Despite the dismal outlook for the American economy, job opportunities are expected to boom over the next 10 years in the medical profession.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts aging of the Baby Boomer generation will result in a rising need during the next decade for a new, younger wave of health care personnel, from nurses and medical technicians, to doctors and hospital administrators.
The skyrocketing staffing demand comes as no surprise since the nation's Baby Boomer population continues to grow older, requiring more workers and greater home-health services, assistants and therapists. To recruit top talent, "many employers are offering generous salaries, signing bonuses, continuing education credits and flexible work schedules," according to Beyond.com, a company that monitors shifts in employment demand.
Three of the top 20 occupations that the Labor Bureau expects to expand the most over the next 10 years are medicine and health. Registered nurses top the list with a projected need for an additional 60,000 positions by 2016. An additional 65,000 new jobs will become available for nursing and home health aides.
The labor shortage in the medical profession is so severe that elected officials and policy experts warn that the aging population threatens to overwhelm our present health care system, which currently is suffering from a shortage of health care workers. Al Hernandez-Santana, executive director of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, agreed, saying, "We have to pay attention to this crisis and make a heavy investment."
Shortage of Hispanic Health Employees
At the same time, there is an acute lack of Hispanic representation in health care positions. In California, for example, Hispanics make up more than one-third of the state's population but only 5.7 percent of nurses, 5.2 percent of physicians, and 7.6 percent of psychologists, says U.S. Census data.
The dearth of Hispanic health care workers has significant negative implications for the provision of health care to California's minorities. Differing cultural backgrounds, suggests Mr. Hernandez-Santana, may inhibit patients from revealing all information relevant to their medical treatment or may result in medical personnel missing important cues about the patient's condition. In nursing homes too, a common ethnic background may enhance communication and offer comfort to the elderly and infirm.
The limited number of Hispanic medical personnel also suggests a solution to the labor shortage.
In May, an advisory council to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a report urging that the health care workforce be "diversified." The Healthcare Workforce Diversity Advisory Council is comprised of health care professionals and advocacy organizations and is funded in part by the California Wellness Foundation. Its May 2008 report endorsed an array of strategies to overcome "education and workforce barriers" and expand the minority medical workforce. The report addressed such key issues as the recruitment and promotion of Hispanics within the medical professions, as well as reforming educational institutions to increase the training of Hispanics nurses, medical and administrative personnel, and doctors.
