How to find more health care workers

According to the Hawaii Health Care Association’s (HAH) recently released 2022 Hawaii Health Care Workforce Initiative Report, Hawaii has approximately 3,900 open positions in health care available at hah.org/hwi22.

The need for both experienced and entry-level healthcare workers is significant and has increased 76% since 2019, due in part to the Covid-19 pandemic. Among the 89 occupations studied in this year’s report, the majority of health care jobs in Hawaii are taking six to 12 months to fill, a stubbornly long period that has continued since the 2019 report.

The question is, how do we go about creating a strong pipeline of qualified workers to fill this growing need as our society ages? What can we do differently?

During the outbreak, HAH has been working closely with its member organizations and the education sector to match the supply of staff with demand. Part of that work includes the “glidepath” or “earn and learn” approach, which allows working students to stay in their health care careers while attending school to advance their careers. Traditionally, employees had to quit their jobs to study full-time because class time conflicted with work hours.

The first licensed practical nursing (LPN) program glidepath was created in 2022 and will be piloted by select health care employers through the College of Hawaii Maui. With 37 students enrolled in the inaugural class on Maui, Kauai and Oahu, we have doubled Hawaii’s job offer for newly trained LPNs.

Another innovation, this time at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, allows nursing students to begin training in obstetrics and neonatal care while still in college. In the past, they first graduated, then sought one of the clinical placements in the selected specialties. Kapiolani’s innovative nursing academy program puts new graduates in bed within weeks of graduation, 12 to 18 weeks apart.

What else can we do? The HAH report shows that Hawaii has no local training programs in areas such as sonography and surgical technology, and most health care training programs are located only on Oahu. Offering programs on neighboring islands allows employers in those areas to hire locally. The report shows that neighboring islands have high job vacancies due to difficulties in finding skilled workers.

The truth is that everyone needs health care at some point. That’s why people entering the health care workforce need training options, especially local options.

After living through the painful downsizing trends caused by the pandemic, with unprecedented mass layoffs from banks to hospitality, some workers are reluctant to join or re-enter the workforce. Health care is not only a highly rewarding high calling, but it promises stability and growth potential, as well as good wages and benefits.

Many public high schools offer health academies where students graduate with a certificate and enter a health care career on their first day (“Career academies draw on Hawaii public schools, Star-Advertiser, Dec. 13, 2022).

Let’s work together on ways to provide opportunities for Hawaii students to enter health care as a career. Hawaii has enough interest on every island to make healthcare a good career choice. We thank HAH members, academic partners, and government and community partners who are actively collaborating with us.

Our health as a society depends on it.

Hilton R. Ratel is the CEO of the Hawaii Healthcare Association (HAH); Carl Hinson is the director of workforce development for Hawaii Pacific Health. Jason Chang is president of Queen’s Medical Center. Hinson and Chang co-lead the HAH Healthcare Workforce Initiative.