It is a PPT of allied health sciences

1. ALLIED HEALTH:
PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE
Texas Public Health Association, 16apr09
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
TheAlliedHealthProgramplaysacrucialroleprovidingarapidtransitionofstudentswitha
baccalaureatedegreeintothehealth-relatedsciences.Alliedhealthprofessionsencompassabout30
percentofthetotalhealthcareworkforceandprojectionsarethatby2010,5.3millionnewallied
healthworkerswillbeneeded. Alreadythereareshortagesincriticalalliedhealthfields.
HRSAReporttoCongress2002,AlliedHealthShortage

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 2008-09 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 2000 (% change)
Total Allied Health 750,000 1,831,000 2,672,000 (256)
Dental Hygienists 40.000 81,000 112,000 (180)
Dieticians 17,000 57,000 90,000 (429)
EMT - Paramedic 36,000 93,000 125,000 (247)
Health Information Admin /Tech 52,000 87,000 101,000 (100)
Clinical Laboratory 135,000 297,000 337,000 (150)
Occupational Therapists 6,000 42,000 72,000 (1100)
Physical therapists 30,000 92,000 130,000 (333)
Radiologic workers 87,000 157,000 220,000 (153)
Speech Pathologists/audiologists 19,000 65,000 121,000 (537)
HRSA, Bureau of Health Professions, National Center for Health Workforce
Analysis

17. Occupation
Employment Number* Total job openings
Growth & net
replacement 2006-16*
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
Allied Health Professions:
Projections 2006-2016

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%, 1988-2000
 Health worker employment, 51%
 Population expected to increase 23%, 2000-
2020
 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%
1. Texas Workforce Commission, Data Link, Future Job Growth by Occupation 2004-2014.
http://www.tracer2.com/cgi/dataanalysis/AreaSelection.asp?tableName=Occprj
2. AMA. Health Professions Career and Education Directory 2007-08. Chicago, IL
[Modified from M. Harrington, Dean, College of Health Professions UTHSCSA]

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
Jobs
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 (29)
Surgical Technology 473 583 110 72 182 (38)
Source: Texas Workforce Commission and Comptroller report, Texas in focus: South Texas, Aug
2008

25. Allied Health Programs: Border Institutions
Faculty, Enrollment, and Graduation
Allied Health
Programs
Cert./
Assoc.
Bachelor Master Master/
PhD
Number of
Programs
29 8 7 2
Faculty FT/PT
Current
73/39 18/11 43/7
NeededFT/PT 40/30 5/1 10 3
Enrollment Data
AY 2007 974 2294 123 15
AY 2008 1010 2456 131 16
Change 4% 7% 7% 7%
Graduate Data
2007 386 116 92 pending
2008 415 131 85 pending
Change 8% 13% -8%
•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 1
Dental Assistant 1 Dental Hygiene 1
Diagnostic Medical Sonography 1 Dietetics 1
Emergency Medical Services 4 Health / Medical Administration 1
Health Promotion 1 Medical Assistant 3
Medical Laboratory Technology 3 Occupational Therapy 1
Occupational Therapist Asst. 2 Pharmacy Technology 1
Phlebotomy 1 Physical Therapy 1
Physical Therapist Assisting 2 Polysomnography 1
Radiology Technology 3 Respiratory Care/Therapy 2
Speech – Language Pathology 2 Surgical Technology 1
* 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, 2007-08
 Title VII of the Public Health Service Act
 PART G – Allied Health Professionals
 AH portion of Section 799C - Not passed

30. Funding for Allied Health Professions in the
Stimulus Package (Amer. Recov. & Invest. Act)
 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)
HRSA Funding :
• $500M for health professions Workforce Shortage
• $200 million for health professions training
programs

31. Current Texas Legislation:
Allied Health Professions
 SB 706 - 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 290 - 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 706 - 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 290 - 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
Eldon L. Nelson, Ph.D.
Professor and Dean, School of Health Sciences
The University of Texas at Brownsville
and Texas Southmost College
Thank you,!......
Questions?