Using staffing ratios for workforce planning: evidence on nine allied health professions

Background  

Modern healthcare managers are faced with pressure to deliver effective, efficient services within the context of fixed budget constraints. Managers are required to make decisions regarding the skill mix of the workforce particularly when staffing new services. One measure used to identify numbers and mix of staff in healthcare settings is workforce ratio. The aim of this study was to identify workforce ratios in nine allied health professions and to identify whether these measures are useful for planning allied health workforce requirements.     

Representation: a call to action for allied health professionals

The Coalition of Allied Health Leadership (CAHL) Representation Project committee examined the representation of allied health professionals in political and other policy-making groups and found it both fragmented and lacking. The benefits to individuals participating in such groups, as well as to the allied health profession as a whole and to the groups themselves, are described. Individuals are urged to participate, and the means to do so are presented.     

Nurse migration and health workforce planning: Ireland as illustrative of international challenges

Ireland began actively recruiting nurses internationally in 2000. Between 2000 and 2010, 35% of new recruits into the health system were non-EU migrant nurses. Ireland is more heavily reliant upon international nurse recruitment than the UK, New Zealand or Australia. This paper draws on in-depth interviews (N=21) conducted in 2007 with non-EU migrant nurses working in Ireland, a quantitative survey of non-EU migrant nurses (N=337) conducted in 2009 and in-depth interviews conducted with key stakeholders (N=12) in late 2009/early 2010. Available primary and secondary data indicate a fresh challenge for health workforce planning in Ireland as immigration slows and nurses (both non-EU and Irish trained) consider emigration. Successful international nurse recruitment campaigns obviated the need for health workforce planning in the short-term, however the assumption that international nurse recruitment had 'solved' the nursing shortage was short-lived and the current presumption that nurse migration (both emigration and immigration) will always 'work' for Ireland over-plays the reliability of migration as a health workforce planning tool. This article analyses Ireland's experience of international nurse recruitment 2000-2010, providing a case study which is illustrative of health workforce planning challenges faced internationally.     

Regional planning for allied health education

The tremendous proliferation of new programs in allied health education is contrasted with the situation which existed in the pre-Flexner era of medical education. Some similarities to the present state of allied health education and cautionary signs are noted. Allied health educators are urged to accept their responsibility for objective program planning. Several examples of successful regional planning approaches are noted as examples worthy of further investigation, with special attention focused on the State of Virginia, which appears to have developed some of the most comprehensive approaches to planning.     

A call to action: Preparing a disability-competent health care workforce

People with disabilities make up the largest minority population in the country, yet our health care workforce is unprepared to meet their needs. Two initiatives – and the Alliance for Disability in Health Care Education’s Disability Competencies and the Resources for Integrated Care Disability-Competent Care model-provide essential tools to build a health care workforce prepared to meet the health needs of people with disabilities. We note gaps in health education and continuing education curricula, document barriers to progress, and demonstrate how the two initiatives offer a clear roadmap to effect systemic change. Finally, we issue a call to action for health care education, practice, and research to ensure a health care workforce prepared to provide quality health care to people with disabilities.     

Diversity of the allied health workforce: the unmet challenge

Although black and Hispanic people together constitute 25% of the American population, they represent only 18% of students enrolled in 4-year colleges and universities. The educational divide further widens within the health professions programs, where < 10% of enrolled students in the allied health professions are black or Hispanic. Health agencies have begun referring to the underrepresentation of minorities in the health professions as a public health crisis. Despite the increased focus that the national government is placing on underrepresented minorities, there has been little to no increase in the number of minorities enrolled in health professions programs. This report examines the roles of educational institutions, accrediting organizations, and the government in addressing diversification of the health workforce. The authors challenge stereotypes that reinforce the belief that the predominant reason for low enrollment by underrepresented minorities is inadequate numbers of qualified minorities.     

Blended learning: emerging best practices in allied health workforce development

To remain dynamic and viable, academic institutions preparing the future workforce need to convert to a more accessible and convenient pathway for students. The need for responsiveness is especially true when considering strategies to prepare an allied health workforce in areas of shortages and to meet the needs of the underserved. A blended or hybrid learning model that strategically uses web-based and face-to-face teaching/learning methods is an innovative and strategic way that promotes learner-centered higher education and facilitates a higher learning experience. A model and emerging best practices for implementation are presented from our experience at the Center for Allied Health Programs at the University of Minnesota.     

A model linking clinical workforce skill mix planning to health and health care dynamics

Background  

In an attempt to devise a simpler computable tool to assist workforce planners in determining what might be an appropriate mix of health service skills, our discussion led us to consider the implications of skill mixing and workforce composition beyond the 'stock and flow' approach of much workforce planning activity.     

Epidemiology in conflict - A call to arms

In this first special theme issue, Emerging Themes in Epidemiology publishes a collection of articles on the theme of Epidemiology in conflict. Violent conflict is an issue of great sensitivity within public health, but more structured research and reasoned discussion will allow us to better mitigate the public health impacts of war, and place the public health community in a more informed position in discussions about possible interventions in future conflicts.     

Epidemiology in conflict – A call to arms

In this first special theme issue, Emerging Themes in Epidemiology publishes a collection of articles on the theme of Epidemiology in conflict. Violent conflict is an issue of great sensitivity within public health, but more structured research and reasoned discussion will allow us to better mitigate the public health impacts of war, and place the public health community in a more informed position in discussions about possible interventions in future conflicts.     

Changing workforce demographics necessitates succession planning in health care

Health care organizations continue to be plagued by labor shortage issues. Further complicating the already existing workforce challenges is an aging population poised to retire en masse within the next few years. With fewer cohorts in the age group of 25 to 44 years (Vital Speeches Day. 2004:71:23-27), a more mobile workforce (Grow Your Own Leaders: How to Identify, Develop, and Retain Leadership Talent, 2002), and an overall reduction in the number of individuals seeking employment in the health care field (J Healthc Manag. 2003:48:6-11), the industry could be faced with an unmanageable number of vacant positions throughout the organization. Bracing for the potential impact of these issues is crucial to the ongoing business continuity of health care organization. Many health care organizations have embraced succession planning to combat the potential labor famine. However, the health care industry as a whole seems to lag behind other industries in terms of succession planning efforts (Healthc Financ Manage. 2005;59:64-67). This article seeks to provide health care managers with a framework for improving the systematic preparation of the next generation of managers by analyzing the succession planning process. The proposition of these models is to initiate and simplify the gap reduction between theoretical concepts and future organizational application.