Health

HE A LTH • Summer 2021 13 assistant, dental assistant and certified nursing assistant, given the generally tight labor market. "I can't get a CNA to go to work for less than $19 an hour right now, and I don't know if that's going to change," she said. "And I don't know if it should. I think they're worth that all day long for what they do." Ethan Roden, director of human resources & operations for MSG Staffing in Worcester said all kinds of jobs in healthcare, from CNAs to specialty registered nurses, have become difficult to fill during the pandemic. "Rising challenges include burnout, personal time commitments necessitated by virtual schooling, and a desire for less strenuous work environments," he said in an email. Roden said the shortage of healthcare workers is allowing candidates to shop around not just for jobs paying higher wages but for better working conditions like schedule f lexibility and more time off to spend with family. "Everyone is sourcing the same candidates for an unlimited number of needs," he said. "Knowing this, healthcare professionals are making non-traditional requests." Roden said one important competitive advantage employers can offer is training and a path to career advancement, which is something Holbrook said Saint Vincent counts as a strength. "We offer career paths: personal care aide to RN to specialty unit," she said. "You can go from in-school to leadership position over the course of several years." Staffing ratios Another major factor in the attractiveness of jobs to healthcare workers is something at the heart of the labor dispute at Saint Vincent: staffing ratios and hospital safety. The union argues one nurse frequently has to work with five patients at a time, leading to unsafe conditions. "No nurse wants to go to work thinking, when they came home, 'What did i miss? What could I have done for that patient?'" Pellegrino said. Saint Vincent management disputes the notion it has more trouble than other hospitals in recruiting and retaining workers. The hospital says its safety record is as good or better than comparable hospitals. Franklin said staffing ratios are a big issue in general for healthcare workers, both at hospitals and at nursing homes, where sometimes only one RN and two other workers staff Exceptional Care – For Families and Community. notredame healthcare.org 555-559 Plantation 508-852-5800 Contact us to learn more about the mission-driven, not-for-profit difference at Notre Dame Health Care. For Family Notre Exceptional Care – For Families and Community. notredame healthcare.org 555-559 Plantation Street • Worcester, MA 508-852-5800 Contact us to learn more about the mission-driven, not-for-profit difference at Notre Dame Health Care. For Family & Community Notre Dame Health Exceptional Care – For Families and Community. notredame healthcare.org 555-559 Plantation Street • Worcester, MA 01605 508-852-5800 Contact us to learn more about the mission-driven, not-for-profit difference at Notre Dame Health Care. For Family & Community Notre Dame Health Care Contact us to learn more about the mission-driven, not-for-profit difference at Notre Dame Health Care. 555-559 Plantation Street • Worcester, MA 01605 • 508-852-5800 notredamehealthcare.org Employment Projected employment Percent Typical Average Job in 2020 needed in 2022 change education needed annual salary Needed: Healthcare workers The Mass. Executive Office of Labor & Workforce Development projects some of greatest need for workers in the state's economy will come in the healthcare sector over the next couple of years. Home health High school diploma and personal care aides 9,201 10,646 15.7% or equivalent $33,308 Nursing assistants 4,193 4,465 6.48% Postsecondary non-degree award $34,576 Registered nurses 7,241 7,652 5.67% Bachelor's degree $90,956 Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and 2,250 2,512 11.64% No formal educational mental health counselor credential $50,343 Medical secretaries 1,832 1,975 7.8% High school diploma or equivalent $40,831 Source: Labor Market Information, Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance Anita Holbrook, chief human relations officer at Saint Vincent Hospital an entire f loor. RNs are considered professionally responsible for safety conditions under the state licensing system. "There are certain facilities that we staff that I have nurses that won't go back there because there's 30 patients per nurse," she said. "They're worried about their licensure, and they should be." Franklin said staffing issues can be a vicious cycle since poor staffing can push professionals to leave the job. She said the state needs more people training for healthcare jobs to help fix the situation. While relations between Saint Vincent nurses and management remain tense, both sides say they are working for a resolution to allow the hospital to retain or recover its standing as a key Central Massachusetts institution. "We're going to stabilize our hospital again and bring it back to what it once was," Pellegrino said. "It was a beacon of the city, it was a beloved community hospital, and we're going to bring it back to that." Ethan Roden, director of human resources & operations for MSG Staffing Temporary jobs created by various needs during the coronavirus pandemic, including testing and vaccination facilities, offered healthcare workers a chance to work at a higher wage. H

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