In the News
VA Drive to Hire 1,600 Mental Health Professionals Hits Community Clinics' Supply - According to Kaiser Health News, on April 7, 2013 The Department of Veterans Affairs, trying to cope with a surge in psychological needs of veterans, has vowed to hire 1,600 additional mental health care professionals by the end of June, but some experts say the pool of qualified candidates is too small and the federal effort could jeopardize already-understaffed community health organizations. "Being a clinician in the mental health field is not a very lucrative profession," Rudd said. "Often the cost of education has driven people into other fields where they are better able to pay off their loans." VA officials have been under intense pressure to improve services for veterans and the White House promised Friday to increase funding for veterans' mental health services by 7.2 percent to $7 billion in the fiscal year starting in October.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE
Rural Healthcare Workforce Shortages Defy Easy Solutions - According to Health Leaders Media, on February 27th 2013 With the clock ticking on sequestration and its cuts to healthcare funding, it seems callous to pile onto rural providers with more gray news. The Association of American Medical Colleges issued its annual report, Physician Education Debt and the Cost to Attend Medical School, and found that while the average debt load for medical school graduates in 2012 was $170,000—up 5% over 2011—those new doctors did not prioritize debt as the driving force in their decisions to seek a particular specialty. In fact, "education debt" placed 11th—dead last—on the list of "influence of various factors on the specialty choice of 2012 graduating medical students."TO READ MORE CLICK HERE
Men in Nursing Occupations - According to Random Samplings, on February 25th, 2013 In 2011, there were 330,000 men employed as nurses in the United States – about 9 percent of all nurses. As the need for nurses expanded during the Civil War along with a shortage of men to provide nursing care, women were allowed to fill the gap. As such, men’s representation in nursing experienced significant decline in the 1900s. However, men’s representation in nursing has been growing since the 1970s. Schools are now actively pursuing higher male enrollment in their nursing programs. The relatively high wages and expanding job opportunities makes this field attractive, offering stability even during recessions.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE
