% PSYCHOLOGICAL, I GUESS YOU'D S .
% SAY.
% >> CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANTS
% OFTEN PERFORM MUCH OF THE WORK
% IN PLACES LIKE ASSISTED LIVING
% FACILITIES OR NURSING HOMES, AND
% THE HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE REPORT
% SHOWS ADDITIONAL CRITICAL
% SHORTAGES OF OTHER FRONTLINE
% HEALTH WORKERS ACROSS THE STATE.
% FOR MORE ON THE RAMIFICATIONS OF
% THIS FOR PATIENTS, STAFF AND
% HOSPITALS, WE TURN TO ANN ZENK,
% VICE PRESIDENT OF WORKFORCE AND
% CLINICAL PRACTICE AT THE
% WISCONSIN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION.
% THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
% >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% >> SO HOW MANY VACANCIES ARE
% THERE RIGHT NOW FOR CERTIFIED IS
% NOW UNDER INVESTIGATION%ASSI
STANTS IN WISCONSIN?
% >> NEARLY 1,800 ACROSS THE
% STATE, AND ADDED TO THAT, NEARLY
% 4,000 RN OPEN POSITIONS.
% >> HAS IT EVER BEEN VACANCY
% RATES THAT HIGH?
% >> YOU KNOW, I THINK BECAUSE OUR
% HEALTHCARE, HOSPITAL AND HEALTH
% SYSTEM WORKFORCE IS LARGER THAN
% IT'S EVER BEEN AND THESE ARE
% HISTORIC HIGHS, I THINK THOSE
% LEVELS ARE UNPRECEDENTED ALSO.
% >> WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE ARE
% NOT ENOUGH CNAs OR RNs IN A
% HEALTHCARE FACILITY OF ANY KIND?
% >> SO, YOU KNOW, HOSPITALS RIGHT
% NOW ARE EXPERIENCING A REALLY
% BIG BOTTLENECK IN THE
% AVAILABILITY OF LONG-TERM CARE
% BEDS.
% LIKE NURSING HOME BEDS.
% THE IMPACT OF THAT IS THAT
% PATIENTS STAY IN THE HOSPITAL
% LONGER THAN THEY NEED TO, WHICH
% STRETCHES STAFFING THINNER AND
% ALSO CREATES LONGER WAIT TIMES
% IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT AS
% PATIENTS WHO NEED THAT ACUTE
% CARE BED HAVE TO WAIT FOR
% ANOTHER BED TO OPEN UP.
% >> BECAUSE YOUR REPORT TALKS
% ABOUT SOMETHING CALLED THE
% SILVER TSUNAMI, AND AGAIN, THESE
% NURSING HOME BOTTLENECKS.
% DESCRIBE WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE.
% >> WE'VE BEEN TALKING AT W.H.A.
% AND THINKING ABOUT THE IMPACT OF
% THE RETIREMENTS OF THE LARGE
% BABY BOOM POPULATION --
% GENERATION, EXCUSE ME, BECAUSE
% THE BABY BOOM GENERATION IS SO
% LARGE AND SPANS A COUPLE OF
% DECADES, WE'RE NOW SEEING THE
% SILVER TSUNAMI IN WISCONSIN,
% 10,000 U.S. CITIZENS TURN 65
% EVERY DAY AND THAT'S RETIREMENT
% AGE.
% RIGHT?
% IN WISCONSIN, ABOUT ONE IN FOUR
% INDIVIDUALS IS AT RETIREMENT A .
% AGE.
% THAT'S EVEN AHEAD OF THE U.S.
% POPULATION WHERE IT'S ABOUT ONE
% IN FIVE.
% THAT MEANS OUR HEALTHCARE
% WORKFORCE IS SHRINKING.
% THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE
% FOR HOSPITALS AND HEALTH
% SYSTEMS, BECAUSE AS WE AGE, OUR
% NEED FOR HEALTHCARE INCREASES.
