As
part of our advocacy efforts to address the healthcare workforce
shortage, and to assist hospital members with workforce
planning, CHA conducts periodic member surveys to assess
nursing and allied health profession vacancy rates at Connecticut's
not-for-profit acute care hospitals.
The
results of the most recent survey, in which 29 hospitals
participated, demonstrate a slight decrease in the staff
registered nurse vacancy rate and relatively stable rates
for nursing and allied health positions overall. However,
the Staff RN vacancy rate represents over 700 RN vacancies
for CHA's acute care member hospitals, there are double-digit
vacancy rates for Emergency Department and Psychiatric RN
categories, and vacancy rates for Respiratory and Physical
Therapist job categories are increasing.
Connecticut
is among the top ten “oldest” states in the nation and is
projected to have significant rising demand for healthcare
services while experiencing one of the worst healthcare workforce
shortages in the U.S. Ongoing and aggressive efforts to address
healthcare workforce development and retention are critical
to ensuring the provision of adequate healthcare for the citizens
of Connecticut.
