ERIC Number: ED455430
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2001-Aug-1
Pages: 19
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Health Workforce: Ensuring Adequate Supply and Distribution Remains Challenging. Testimony before the Subcommittee on Health, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives.
Heinrich, Janet
The General Accounting Office's (GAO's) director of health care-public health issues testified before Congress regarding growing concerns about the adequacy of the health care work force and lessons learned from the experience of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) in addressing the maldistribution of health care professionals. The following were among the key points made during the testimony: (1) recruitment and retention of adequate numbers of qualified health care workers are major concerns for many health care providers today; (2) although current data on supply and demand for many categories of health workers are limited, available evidence suggests emerging shortages in some fields (especially among nurses and nurses aides); (3) vacancy rates for health care workers in rural areas and inner cities are especially high; (4) working conditions and wages contribute to job dissatisfaction among nurses and nurses aides; (5) although demand for most health workers will continue to grow, demographic pressures may limit their supply; (6) the NHSC illustrates the challenges in addressing shortages of health professionals in certain locations; (7) better coordination of placements with waivers for J-1 visa physicians is needed; and (8) loan repayment is a better approach than scholarships. (A list of 10 related GAO reports is appended.) (MN)
Descriptors: Access to Health Care, Allied Health Occupations Education, Change Strategies, Demand Occupations, Employment Patterns, Employment Projections, Federal Programs, Government Role, Health Needs, Health Occupations, Health Services, Inner City, Job Placement, Job Satisfaction, Labor Force Development, Labor Needs, Labor Supply, Labor Turnover, Motivation Techniques, Needs Assessment, Nurses, Nurses Aides, Policy Formation, Postsecondary Education, Program Effectiveness, Public Policy, Recruitment, Rural Areas, Salary Wage Differentials, Scholarships, Secondary Education, Student Financial Aid, Student Loan Programs, Tenure, Trend Analysis, Urban Areas, Vocational Education, Work Environment
U.S. General Accounting Office, P.O. Box 37050, Washington, DC 20013 (first copy free; additional copies $2.00 each; 100 or more: 25% discount). For full text: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d011042t.pdf.
Publication Type: Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: General Accounting Office, Washington, DC. Health, Education, and Human Services Div.; General Accounting Office, Washington, DC.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A