Hiring in the health care workforce continues to face mounting challenges. According to a report from the American Hospital Association, the health care industry could face a shortage of about 1 million workers by 2030. A study by Mercer and Lightcast projects that shortages will vary by region, with populous states such as New York and New Jersey experiencing the most acute gaps, while states like California, Texas, and Pennsylvania could see a labor supply that exceeds demand.
In Kentucky, the study forecasts a shortage of 8,000 health care workers — a 5% gap for the state’s 4.5 million residents. By comparison, Indiana faces a shortage of about 5,000 workers (3.5%), while Ohio is expected to have a surplus of roughly 2,500 workers. Tennessee faces the steepest regional deficit, needing an additional 15,000–16,000 workers, or nearly 7% of its health care workforce.
By category, Kentucky’s shortages include nearly 3,500 registered nurses (RNs), 2,000 nursing assistants, 1,200 home health care aides, 500 nurse practitioners, and 700 physicians.
The Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) reports those shortages are already being felt. An October KHA report found 2,500 RN vacancies statewide, with one in five medical-surgical RN positions unfilled — a 20% vacancy rate. The report also noted that by 2025, one in four psychiatric nurses and nearly one in five operating room nurses are expected to retire.
Even with more than 3,000 students currently enrolled in RN programs, graduation rates still fall short of meeting demand.
Recruiting and Retaining Talent
Health care employers across Central Kentucky are rethinking how they attract and retain staff. “We’re seeing the same challenges and problems that our peers are seeing across the country,” said Fredrick Martin, associate vice president of human resources at UK HealthCare. “By 2030, there is projected to be a shortage of around 100,000 skilled nursing care individuals across the country. When you think about that alone, it’s a staggering number. And it’s also a moving target. It could be plus or minus 10,000–15,000 people.”
At Saint Joseph Health, Chief Nursing Executive Melissa Bennett said the system’s top need is for registered nurses. “At Saint Joseph Health, as with many health systems across the country, our No. 1 priority is registered nurses, specifically bedside nurses in all departments — critical care, med-surg/telemetry, and care management,” Bennett said. “We also have needs for imaging professionals in all modalities — MRI, CT, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, and radiology. In particular, there is a great need for interventional radiology technicians to work in the cath lab.”
Building the Workforce Pipeline
Experts say addressing worker shortages, especially in skilled nursing, requires building a stronger workforce pipeline from high schools to community colleges and universities to ensure a steady flow of new health care professionals.
“It’s great that colleges and universities have added spots in their nursing programs, and we are working with several of them to increase the pipeline for students interested in health care,” Bennett said. “We are partnering with several nursing schools to provide scholarships to students who make a commitment to work with Saint Joseph after graduation. We have a similar program for imaging professionals.”
Other programs at Saint Joseph include externships that offer students hands-on experience and a New Grad Residency Program that helps recent nursing graduates transition into professional roles.
Martin said UK HealthCare is also focusing on retaining graduates from the UK College of Nursing. “In years past, that may have not always been the case,” he said. “The premise in the past may have been that those students are already here, and they’re automatically going to stay here regardless. But times have changed, and this is a very different generation of workers coming into the health care space and employment as a whole. We have to change tactics and be very intentional about going after that population of individuals.”
He added that UK HealthCare is also reaching out to workers in nearby metro areas such as Louisville and Cincinnati to attract them to Central Kentucky. Another focus, Martin said, is helping nurses see the long-term benefits of staff employment. During the pandemic, many nurses left hospital positions to become traveling nurses, earning as much as $200 an hour, according to TravelNursing.org. That rate has since declined to about $120 an hour, prompting hospitals to re-evaluate their staffing strategies.
“There will never be a place where you don’t have any travelers whatsoever because there is a place for them in any organization to help fill gaps and holes, like during the holidays when people need to have time off with family,” Martin said. “We have a couple of strategies that we’re employing to really convert those travelers… and to show them that they love it here, we love having them here, and there are multiple ways to get them here and have them stay here.”
“Both clinical and administrative staff are issues of concern for rural hospitals. The top national strategies for addressing rural workforce shortages include promoting and funding rural residency programs, establishing pipeline programs within rural communities, and, of course, loan repayment and forgiveness efforts.”
— Alan Morgan, CEO, National Rural Health Association
While urban hospitals face stiff competition for talent, rural systems are also struggling. “Workforce continues to be a top concern for rural hospitals, and is a priority focus area for the $1 billion Federal Rural Transformation Fund recently approved by Congress,” said Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association. “Both clinical and administrative staff are issues of concern for rural hospitals. The top national strategies for addressing rural workforce shortages include promoting and funding rural residency programs, establishing pipeline programs within rural communities themselves, and, of course, loan repayment and forgiveness efforts.”
Martin said the growing competition means health care systems must rethink how they engage potential employees. “We are in a space and in an age where the candidate experience is just that much more important because they’re getting offers and attention from everywhere,” he said. “We have to ask ourselves: how do we create an experience that speaks to that candidate in a way that says, ‘This is the place for you to be. We want to have you here and connect you with our mission for serving Kentucky.’”