Washington state hospitals are experiencing critical shortages of qualified, competent health care workers. Washington’s situation reflects a national phenomenon. The American Hospital Association is reporting shortages of health care workers across the country. The shortage of workers also reaches beyond health care and into other disciplines, meaning that hospitals will face tremendous competition for skilled personnel.

The shortage of health care workers affects most fields, including nurses, pharmacists, physicians, medical coders, radiology technologists, laboratory technologists, and health information technicians. While this report covers shortages in many important health care personnel areas, special emphasis has been placed on the shortage of nurses. The focus on nurses reflects the fact that nurses are by far the largest group of health care providers, and without their immediate presence at the bedside, patients will not receive care.
The health care personnel shortage compromises access to quality patient care. Emergency rooms across the state have had to turn patients away due to health care worker shortages. Patients and hospital leadership worry that exhausted workers and temporary staff, who are unfamiliar with hospital procedures, are more likely to make mistakes.

As troubling as these trends are, the shortage of health care workers is expected to significantly worsen as the Washington state population and the health care workforce age. Washington’s over-65 population, a group known to require large amounts of health care resources, is expected to grow 93 percent by 2020. The current age of a Washington state nurse is about 45. Many younger workers appear uncommitted to the health care field. In a full employment economy, workers are finding numerous opportunities in other industries. They are entering fields where there is less public scrutiny and regulation, and where they can enjoy better hours and compensation.

The shortage of workers threatens a crisis in the very viability of the health care industry. Because the health care industry is a major contributor to Washington’s economy, the impact could have major ramifications across the state. Hospitals are struggling financially, and the looming personnel crisis will only make matters worse.

While health care is often described as a product, health services are, fundamentally, people caring for people. Even as medicine advances technologically, health care practitioners remain the backbone of care.
While we know people are the key to good care, health care professionals are burned out, struggling, and leaving the profession. They are overwhelmed with paperwork because payment cannot happen without meeting onerous documentation requirements. Even with all the stress, they are expected to perform flawlessly in complex human endeavors.

Hospitals are the bedrock institutions of Washington state’s health care system. They are open 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, 52-weeks-a-year, on holidays, and during times of disaster. The shortage of health care personnel calls into question the ability of hospitals to continue their role. Immediate steps must be taken to address the shortage and plan for our future needs. Washingtonians should be asking, “Who will care for me and my family?”