HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) today urged policymakers to adopt constructive, long-term solutions to the state's shortage of nurses and other health care professionals.
"Shortages of health care professionals do affect access to care," said HAP President and CEO Carolyn F. Scanlan. "However, we need to make sure that the approaches we take to address the shortages do not make the situation worse.
"Adding more regulatory requirements and unfunded mandates will not increase the supply of health care workers."
Noting today's SEIU rally in front of HAP headquarters in Harrisburg, Scanlan said that HAP and nurses unions have been part of several meetings to discuss real and lasting solutions to the shortage of health care professionals.
Scanlan said that Pennsylvania's hospitals have implemented a number of "best practices" that include health careers outreach; magnet hospital designations; nursing loan forgiveness programs; nurse externships; increased on-site clinical training at hospitals; partnerships with K-12 public and private schools to offer career exploration experiences to students; greater responsiveness in hospitals to human resources needs, including redesigned and more flexible benefit packages; and support of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation's $30 million Nursing Education Initiative.
Scanlan pointed to recent surveys by HAP and the Pennsylvania Department of Health that gauge the scope and impact of the nurse shortage:
* There are nearly 4,000 full-time equivalent registered nurse vacancies in Pennsylvania hospitals and health systems -- a number that exceeds the number of new nurses graduating from all of Pennsylvania's professional nurse education and training programs. * Statewide, hospitals and health systems also report significant vacancy rates for advanced practice nurses (11.6 percent), certified registered nurses anesthetists (9.5 percent), licensed practical nurses (7.3 percent), and nursing assistants (6.5 percent). * Hospitals report addressing patient needs while at the same time responding to these vacancies through the creation of in-house agencies, use of float pools, increased use of part-time and per diem staff, reassignment of nurses between units, use of outside agency nurses, and sometimes as a last resort, requiring nurses or other health care professionals to work beyond their regularly scheduled shift to maintain appropriate staffing levels. * The Pennsylvania Department of Health survey results -- available online at http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/lib/health/NurseWhitePaper.pdf -- found limited use of overtime in hospitals. Only 15 percent of registered nurses working in acute care hospitals indicated that they were required to work overtime -- a much smaller percentage than the 42 percent of nurses who indicated that they were required to work overtime in state-owned facilities. * The Pennsylvania Department of Health also found that the vast majority of registered nurses, including those working in hospitals, are either very or somewhat satisfied with their jobs (85 percent) and careers (83 percent). The satisfaction of nurses working in hospitals compared quite favorably to the other health care work settings. * Hospitals and health systems across the state report that they are using a variety of approaches in recruitment and retention, including schedule flexibility, involvement of nurses in decision-making regarding the work environment, commitment to professional development through tuition reimbursement and payment for continuing education, and appropriate rewards in recognition of skills and contributions to the organization. For example, the commitment to nurses is reflected in that almost half of Pennsylvania hospitals and health systems have expressed an interest in exploring nursing magnet accreditation.
In pursuing real and lasting solutions to assure an adequate supply of nurses to provide quality and safe patient care, Pennsylvania's hospitals also support:
* Fair and adequate reimbursements for hospital care by Medicare,
Medicaid, and private insurers.
* Sufficient financial assistance by government and private payors for
medical education, nursing, and allied health education programs to
sustain current schools and to prevent further school closings.
* Grant programs, financial incentives, and scholarship programs to
enable schools to attract a diverse student population into health
careers, and to encourage health care workers to work in hospitals or
other care settings.
* Public and private investment in evaluating technologies, restructuring
work environments, and designing patient care to improve patient safety
and to enable health care workers to emphasize care-giving.
* Regulatory oversight that provides public accountability for quality
and patient safety while providing sufficient flexibility to enable
health care professionals to effectively provide and coordinate patient
care and to practice to the fullest potential of their clinical
capabilities.
"Health care professionals -- doctors, nurses, and others -- rise to meet the needs of their communities while performing heroic, lifesaving acts every day," Scanlan said. "We all need to work together to help ensure that the patients they serve get the care they need and that the dedicated, caring professionals -- who are the heart of health care -- get the respect, recognition, and reward that they deserve."
Additional information is available online as follows: * August 11, 2004, HAP testimony on the hospital community's response to the nursing shortage. http://www.haponline.org/communications/position/Testimony/. * May 24, 2004, HAP testimony on the scope of, and proposed solutions to, the nursing shortage. http://www.haponline.org/communications/position/Testimony/. * Legislative Budget and Finance Committee report on Pennsylvania's response to the nursing shortage. http://lbfc.legis.state.pa.us/factsheets/2004/nursing_fullrpt.pdf. * Department of Health White Paper on nursing workforce. http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/lib/health/NurseWhitePaper.pdf * Other HAP workforce reports/studies. http://www.haponline.org/regulatory/issues/workforce/.
HAP is a statewide membership services organization that advocates for nearly 250 Pennsylvania acute and specialty care, primary care, subacute care, long-term care, home health, and hospice providers, as well as the patients and communities they serve.
Additional information about HAP is available online at http://www.haponline.org/.
The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of PennsylvaniaCONTACT: Roger H. Baumgarten, Director, Media Relations, The Hospital &Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, +1-717-561-5342, Cell:+1-717-329-9537, rbaumgarten@haponline.org
Web site: http://www.haponline.org/
