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
ASSISTANTS 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 SEE 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 THEY 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 SURVEY, 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.