CHWS Report: Health Worker Recruitment and Retention Issues Persist in New York

ALBANY, N.Y. (Oct. 15, 2024) — Workforce recruitment and retention difficulties continue to present significant challenges within New York’s health care system, contributing to widespread shortages in various health care occupations, according to a recent report by the Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS) at the University at Albany’s College of Integrated Health Sciences. The report summarizes health workforce recruitment and retention difficulties reported by providers across health care settings in New York State and the reasons for these difficulties.

CHWS, in conjunction with statewide and regional provider organizations, conducts annual surveys of human resources staff from home health care agencies, hospitals, nursing homes, and adult care facilities across New York. The surveys were conducted in the fall of 2023 and responses represented 373 New York health care organizations.

Survey results showed that registered nurses and licensed practical nurses are among the most difficult to recruit and retain in all health care settings. However, other professions and occupations that were difficult to recruit and/or retain varied by setting, including: clinical laboratory technologists in hospitals, certified nurse aides in nursing homes, home health aids in adult care facilities and home health care agencies, and oral health and behavioral health providers in federally qualified health centers.

"Shortages of workers and non-competitive salaries were the main reasons reported for recruitment and retention difficulties," said Robert Martiniano, senior program manager at CHWS. "We also found that, overall, most health care providers indicated that increased hourly pay and increased pay for extra shifts for longer/irregular hours were effective solutions for these difficulties."

The study found other effective strategies to improve recruitment and retention beyond pay, which also varied by setting. These included career advancement opportunities, providing health insurance, expanding J-1 Visa waivers to behavioral health professionals, increasing the use of J-1 Visa waivers for physicians, and increasing the use of National Health Service Corps and Nurse Corps programs.

The full report can be found on the CHWS website at www.chwsny.org.