The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services partners with California State University to develop the nation’s medical workforce. The goal is to demonstrate that universities and federal agencies can work together to meet critical workforce needs.
“Our nation’s health is stronger when we have a trained, well-equipped and well-supported health workforce,” Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said. “Thanks to the CSU system, we continue to move in the right direction towards a stronger and healthier nation.”
CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia said the collaboration will “build a dynamically diverse new generation of healthcare professionals to meet our nation’s growing and critical workforce needs, particularly in critical areas such as nursing, public health, and behavioral health.” It will become a national model for preparing professionals.”
The announcement was released Tuesday in conjunction with an HHS report on key issues facing U.S. health care workers. The report focuses on direct care workers, including long-term care and behavioral health providers, physicians, certified nurses, certified associate nurses, and certified vocational nurses, and does not address the broader healthcare workforce. .
“What is clear is that we need more health care workers. We especially need health care workers who bring experience that will help us better serve our communities. We are fully committed to achieving this goal for the year,” Becerra said.
HHS noted that many nurses left their jobs during the pandemic and that “the workforce began to recover in 2022 and 2023, although competition for registered nurses remains intense.” In 2022, there will be approximately 4.3 million RNs in the United States, including more than 465,000 skilled nursing nurses.
According to the report, “While the supply of certified nurses is projected to increase by 14% by 2036, demand is projected to increase by 18% during this period, resulting in a fill rate of 91%. “It will become.”
According to HHS, the need for direct care nurses has never been greater, and demand continues to grow.
“By 2032, jobs providing direct care supporting older people and people with disabilities will account for nearly one in six jobs, making it the largest occupational category in the economy,” the agency said.
HHS said it is committed to training and educating health care workers and supporting programs that improve access to care in underserved communities.
Student loans are one of the factors discouraging young people from choosing a career in health care, HHS said. In 2021, the average student loan debt for RNs with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree was $23,711.54. But service-required scholarships and loan repayment programs do exist, officials noted. Such programs include the National Health Service Corps, the Nursing Corps, and similar programs that limit debt while encouraging participants to live in under-resourced areas.
Another barrier for people who want to become direct care workers is the cost of training programs, according to the report. Many nursing homes, home health care, and home care organizations offer their own hands-on training programs. However, HHS noted that many educational institutions hire employees from technical schools and community colleges, and students must pay for their education upfront.
The report says providers also have a duty to establish career ladders for existing staff. These programs can help retain current employees by providing avenues for career advancement and can also help increase the number of employees who can fill more advanced roles.
“The aging of the U.S. population will continue to strain the long-term care sector and increase the need for direct care workers. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of these workers to an unprecedented level. HHS concluded that the need to improve the quality of direct care work to ensure high-quality care has received significant attention.
