Choose Nursing in Vermont

Long Term Care Employee Pilot Study 2003

WHY WAS THIS SURVEY DONE?

One factor in assuring access to quality health care for all Vermonters is an ongoing and current knowledge of the state’s health workforce resources. To this end, the Office of Nursing Workforce Research, Planning and Development created the Health Workforce Assessment Team (HWAT)1. This team 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 long term care facilities. For some positions up to half of the data was missing or invalid.

WHO WAS SURVEYED?

In February 2003, the Vermont Health Workforce Survey was sent to all 44 Vermont long term care facility nursing directors. This contact person was asked to participate in the data collection with assistance from human relations and other department heads. Follow up postcards, letters, telephone calls and replacement surveys were used to assure a high response rate. The response rate was 55% (24 of 44 long term care facilities responded).

WHAT WAS LEARNED?

Vacancy Rates2
%
Speech Therapist 25%*
Physical Therapist 8%*
Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant 8%*
Dietician 4%*
Social Worker 3%
Occupational Therapist 1%
Physical Therapy Assistant 0%*
Food Service Manager 0%*
Housekeeping Director 0%
Managers 0%*
Activity Director 0%*
Activity Staff 0%

Turnover Rates3
%
Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant 50%*
Physical Therapist 25%*
Speech Therapist 20%*
Occupational Therapist 17%*
Activity Staff 17%
Managers 14%*
Physical Therapy Assistant 9%*
Social Worker 6%
Housekeeping Director 6%*
Food Service Manager 5%*
Dietician 0%*
Activity Director 0%*
(* Based on data for less than 20 FTEs statewide)


Types of professionals reported as needed but not currently available:

1. recreational therapist

2. geriatric psychologist

3. wound specialist

4. podiatry services

5. speech therapist*
*53% report more difficulty filling this position in 2003 than in 2002.


Percent of Responding Institutions That Used Contractors to Fill Positions:
Speech Therapist 29%
Physical Therapist 21%
Dietician 21%
Occupational Therapist 17%
Physical Therapy Assistant 13%
Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant 8%
Managers 8%

Conclusions:

The low vacancy rates reported, with the exception of speech therapy, are very good news for Vermonters requiring long term care in 2003. Results of this pilot survey must be used with caution, however, due to missing or invalid data in some categories. One reason for the missing data is that over 1 in 5 institutions uses contractors to fill speech therapy, physical therapy, and dietician positions, and therefore, data to calculate vacancy and turnover rates were unavailable from those institutions. Redesign of several survey questions will be important to collect this important data in the future.