Departments

May 1, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Lisa Huddleston, Manager of Communications
Greater Cincinnati Health Council
2100 Sherman Ave., Suite 100
Cincinnati, OH 45212
(513) 878-2869

Health Council Releases 2008 Vacancy Report
Report Features Tristate Vacancy Rates, Age Breakdowns
in Relation to “Hard-to-Fill” Health Care Positions

Overall vacancy rates in 32 “hard-to-fill” health care positions slightly increased in 2008 – from 5.2 percent to 6.3 percent – according to the Greater Cincinnati Health Council’s recently released 2008 Vacancy Report. The report, which contains 2008 vacancy data from area hospitals, measures vacancy rates by full-time equivalents (FTEs). (A portion of the report is attached to this e-mail).

Additionally, the 2008 annual vacancy report is the first to include age breakdowns as they apply to these positions. Age groups include 18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and 60+. “The age breakdowns help us to be proactive in determining the Tristate’s future health care needs,” says Mary Duffey, executive director of the Health Council’s Health Care Workforce Center. “When we see a profession where the majority of those working in it are over 50 years old and likely to retire in the next 10 to 15 years, we know that this is a profession that we need to encourage young people to consider.”

Duffey cites nursing as one position where the region has been successful in recruiting new people to the profession. Approximately 73.8 percent of nurses employed in area hospitals are under the age of 50. Nearly half are under 40. Still, the vacancy rate for registered nurses increased in 2008 to 7.3 percent, up from 5.7 percent in 2007. However, says Duffey, this isn’t so much a turnover problem as it is growing pains. “Turnover among registered nurses is actually down in this area, and all our nursing schools have actually increased enrollment.” Duffey notes that there is an increased demand for registered nurses, which has been precipitated by growth within the hospitals. The compiled data (effective December 31, 2007) indicates that there are 596 openings for registered nurse FTEs in the Tristate.

The position with the highest average vacancy rate is for certified occupational therapy assistants, with a 24.9 percent FTE vacancy rate – a rate that far exceeds the second highest vacancy rate (registered echocardiograph technicians at 12.1 percent).

The vacancy rate for physical therapy assistants also increased significantly from 3.4 percent to 10.2 percent. Moreover, the vacancy rate for registered physical therapists increased from 7.4 percent to 9.3 percent, and that number will most likely continue to go up. This is due to increased educational requirements for registered physical therapists. “While physical therapists with master’s degrees currently in the profession can still continue to practice, those coming out of programs in the future will be required to have a doctorate,” says Duffey. Because physical therapists are now required to have a doctorate degree, Greater Cincinnati will experience a lack of graduates during the transition. “Currently, we are focusing on recruitment initiatives for all of the therapy occupations in our region.”

Another factor impacting hospital staffing levels for therapy occupations is the expansion of therapy services outside of hospital settings. For example, many orthopedic physicians employ physical therapists in their practices. This expansion of therapy services into physician practices and other community outlets has created an overall increased demand, which in turn poses a staffing challenge within area hospitals.

On a positive note, overall vacancy rates decreased in certain radiology positions, including registered radiology tech (from 4.6 percent to 2.9 percent); radiation therapy technologist (from 6.0 percent to 2.1 percent); and MRI technician (from 4.6 percent to 1.5 percent). The exception to this is echocardiograph technician, with a vacancy rate that increased substantially from 5.7 percent to 12.1 percent.

As to age breakdowns, Duffey indicates that one way to determine future needs is to assess positions with high percentages of over-50 employees and low percentages of employees in the 18-29 age bracket. Hospital positions to monitor for future shortages include:

  • Coder: 37.04 percent over 50 – 7.41 percent ages 18-29
  • Medical Transcriptionist: 48.8 percent over 50 – 4.52 percent ages 18-29
  • Surgical Assistant: 41.11 percent over 50 – 4.44 percent ages 18-29
  • Registered Pharmacist: 46.25 percent over 50 – 12.5 percent ages 18-29
  • Credentialed Vascular Tech: 38.71 percent over 50 – 12.9 percent ages 18-29

Hospitals participating in the 2008 Vacancy Report include:

  • Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
  • CMH Regional Health System/Clinton Memorial Hospital
  • Deaconess Hospital
  • Dearborn County Hospital (Southeast Indiana)
  • Fayette County Memorial Hospital
  • Health Alliance (including data collected from St. Luke Hospital East, St. Luke Hospital West and The Christ Hospital, facilities that have since separated from the Health Alliance)
    • Drake Center
    • Ft. Hamilton Hospital
    • Jewish Hospital
    • St. Luke Hospital West (Northern Kentucky)
    • St. Luke Hospital East (Northern Kentucky)
    • The Christ Hospital
    • University Hospital
  • Highland District Hospital
  • Margaret Mary Community Hospital (Southeast Indiana)
  • McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital
  • Mercy Health Partners
    • Mercy Anderson
    • Mercy Clermont
    • Mercy Fairfield
    • Mercy Mt. Airy
    • Mercy Western Hills
  • Regency Hospital of Cincinnati
  • St. Elizabeth Medical Center (Northern Kentucky)
    • St. Elizabeth – Grant County
    • St. Elizabeth North
    • St. Elizabeth South
  • TriHealth
    • Bethesda North Hospital
    • Good Samaritan Hospital
  • Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center

For more information about the Health Council’s 2008 Vacancy Report, contact Mary Duffey at (513) 878-2862 or mduffey@gchc.org.

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