The Big Healthcare Staff Shortage

Since the pandemic healthcare workers have been reported to be overworked, and have symptoms of exhaustion, depression, and sleep disorders. This can be attributed to the shortage of healthcare workers, which started before the pandemic.

According to providertech since February of 2020 Healthcare employment is down about 500,000. Since October of 2021, about 16% of hospitals reported critical staffing issues. It is projected that by 2026 we will be running about a 3.2 million healthcare worker shortage.

So there is a healthcare shortage, no question about that. But why is there a shortage?

Years of Schooling to Work in the Healthcare Field

One of the biggest problems contributing to the shortage of healthcare workers is the amount of schooling required. To become a doctor in the United States you need to complete a 4-year undergraduate program, another 4 years in medical school, and another 3 to 7 years in residency of their specialty. So roughly 11 to 15 years of schooling after high school to become a doctor.

It is important that these people get the proper education, like any other profession. But the amount of time, dedication, and effort that needs to be put into the study of the profession are greater than any other job.

In fact, the years of education are not only great compared to other positions but in the United States, the years of education for a doctor are great than in other countries. In Europe to get a medical degree they typically combine undergraduate and postgraduate work so you can finish your degree in roughly 5 to 6 years.

Cost of Education in the Healthcare Field

The average total cost of a 4-year undergraduate school is $140,000. The average total cost of a 4-year medical school is $220,000. That is a total of $360,000 for medical school just to get into your residency. Not unless you have a lot of cash on hand, that is a lot of student debt.

Many would see the cost of medical school and cancel that as a possible path for the future. It is a rational decision to make since you have to see when choosing a career the return on investment (ROI).

Average Salary

Working in the medical field you can make a pretty penny. Rightfully so, they work long demanding hours and save people’s lives. Plus the amount of time dedicated to studying their work and the money spent on schooling for it. They better be paid well for their work.

The problem with this is that the ROI for their work is very delayed. You have to go through 8 years of schooling just to get to residency where you make on average $65,000 a year. And that’s not a 40-hour workweek, they work up to 80 a week. That’s about a $17/hour pre-taxes.

Now after residency, many will make hundreds of thousands per year. But is the $360,000 in student loans plus the 15 years of working towards that salary plus the grueling hours and intensity of the work worth it?

For some it is, others it is not. One thing is for sure the delay in ROI definitely contributes to the shortage of staff in the medical field.

Cost of Insurance

Another reason some may avoid the medical field is the crazy insurance costs. This is medical malpractice insurance or insurance to protect healthcare workers when a patient sues them for any kind of malpractice.

On average, healthcare workers pay $7,500 a year in malpractice insurance. This number varies based on what field you are in and what state you reside in. In Long Island, NY an OB/GYN can pay as high as $200,000 a year in malpractice insurance. That is a lot of money to protect yourself in the event you are being sued.

Career-Ending Mistakes

The cost of insurance is a big problem but a bigger one is that some mistakes could lead you to lose your medical license and possibly end up in jail as a felon. This was almost the case for RaDonda Vaught. She was a Tennessee nurse that was convicted of two felonies. She was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and gross neglect of an impaired adult.

RaDonda was found convicted after she accidentally administered the wrong medication to a patient which led to the death of the patient. RaDonda admitted to her mistake. Her defense was centered around mistakes, like the one she made, should not be a crime. That we are all humans and we all make mistakes.

She did end up losing her medical license and is no longer able to practice nursing. Although she was found guilty, the judge granted RaDonda judicial diversion, which means her record will be expunged if 3 years of probation have been completed. RaDonda did not end up going to jail after being found guilty.

This case did end in a “win” for RaDonda since she didn’t end up in jail, she is still not allowed to practice medicine and has to complete 3 years of probation. Although the verdict for another nurse who might make a similar mistake might not end as well as it did for RaDonda.

There is a lot of support from other Nurses and Healthcare workers around the country since on any given day one of them could make a mistake as well and they don’t want to have to go through what RaDonda went through.

Demanding Job

Finally, the medical field is one of the most demanding jobs on the market. Long hours, dealing with patients, and the amount of knowledge required in their field is leading the workers to be burnt out. With the decrease in staff, that means the current staff needs to work even longer days and more hours, it’s an endless cycle.

Something needs to change to increase the staff in the medical field. It is a necessary field for a functioning society. We could decrease how long it takes to get a medical degree by combining undergraduate with medical school. Or have the government subsidize medical school costs. Or don’t allow for medical mistakes to be criminal unless it is proven they were malicious acts.

Without an increase in staffing soon we could see an increase in the cost of healthcare. As if the cost of healthcare insurance and healthcare isn’t high enough.