Chairman’s File: The right workforce is the bridge to the future

Hospitals and health systems are powered by the best workforce in America. Our extraordinary caregivers — physicians, nurses, EMTs, food service workers, volunteers, administrators and so many more — work tirelessly to comfort and heal others every single day.

To maintain exceptional care into the future, projections say the U.S. needs to hire 2.3 million new health care workers by 2025. Turbulent changes in our field make workforce issues all the more complex, as we ask: What new skills will tomorrow’s caregivers require? And how can we hire and retain the very best people to navigate a changing delivery system?

The AHA offers tools to help answer these questions and shape the future workforce that will best serve your community’s needs. Our resources are organized around four key strategies — capacities, competencies, communities and catalysts.

My own organization, Atlantic Health System, is building our future workforce by investing in our existing team. Through our Career Readiness Program, we provide team members with college credit along with essentials for today’s caregivers, including computer and communication skills and a knowledge of medical terminology. 

We’re also proud to see our Alumni Club redefining retirement. Our retired team members can resume caring for others through flexible, reduced schedules without impacting their retirement benefits. Everyone wins in this club, where we help colleagues ease into retirement with extra income and the joy of sharing their knowledge with our organization.          

Marshaling the right workforce competencies to meet your future goals is a necessity for every hospital and health system. As you work to build and strengthen your own team of extraordinary caregivers, please be sure to turn to AHA’s workforce tools to help create a healthy future for every member of your community.