Wisconsin’s Health Care Workforce: Facts and Concerns for the Future

1. Wisconsin’s Health Care Workforce: Facts and Concerns for the Future Judy Warmuth, PhD. RN Wisconsin Hospital Association July, 2008

2. The Demographics

3. Age Distribution U.S. Population: 2000-2050

4. Wisconsin • Older than states around us • Getter older faster than states around us • Fewer college graduates that national average • Still losing manufacturing jobs • High participation in the workforce • Average per household income slightly below surrounding states

5. Wisconsin School Districts in 2006 • 232 of 426 School Districts had fewer students than the year before. • 117 of 426 School Districts had at least 3 years of enrollment drops.

6. Older than states around us • Relatively low birth rate • Relatively low number of minority populations • We attract back our retirees

9. While 12.4% of the National population was over age 65 in 2000, 13.1% of Wisconsin’s population was over that age. Since they use the healthcare system more, spending in Wisconsin would be expected to outpace the nation. Seniors will become a larger share of the population in the next 25 years. Since their spending is more than five times that of younger populations, total health expenditures will continue to rise based solely on changing demographics Source: The Wisconsin Taxpayer, March 2008

10. ….and older patients consume more care Per Capita Personal Health Care Expenditures Per Capita Discharges inShort-Stay Hospitals Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Accounts data, 1999, December 2004; National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health, United States, 2004

11. What does that mean for society? What kind of advertisements would you expect to see on TV? How big will the print be in newspapers? What fashion impact would you expect? Who will be the consumers of health care? Who will be the providers?

12. So what does this mean for healthcare? • Three generation cataract example. • My grandfather • My mother • My lenses • Joint replacement and other examples

13. The Jobs

14. Annual Rates of Labor Force Growth: 1950-2050

15. Projected Change in Civilian Labor Force 2002-2012 Taken from AARP. The Business Case for Workers Age 50+

16. New jobs in Wisconsin “Among the industry super-sectors, education and health services will lead the way….

17. 2006-2016 projections-job growth • All Wisconsin industries - 8 % • All Healthcare occupations – 21% • Physician Assistants – 33% • Registered Nurses – 26%

18. 15 of 30 fastest growing occupations are in health care • Range from those requiring on the job training to bachelor’s degree • 15 health care occupations account for over 27,000 new jobs over 10 years.

19. The Workforce

20. Age Distribution of the Registered Nurse Population 1980-2004

21. Source: WHA 2005 Personnel Survey

22. 55 and older-staying in the workforce • Pension/retirement savings not large enough. • Social Security benefit not large enough or unsure of availability. • Need health insurance and other benefits. • Spouse's job not secure. • Not ready to quit working. • Working part-time is feasible in health care.

24. More older residents consuming more health care,Older health care providers, who will be staying in the workforce….

25. Thoughts/Implications • Most predictions are for dramatic healthcare workforce shortages in the future. • Workers will be older, even those just entering healthcare and we will be dependent on those older workers.

26. New generation of workers more interested in quality of life. Less interested in working long hours. Experience today says it may take two workers in the future to replace a single retiring worker. • Data would be helpful. For example age of laboratorians vs. sonographers.

27. What needs to be done? • Create interest in health occupations • Create capacity in schools preparing health care workers • Preserve and maintain the current workforce • Explore new ways to deliver and provide care

28. Create interest in health occupations • Must start in middle school, to ensure that students select courses in math in science. • Create interest in minority groups that have traditionally not pursued healthcare careers

30. Create capacity in schools preparing health care workers • Eliminate waiting lists of interested learners • Shift existing resources to health care programs • Create new programs with more flexibility for students • Expand current programs.

31. Preserve and maintain the current workforce Develop strategies that encourage the experienced and highly skilled mature worker to stay in the workforce.

32. Explore new ways to deliver and provide care Innovation and technology will allow us to create new ways of efficiently using the health care workforce. We must be willing to explore new possibilities

33. What is WHA Doing? • Working with educational programs • Working with policy makers • Making the public aware • Sharing best practices and great member programs and ideas • Building tools to help members recruit and retain well prepared workers

34. Thank You Judy Warmuth, PhD, RN Wisconsin Hospital Association Jwarmuth@wha.org 608-274-1820