% SO JUST AT THE TIME OUR
% WORKFORCE IS SHRINKING,
% HEALTHCARE DEMAND IS GROWING.
% >> SO WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS MEAN
% FOR PATIENTS AND HEALTHCARE
% PROVIDERS THEMSELVES?
% >> WE NEED TO FOCUS ON GROWING
% OUR WORKFORCE FASTER IF WE'RE
% GOING TO KEEP UP WITH DEMAND,
% BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO FIGURE OUT A
% WAY TO INCREASE CAPACITY WITH
% THE WORKFORCE THAT WE HAVE.
% SO THAT MEANS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE
% HAVE TO GROW FAST, WE HAVE TO
% MAKE BETTER USE OF TECHNOLOGY,
% WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE OUR TEAMS
% ARE OPERATING AT THE TOP OF
% THEIR SKILL LEVEL.
% IF WE DON'T DO THOSE THINGS VERY
% EFFECTIVELY, WE'RE GOING TO SEE
% LONGER WAITS IN THE EMERGENCY
% DEPARTMENT.%WE'RE GOING TO S
EE PEOPLE MAYBE
% HAVING TO LEAVE THEIR OWN
% COMMUNITY AND GO TO ANOTHER
% COMMUNITY WHERE THERE ISN'T AN
% OPEN HOSPITAL BED.
% >> HOW BADLY IS THIS PUTTING
% PATIENTS AT RISK?
% >> I THINK THAT TOO, RIGHT NOW,
% IMPACTING PEOPLE'S TIME AND
% ENERGY.%I THINK ULTIMATELY T
HEY GET THE
% CARE THEY NEED, BUT IT MIGHT BE
% FARTHER AWAY THAN THEY WOULD
% LIKE OR THAN THEIR FAMILIES CAN
% VISIT.
% IT MIGHT BE, YOU KNOW, WE FOCUS
% A LOT ON THE RIGHT CARE IN THE
% RIGHT SETTING AT THE RIGHT TIME,
% SO THEIR REHAB MIGHT BE DELAYED
% IF THEY CAN'T FIND THAT
% LONG-TERM CARE THEY NEED.
% >> YOU TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE
% KINDS OF SOLUTIONS THAT ARE
% UNDER CONSIDERATION, BUT WHAT
% ABOUT THE PAY FOR SOME OF THESE
% LOWER PAID FRONTLINE WORKERS,
% LIKE CNAs.
% IS THERE A WAY TO ADEQUATELY TO
% INCREASE THAT AND RETAIN THEM?
% >> WE ARE HEARING FROM OUR
% THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS AND HEALTH
% SYSTEMS THAT C.N.A. WAGES ARE
% INCREASING AS DEMAND INCREASES.
% A FEW YEARS AGO, C.N.A. PAY
% STARTED AT MAYBE 13 OR $14 AN
% HOUR.%IN OUR LATEST SALARY S
URVEY, THE
% AVERAGE STARTING SALARY IS
% AROUND 17 TO 17.50 AN HOUR AND
% THE MEDIAN SALARY IS AROUND
% 19.50 AN HOUR, SO THOSE WAGES
% ARE COMING UP.
% >> WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT,
% BUT I KNOW THAT THERE HAVE BEEN
% STATE INVESTMENTS AND KIND OF
% C.N.A. TRAINING PROGRAMS AND
% GOVERNOR EVERS IS CALLING FOR
% $100 MILLION IN HIS STATE BUDGET
% TO ADDRESS THE HEALTHCARE
% WORKFORCE SHORTAGE.
% ARE POLICY MAKERS, THOUGH,
% ACROSS THE BOARD HEARING AND
% UNDERSTANDING THIS PROBLEM?
% >> I THINK AS THE WORD GETS OUT,
% AS OUR REPORT IS PUBLISHED AND
% SHOWS DOUBLING OF VACANCY RATES
% IN JUST ONE YEAR, THAT MESSAGE
% IS STARTING TO GET ACROSS.
% >> ALL RIGHT.