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Show Table 1. Descriptive Information on Selected Hospital Personnel. Registered Licensed Repiratory Radiologic Tech- Clinical Laboratory Physical Thera- Pharmacists Nurses Practical Therapists nologists Technologists & pists Nurses____________________________________ Technicians ____ Average Total 239.6 21.1 21.0 11.1 21.2/21.9 6.4 9.0 Average Tenure (in 9.0 6.7 8.3 7.2 7.2/7.4 5.0 8.7 years) Average Turnover 13.0% 12.9% 15.6% 9.4% 8.7/10.6% 9.5% 4.3% Average currents 21.6 Openings 3.5 Open- 1.5 Openings 1.3 Openings 0.5/0.2 Openings 0.28 Openings 0.75 Openings Openings/Hosp and 9.0% ings 16.6% 7.1% 11.7% 0.2/0.01% 4.4% 8.3% percent of average total positions Average Age 40.5 years 36.8 years 42.2 years 35.8 years 41.6/35.4 years 35.4 years 37.3 years Average No. & Per- 29 RNs 12% of 6.8 LPNs 1.5 RTs 5% of 2.2 Rad Techs 4.8 & 9.4 CLS 2% 0.33 PTs 5% of 0.38 Pharms 4% of cents between Ages total 32% of total total 19% of total and 42% of total total total 18-25 Years Average No. & Per- 53 RNs 22% of 4.5 LPNs 4.3 RTs 20% of 1.9 Rad Techs 6.4 & 3.2 CLS 2% 0.64 PTs 10% 2.1 Pharms 23% of cent older than 50 total 21% of total total 17% of total and 14% of total of total total years Source: Workforce survey of 31 Utah hospitals, first quarter 2002. are aging as well. Many educators will retire in the next two decades. Utah's colleges and universities will be faced with faculty shortages because of a lack of adequate qualified applicants and the funding to pay them competitive wages. How should the state respond to these needs? While the support of the population and its Legislature in funding for higher education is warranted, it is not the only answer. Important studies are needed to discover why some personnel are leaving the profession. A study of the Medical Education Council reports nearly 2,000 nurses licensed in Utah are not working (UMEC, 2002b.) Many ideas are purported to enhance the retention of hearth care personnel, but few actually ask the former staffers why they left and what might have kept them in the industry (Aon, 2001) This suggest that an employee exit interview can provide essential diagnostic information. Greenfield (1999) reports that as many as two-thirds of nurses questioned reported they had suffered verbal abuse from physicians at least once every two to three months. Another 12% said that something had been thrown at them in anger. A current study reports that within four years, 78% of male nurses and 39% of new female nurses in the country are working in other professions. The most common reasons include better pay, more rewarding work and better hours (Nelson, 2002). A 2001 survey of the Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals reported that currently employed nurses surveyed considered leaving their profession in order to find a less stressful and physically demanding job (56%), because of concern about schedules and hours (22%), and a desire for higher wages (18%) (FNHP, 2001). As indicated earlier, 41% of the Utah hospitals responding to this survey indicated current staff was being asked to work overtime. A fourth of the hospitals indicated staff had been asked to increase workload. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that in 2001 that average wage for Utah's nurses was $22.00 (median = $21.61). That's compared to a national average of $23.19 (median = $22.44). The report indicated registered nurses in California earned $27.85 (median = 27.36). Wages in Washington, Oregon and Nevada were $25.10 (median = $24.84), $24.33 (median = $24.37), and $25.41 (median = 25.08) an hour, respectively (BLS, 2001). Most of the wages for Utah's allied health professionals also appear to be lower than national averages. Utah's physical therapists averaged $25.35 an hour, radiologic technologists earned $17.24, and clinical laboratory technologists averaged $19.11. That's compared to the national averages for physical therapists, radiologic technologists, and clinical laboratory technologists, and respiratory therapists of $28.43, $18.68, and $20.70 an hour respectively. Only Utah's respiratory therapists appeared to be a little better off at $19.76 an hour compared to the nation's average of $19.17 (BLS, 2001). A 2001 survey of the Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (FNHP, 2001) reported that currently employed nurses surveyed considered leaving their profession in order to find a less stressful and physically demanding job (56%), because of concern about schedules and hours (22%), and a desire for higher wages (18%). Clearly, the environment of health care must support its professionals. Suggestions are many, but include a philosophy of caring from top management, visible and accessible leaders, extensive involvement of staff in planning for new services, leadership that encourages continuing development, competitive wages, and shared accountability (Barney, 2002). Studies must be undertaken to determine why licensed and qualified staff have left the industry, what it will take to get them back, and how the industry can retain good workers to meet current needs and the ever increasing needs of the future. REFERENCES Advancing Health in America (AHA) Trendwatch (2001), The hospital workforce shortage: Immediate and future, Vol. 3, No. 2. American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2001a). 2000-2001 Salaries of Instructional and Administrative Nursing Faculty in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing. vvww?a3Cii.nchg.edu. American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2001b). 2000-2001 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing, svww.aaen.ijiche.edu. American Health Care Association (AHCA), 2002. Results of the 2001 AHCA Nursing Position Vacancy and Turnover Survey. www.ahca.org/researcli/vacancysurvev 020207.pdf. Aon. (2001). "Healthcare @ Work;\4ON Consulting Workforce Commitment Report 2001. Buerhaus, P., Staiger, D., Auerbach, D. (2000). Implications of an Aging Registered Nurse Workforce, Journal of the American Medical Association, 283(22), 2948-2954. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). (2001). 2001 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates. http://www.bls.gov/oes. Demographic and Economic Analysis (DEA). (2002). Population by Selected Age Group: 1980-2030, Utah Governor's Office of Planning and Budget http vw.3!-.gov« - ' \.. - Projections/Tables/tables.htm. 12 Utah's Health: An Annual Review Volume LX |