The looming health care crisis. Fact or myth?
Health care literature succinctly describes the challenges faced by hospitals today: shortages of skilled workers, escalating costs, government regulations, shortfalls in revenue, and similar concerns. To assess the relative importance that hospitals attach to these challenges, as perceived by hospital HR managers, a nationwide survey of 400 randomly selected HR managers was conducted. These HR directors were asked to rank-order various hospital concerns, assess the success their employers have achieved in dealing with such problems, and predict the difficulty of recruiting and retaining qualified workers in various job categories throughout this decade. In contrast to hospital CEOs, who regard financial concerns as their top priority, hospital HR managers rank shortages of skilled workers first. These HR managers anticipate continued difficulty in recruiting and retaining RNs, pharmacists, anesthetists, and some therapists and technicians throughout this decade.
Kinard
Jerry
J
Department of Management and International Business, Western Carolina University, Cullowbee, NC 28723, USA. kinard@email.wcu.edu
Kinard
Brian R
BR
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003625:Data Collection; D005377:Financial Management, Hospital; D006292:Health Priorities; D006740:Hospital Administrators / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010557:Personnel Administration, Hospital; D010560:Personnel Selection; D014481:United States