1. Allied Health: Professional Shortage
Texas Public Health Association, 16apr09
Allied Health: Professional Shortage
Eldon L. Nelson, Ph.D.
Professor and Dean, School of Health Sciences
The University of Texas at Brownsville
and Texas Southmost College

3. Shortage: Allied Health Workforce
AH makes up 60% of healthcare workforce
15 of the 30 fastest growing occupations are Allied Health
A need for 5.3 million AH workers through departures and new positions (2010)
1.6 to 2.5 million vacant positions (2020)
HRSA, Bureau of Labor Statistics

4. HRSA – Report to Congress, 2002

5. 12 Nov 2006  

6. “Laboratory sciences are just critical to our delivery of healthcare in an acute-care hospital, but they are out of sight, out of mind.”
Roger E. Seaver, CEO, Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, Valencia, CA (Los Angeles Times, July 27, 2008)
nationally, 77% of academic health center CEO’s declared AH shortages to be a problem

8. Who are Allied Health Professionals ?
More than 100 separate disciplines/occupations
AMA Health Careers Directory
77 Health Professional groups; 8000 training programs
Physicians, nurses, radiologic technologists…. Many others

9. Definition: Allied Health Professionals
HRSA – Health Resources and Services Administration
U.S. Code 42USC Sec. 295p
Association of Colleges of Allied Health

10. Who are Allied Health Professionals ?
HRSA* (2000) - Allied Health Professionals:
2,672,000
made up of:
Dental hygienists/assts/lab techs
Dieticians/dietetic technicians
EMT / Paramedic
Health Information Admin / Tech
Occupational Therapists
Orthotics and Prosthetics
Physical Therapists
*Health Resources and Services Administration

11. HRSA – Allied Health (cont.)
Radiologic service workers
Respiratory Therapy workers
Speech Pathologist /audiologists
Other:
Dietetic assistants
Genetic assistants
Operating room technicians
Ophthalmic / optometric medical assistants
Medical transcriptionists
Vocational rehab counselors
Other rehabilitation workers
Other social and mental health workers

12. US Code Definition (42 USC Sec. 295p): Allied Health Professionals
… a health professional (other than a registered nurse or
physician assistant)
who has received a certificate, an associate's degree, a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, a doctoral degree, or post-baccalaureate training, in a science relating to health care;
who shares in the responsibility for the delivery of health care services or related services, including -         (i) services relating to the identification, evaluation, and prevention of disease and disorders;         (ii) dietary and nutrition services;         (iii) health promotion services;         (iv) rehabilitation services; or (v) health systems management services…

13. 42USC Sec. 295p (continued) … and, who have NOT received a degree of:
doctor of medicine
doctor of osteopathy
doctor of dentistry
doctor of veterinary medicine
doctor of optometry
doctor of podiatric medicine
bachelor or doctorate of science in pharmacy
graduate degree in public health
doctor of chiropractic
graduate degree in health administration
doctoral degree in clinical psychology
degree in social work
degree in counseling

14. Allied Health Professionals
“… are involved with the delivery of health or related services pertaining to identification, evaluation and prevention of diseases and disorders; dietary and nutrition services; rehabilitation and health systems management, among others. Allied health professionals, to name a few, include dental hygienists, diagnostic medical sonographers, dietitians, medical technologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, radiographers, respiratory therapist and speech language pathologists.” The Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions

15. Summary Definition: Allied Health Professionals
“Allied Health” … typically excludes :
Physicians AND most doctorate level health professionals
Nurses and Physician Assistants
Public Health, Counseling and Social Workers
Healthcare Administration
All Others having credentials in the Healthcare professions:
Allied Health Professionals

16. Among the Most Recognized Allied Health Disciplines
Occupation
1970
1990
(% change)
Total Allied Health
750,000
1,831,000
2,672, (256)
Dental Hygienists
40.000
81,000
112, (180)
Dieticians
17,000
57,000
90, (429)
EMT - Paramedic
36,000
93,000
125, (247)
Health Information Admin /Tech
52,000
87,000
101, (100)
Clinical Laboratory
135,000
297,000
337, (150)
Occupational Therapists
6,000
42,000
72, (1100)
Physical therapists
30,000
92,000
130, (333)
Radiologic workers
157,000
220, (153)
Speech Pathologists/audiologists
19,000
65,000
121, (537)
HRSA, Bureau of Health Professions, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis

17. Total job openings Growth & net replacement 2006-16*
Allied Health Professions:
Projections
Occupation
Employment Number*
Total job openings Growth & net replacement *
2006
2016
Graduate Degree level
Occupational therapists 99
122 37
Physical Therapists
173
220 68
Speech-Lang Pathologists
110
121 33
Baccalaureate Degree
Dieticians / Nutritionists 57 62 19
Med & Clinical Lab Tech
319
362 92
Associate Degree
Dental Hygienists
167
217 82
Med. Records / HIT
170
200 76
Radiologic techs
196
226 56
Respiratory Therapists
102
126 38
* thousands,
Data from S.N. Collier, 2007 Health Workforce Articles, BLS projections to 2016

18. Causes for the Shortage? - Demand exceeds Production
Growing population
Lag of educational AH programs to meet need
Limited enrollment (small) programs
Lack of AH faculty
Lack of students (many AH programs are not known)
Limitation of Clinical Sites
restricted student / faculty ratio
Attrition rates are high
Retirement of aging AH professionals
AH Programs advancing entry-level to higher degree
Some occupations have limiting salary attraction
(e.g., EMS, MLT)

19. Texas: Shortage of Allied Health Professionals

20. Texas: Shortage of Allied Health Professionals
764,000 health care workers
8.2% of total workforce
Population grew 26%,
Health worker employment, 51%
Population expected to increase 23%,
The Hispanic patient population will increase
Texas projected to have a majority Hispanic pop. 2030
Need for bilingual health care providers

