The healthcare workforce is constantly changing amid industry and U.S. population trends.
Here are six things to know:
Jobs
1. Healthcare added 16,700 jobs in July, with hospitals contributing 6,800 to that total, according to the latest jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This marks a slowdown from the 25,200 jobs healthcare added in June and the 28,900 jobs the industry added in May.
2. The BLS projects medical and health services manager employment will grow 20 percent from 2016 to 2026. However, most adults have never considered a health services administration career, according to a University of Phoenix College of Health Professions online survey.
Shortages
3. A study published in Surgery suggested the U.S. will see a greater shortage of general surgeons unless there are more resident graduates. Researchers projected a shortage of 7,047 general surgeons in 2050, after factoring in a projected 2050 U.S. population of 439 million and the 10,173 certificates granted by the American Board of Surgery from 2007-2016. Their 2050 general surgeon shortage projection fell to 4,917 based on the population estimates for 2050 and the number of general surgery residency completions from 2007-2016.
4. Additionally, various areas of the country are facing a shortage of nurses, and the problem is expected to worsen as baby boomers retire and the U.S. population continues to age and require more medical services. Industrywide, 3.5 million healthcare workers will be needed to fill new jobs in the U.S. from 2016-2026, and 8.1 million additional healthcare workers will be needed to replace workers who leave the occupation or retire during that time period, according to an analysis of BLS data. There will be an especially high demand for nurses, with the BLS projecting the need for 1.1 million new registered nurses by 2022, according to the American Nurses Association.
Burnout
5. Physician burnout increased from 45.5 percent to 54.4 percent between 2011 and 2014, according to an article in the American Journal of Medicine. The article's authors, physician researchers at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, said they found this is not because physicians are depressed or less content at home, but rather they are not as happy at work.
Physician Assistants
6. Salary, leadership opportunities and benefits are better for hospital-employed physician assistants compared to those who work at physician practices, according to the American Academy of Physician Assistant 2018 salary report.
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General surgeon shortage projected to worsen, study finds
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