Hawaiʻi’s healthcare system is strained by a chronic workforce shortage. But some gaps are being filled with federal dollars, training, faster career pathways and the recruitment of teenagers.
A recent report on Hawaiʻi’s healthcare workforce found that 14% of the more than 34,000 non-physician jobs in the state are unfilled. More than half of the 47,000 open jobs are in nursing, imaging and entry-level roles, like certified nurse aides and medical assistants.
The state’s aging population, and high cost of living and labor are partly to blame. But Hawaiʻi is now rebuilding the state’s healthcare pipeline by starting early — in high school.
Recruitment efforts targeting high school students in West Oʻahu are boosting participation in healthcare career pathway programs to more than a thousand students.
Janna Hoshide of the Healthcare Association of Hawaiʻi says students typically think of healthcare jobs as doctors and nurses. She says the program shows students pathways that open if they start as a certified nurse aide. And she says they can move into a job right after graduation.
The Good Jobs Hawaiʻi program trains adults for careers. That includes healthcare jobs like CNAs, medical assistants and patient service representatives. Hospitals and colleges are also expanding their training options. UH Maui College has a program that helps entry-level workers earn credentials while they’re employed.
Hawaiʻi Pacific Health’s Academy for Healthcare Innovation addresses shortages in surgical technology, medical assisting and acute-care nurse training.
But training alone won’t solve the worker shortage. Kelley Withy at the UH John A. Burns School of Medicine says it won’t matter what’s being done if salaries don’t increase too.
