Although Pennsylvania hospitals reduced turnover for the second consecutive year, the state still needs thousands of healthcare employees to meet growing demand, according to an April report.
The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, LeadingAge PA and Pennsylvania Health Care Association surveyed 119 hospitals and 211 nursing home providers from Nov. 11, 2024, to Jan. 15, 2025, on workforce challenges.
Here are 24 notable findings:
Average hospital position vacancy rates in 2024
- Certified registered nurse anesthetists: 30%
- Surgical techs: 28%
- Clinical nurse specialists: 22%
- Registered nurses: 19%
- Medical assistants: 19%
- Respiratory therapists: 18%
- Nursing support staff: 17%
- Physician assistants: 16%
- Pharmacy techs: 15%
- Radiologic techs: 14%
- Central sterile processors: 14%
- Certified registered nurse practitioners: 14%
- Medical/lab techs: 13%
- Certified nurse midwives: 12%
“Filling current vacancies for health care professionals is not enough,” the report said. “Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry projects that each year through 2032, the commonwealth will need 8,890 more registered nurses and 11,232 more nursing assistants to replace those leaving the workforce and meet increasing demand for care.”
Hospital staffing strategies
To meet workforce demands, many hospitals are expanding their care teams:
- Ninety-six percent of hospitals have licensed practical nurses providing direct patient care
- Seventy-four percent employ mental health therapists
- Seventy-three percent employ community health workers
- Twenty-eight percent employ doulas
Challenges with patient transfers and access to care
Pennsylvania nursing homes declined 2,443 referrals from hospitals over a 90-day period, citing staffing ratio requirements and workforce shortages.
As a result, hospitals reported the following:
- Seventy percent of hospitals reported increased emergency department wait times
- Sixty-eight percent reported increased wait times to schedule appointments or procedures
- Twenty-eight percent eliminated or scaled back a service line
- Twenty percent had to reduce available beds on a regular basis
The report concluded that delayed transfers and longer wait times are “further delaying and reducing access to care in our communities.”
