions: OR Technician 10% Respiratory Therapist 9% Radiologic Technician 8%

Positions reported more difficult to fill in 2003 compared to 2002* Medical Laboratory Technician Radiology Technologist Speech Therapist Pharmacists * by 50% or more of the hospitals responding.

Conclusions:

The fact that six professions have vacancy rates that exceed 12%, as found in this pilot survey, should be cause for concern. Vermont’s nursing shortage is considered a detriment to quality care with a statewide vacancy rate of 12%. Despite smaller numbers of non-nurse hospital health employees, in the aggregate, these other health professions represent a sizable portion of the total health workforce and these shortages need to be addressed.

The hospital health workforce remains challenging to measure. The results of this survey differ from a similar in- state vacancy survey done in 2003. The necessary information about budgeted FTEs, addressing organizational needs, recruitment difficulties and demand for services should ideally come from department heads. Yet the number of departments and the variety of health care disciplines make it difficult to locate and survey these individuals. Therefore, the human resources department is usually contacted for the information. The expense of telephone interviews to all department heads may be justified to gain the most accurate information. Accurate data is needed for educational and policy planning purposes.