The US Department of Health and Human Services has a partnership with California State University aimed at building up the country’s healthcare workforce. The intention is to demonstrate that universities and federal agencies can work together to meet critical workforce needs.
“The nation’s health is stronger when we have a trained, fully equipped and well-supported health workforce,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said. “Thanks to the CSU system, we continue to move in the right direction towards becoming a stronger and healthier nation.”
CSU Chancellor Mildred García said that the collaboration “will serve as a national model for preparing a new generation of dynamically diverse healthcare professionals to meet our country’s significant and growing workforce needs, particularly in critical areas such as nursing, public health and behavioral health.”
The announcement was issued Tuesday in conjunction with an HHS report on major issues facing the US healthcare workforce. The report is focused on direct care workers in long-term care and behavioral health providers, physicians, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and licensed vocational nurses, without addressing the broader healthcare workforce.
“What is clear is this: we need more health workers. We especially need health workers who bring with them experience that helps them better serve their communities. We are committed to achieving this goal in the years to come,” Becerra said.
A large number of nurses left the profession during the pandemic, HHS noted, and the workforce began to rebound in 2022 and 2023, “although competition for registered nurses remains strong.” There were approximately 4.3 million RNs in the United States in 2022, including more than 465,000 advanced practice registered nurses.
“While the supply of registered nurses is projected to grow by 14% by 2036, demand is projected to grow by 18% over this period resulting in 91 percent adequacy,” according to the report.
The need for direct care nurses have never been greater, and it continues to grow, according to HHS.
“By 2032, jobs providing direct care to assist older adults and people with disabilities will account for nearly one in every six jobs, making it the largest occupational category in the economy,” the agency said.
HHS said that it is committed to supporting training and education for healthcare professionals as well as programs to improve access to care in underserved areas.
Student debt is one factor that sometimes deters young people from choosing healthcare careers, HHS said. In 2021, average student loan debt for RNs with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree was $23,711.54. Service-obligated scholarships and loan repayment programs exist, however, the agency noted. Such programs include the National Health Service Corps, Nurse Corps and similar programs to limit debt while simultaneously encouraging participants to locate in under-resourced areas.
Another barrier for those interested in becoming direct care workers is the cost of training programs, according to the report. Many nursing homes, home health and home care organizations provide their own hands-on training programs. HHS, however, noted that many providers recruit employees from vocational schools and community colleges, and the students must pay for the education upfront.
It also is incumbent on providers to establish career ladders for their existing staff, according to the report. Those programs can retain current workers by providing them with a means to advance in their career and also help expand the number of workers available to fill more advanced roles.
“The aging of the US population will continue to place a strain on the long-term care sector and amplify the need for direct care workers. The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented attention to how vital these workers are and underscored the need to improve the quality of direct care jobs to ensure high-quality care,” HHS concluded.
