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New England looks
to ease healthcare woes
 Rhode
Island is a leader in the healthcare industry. There are approximately
52,000 Rhode Islanders employed in healthcare occupations,
and the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training had
forecast that 10,000 new jobs would be created in this sector
between 1996 and 2006. According to the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, 11.8 percent of the work force
here is employed in healthcare - the highest percentage in
the country.
Rhode
Island is experiencing shortages in several different areas
including nurses in various specialties, pharmacists, medical
record coders, diagnostic imagery, radiologists, lab technicians,
X-ray technicians, CT scan technicians and ultrasound technicians.
"Pharmacy is a pretty tricky area for us," says Cathy Boni,
vice president for clinical affairs with Providence-based
Hospital Association of Rhode Island. "They used to have to
go to school for five years and now they have changed the
training for pharmacists to six years, which makes it harder."
Like
everywhere else, Rhode Island has been hit by the nursing
shortage. "Hospitals have been offering sign-on bonuses as
a recruitment effort," Boni says. Currently the state's lieutenant
governor is working on legislation that would provide a 0
percent student loan program for nursing students.
According
to a spokesperson for Providence, R.I.-based Lifespan, the
areas of employment experiencing healthcare shortages include
radiologic technologists and nuclear medicine, MRI, ultrasound
and radiation therapy technicians. Also, nursing in specialties
such as staff, operating room and emergency are in great need.
There is tremendous demand for assistant clinical managers,
clinical nursing coordinators, certified nursing assistants
and unit secretaries as well. "There are fewer high school
graduates going into nursing and technical programs," says
Lifespan's spokesperson, "and a number of the programs that
train these healthcare specialists have closed over the past
decade."
There
are many ways hospitals and medical facilities are trying
to retain the employees they currently have. Lifespan's spokesperson
notes that enriched salary programs, longevity recognition,
site-specific reward and recognition programs, opportunities
to utilize state-of-the-art equipment/procedures, and transfer
opportunities either within a site or across the hospital
system are just some of the tactics being used.
Healthcare
facilities are doing many different things to attract people.
Recruitment bonuses for new hires and bonuses for employees
who refer new employees are just a couple of strategies. Job
fairs, on-campus recruitment, print and Web site advertising
are some of the other methods being utilized.
Healthcare
associations are also reaching out to younger people in the
community. The Hospital Association of Rhode Island's Health
Partnership Council (HPC) is supporting various activities
designed to bring the reality of healthcare to students at
the secondary and higher-education levels. HPC's goal is to
make this industry appealing to students, and to make certain
that the students filling these jobs are dedicated and qualified
individuals.
Secondary
and college students have participated in internships at cooperating
healthcare facilities in diverse fields such as nursing and
medical records. HPC also reports that it is creating a "Health
Academy," a hospital-based secondary school where students'
chosen career paths within the industry are addressed through
curriculum and internships as a part of graduation requirements.
According
to Diane Carruba, human resource representative with Newport
Hospital, mandatory overtime and the lack of flexibility are
affecting the nursing shortage greatly. "It is very rare to
find a nurse who is willing to work the night shift," Carruba
explains. "This limits you to taking new grads coming out
of school or working in nursing homes."
Another
issue that is affecting healthcare employment here is salary.
Because the cost of living is relatively lower in many areas
of Rhode Island, many professionals choose to commute to Boston
or Connecticut where the pay is somewhat higher.
People
in the healthcare industry here are working hard to retain
and recruit qualified professionals. What makes Rhode Island
so unique as far as healthcare is concerned is the fact that
there are so many hospitals and medical centers in such a
small area.
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