Connecticut, like most of the nation, finds itself in a critical situation. We are facing a severe healthcare workforce shortage, and we need to take intensive action to both retain the talent we have, and grow it for the future.
According to the Governor’s Workforce Council, Connecticut needs approximately 3,000 new nurses per year to meet the increasing care needs of all residents. However, the number of new nursing school graduates is only estimated at 1,900 annually. The shortages are being felt across the continuum of care, and the breadth of need demands collaboration across sectors, industries, and continued state partnership.
Connecticut must further ramp up efforts to support hospitals and health systems in training and growing the future workforce, and we must be laser-focused on solutions.
Connecticut hospitals are working every day to support their workers and are on the forefront of creating new ways to keep hospital workers resilient and enhance retention and recruitment, including by providing financial incentives, identifying opportunities for career advancement, and supporting continuing education. Additionally, hospitals are partnering with colleges and technical schools to develop curriculum and training to support future healthcare needs and identifying the clinical placements that will be needed to support this enhanced training.
We can further strengthen these efforts with direct state funding for recruitment, retention, and training for healthcare workers and for relief from the increased cost of hiring independent contractors and temporary travel nurses and crucial staffing premium pay. State support for cash recruitment bonuses, student loan payment assistance, cash retention bonuses, tuition assistance, and other forms of training programming can all make a difference.
We also need continued collaboration to address workplace violence as a part of broad initiatives to support Connecticut’s healthcare professionals and grow the workforce. Nationwide, healthcare workers are uniquely and disproportionately at risk of workplace violence. We need to make it clear to every care provider that violence is not tolerated and our state, our hospitals, and our communities have their backs.
Connecticut hospitals, through the Connecticut Hospital Association, recently adopted a Statewide Patient and Family Code of Conduct Policy, a common set of principles that will be implemented in a unified effort by hospitals to further their extensive work to protect healthcare workers and the patients in their care and raise awareness about the importance of workplace safety in healthcare settings. Connecticut must not let up on efforts to ensure the safety of every person in hospitals across the state and show our healthcare workers the respect, gratitude, and support they deserve.
Connecticut hospitals are deeply grateful for their partners across the state in government and education who are working alongside them every day to develop solutions. The healthcare workforce is exemplary but exhausted and it will take sustained comprehensive and collective efforts supporting nursing across the continuum of care including in hospitals to address the national workforce crisis here in our state. The need remains urgent.
Paul Kidwell is Senior Vice President, Policy at the Connecticut Hospital Association.