21. Texas: Job Openings VS. Number of Graduates 2004-2014
Profession
# Annual Openings (1)
# Graduates*
Minus 10% (2)
#/Percent Unfilled Positions (1)
Clin Lab Scientist
610
246
364 / 60%
Dental Hygienist
465
322
143 / 31%
EMT/Paramedic
560
276
284 / 51%
Occupational Therapy
340
131
209 / 39%
Physical Therapy
480
155
325 / 68%
Physician Assist
270
230
40 / 15%
Respiratory Care
460
363
97 / 21%
Speech /Lang Pathology
445
171
274 / 62%
[Modified from M. Harrington, Dean, College of Health Professions UTHSCSA]
1. Texas Workforce Commission, Data Link, Future Job Growth by Occupation
2. AMA. Health Professions Career and Education Directory Chicago, IL

22. Allied Health Education Programs: Texas
In 2008:
379 AH Programs in Texas (2008)
264 programs in community/technical colleges
115 programs in universities
127 programs are CAAHEP accredited programs representing 20 of the AH disciplines
Expected AH 8,000 Graduates
Job Openings – 12,000*
* Estimated based on the average shortage (52%) of the most recognized AH professions

23. Allied Health Data: Border Region of South Texas

24. Allied Health Workforce Projections - South Texas
2007
Jobs
2012
Openings
New
Replace
Total
(%)
Med. & Clinical Lab. Tech
619
710 91 46
137
(22)
Radiology Technology
1068
1273
205 72
277
(26)
Physical Therapy
1348
1686
338 73
411
(30)
Dental Hygiene
456
560
104 43
147
(32)
Respiratory Therapy
679
810
131 64
195
(29)
Speech Path/Audio
937
1110
173 81
254
(27)
Occupational Therapists
486
597
111 30
141
Surgical Technology
473
583
110
182
(38)
Source: Texas Workforce Commission and Comptroller report, Texas in focus: South Texas, Aug 2008

25. Laredo CC, South Texas College, Texas State Technical College - Harlingen,
UT-Brownsville /TSC, UT-El Paso, UT-Pan American

26. Programs along the Border * - 22 Allied Health Disciplines
Dental Assistant
Dental Hygiene
Cancer Information Management 1
Clinical Laboratory Science
Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Dietetics
Emergency Medical Services 4
Health / Medical Administration
Health Promotion
Medical Assistant 3
Medical Laboratory Technology
Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapist Asst. 2
Pharmacy Technology
Phlebotomy
Physical Therapy
Physical Therapist Assisting
Polysomnography
Radiology Technology
Respiratory Care/Therapy
Speech – Language Pathology
Surgical Technology
* Laredo CC, STC, TSTC, UTB/TSC, UTEP, UTPA

27. High Demand Allied Health Professions in LRGV*
Laboratory Technologists /Medical Laboratory Technicians
OR/Surgical Technologists
Pharmacists / Pharmacy Technicians
Phlebotomists
Radiologic Technologists (AART certified)
Respiratory Technologists (Registered or Certified)
Physical Therapy / PTA
Occupational Therapy / OTA
*employment practices vary among hospitals; regular employment, use of PRN

28. Mitigation of AH Shortage

29. Federal Legislation Federal:
Allied Health Reinvestment Act, 110th Congress,
Title VII of the Public Health Service Act
PART G – Allied Health Professionals
AH portion of Section 799C - Not passed e

30. Funding for Allied Health Professions in the Stimulus Package (Amer
Funding for Allied Health Professions in the Stimulus Package (Amer. Recov. & Invest. Act)
HRSA Funding :
$500M for health professions Workforce Shortage
• $200 million for health professions training programs
Allied Health may take advantage of:
DOL - $4 billion – focused on training workers for high demand professions
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) - $750M – worker training
WIA - $3B – Training & Employment, Displaced Worker Formula funding
Pell Grants – funding needy students into college - $15B
(derived from J. Colbert, Allied Health- Moving Forward, AAHP Annual Meeting, St. Petersburg, FL, 19mar09; and S. N. Collier, Where is Allied Health in Stimulus Funding?, Trends, March 2009)

31. Current Texas Legislation: Allied Health Professions
SB Incentives to Recruit and Retain Allied Health Education Program Faculty (Davis; Harris, Hinojosa, West)
Tuition exemption/reduction for children of AH Faculty
Tuition reduction for AH Clinical Preceptors
Grants for recruiting/retaining AH Faculty
SB Creation and Implementation of the Health Professional Education Grant Program (Nelson; Zaffarini)
Grant for expanding AH education programs

32. Current Texas Legislation: Allied Health Professions
SB Incentives to Recruit and Retain Allied Health Education Program Faculty (Davis; Harris, Hinojosa, West)
Tuition exemption/reduction for children of AH Faculty
Tuition reduction for AH Clinical Preceptors
Grants for recruiting/retaining AH Faculty
SB Creation and Implementation of the Health Professional Education Grant Program (Nelson; Zaffarini)
Grant for expanding AH education programs

33. Partnering in the Valley:
UTB/TSC partnering with:
UTPA … to expand needed AH programs to Brownsville
OT Program
Speech Pathology Program
South Texas College... To initiate programs in Brownsville
OTA Program
PTA Program
TSTC… to initiate new programs
Vocational Nursing
Cancer Information Management

35. Allied Health: Professional Shortage
Texas Association of Public Health, 16apr09
Thank you,! Questions?
Allied Health: Professional Shortage
Eldon L. Nelson, Ph.D.
Professor and Dean, School of Health Sciences
The University of Texas at Brownsville
and Texas Southmost College