Taking a break from who is hiring and who was hired, we rounded up some reading on the state of the healthcare workforce. Like many things in our lives for the few years the pandemic has taken a toll on it, the healthcare workforce might be on the top of the list of disruption. With 18% of healthcare workers having left their jobs and another 12% being laid off, what are the solutions for healthcare as a whole? You can’t open a paper, magazine, or watch news and not hear about the crisis that has evolved. Here are some insights and reports.
In the News
WCU’s Nursing Programs Help Mend National Healthcare Workforce Shortage
West Chester University’s Nursing Programs recently celebrated 50+ years of healing, producing thousands of nurses who are addressing the nation’s critical healthcare workforce shortage. The University’s Nursing Programs have spent more than half a century preparing nurses for evolving healthcare challenges — from the era of paper charts to today’s AI-assisted diagnostics — and maintain a 95% pass rate on the national licensing exam for registered nurses (NCLEX) while continuing to exceed state and national averages.
ShiftMed Expands Uber Health Integration to Help Eliminate Transportation Barriers for Health System Employees
ShiftMed, an AI-Powered Healthcare Workforce Platform, has expanded its integration with Uber Health to give health system employees direct access to transportation through the ShiftMed Flex platform. The feature enables hospital-employed clinicians and staff to request Uber rides to and from shifts with no upfront costs. The expansion extends the transportation benefits to more than 5.7 million hospital employees employed in the US.
AACN Alarmed by Reports of Sweeping Layoffs Across Federal Agencies Impacting Nursing Education and the Healthcare Workforce
According to an October 10 Department of Justice filing, the Administration laid off nearly 1,200 employees in the Department of Health and Human Services and an estimated 466 employees at the Department of Education. While reports indicated that some of the firings were in error, particularly at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unconfirmed accounts suggest a reduction in force (RIF) of federal workers within the Bureau of Health Workforce and the Division of Nursing in Public Health. If true, such firings would have a devastating impact on our nation’s nursing schools, students, and faculty; deplete the nursing workforce; and threaten the overall health of communities across the country.
Workforce Bills Introduced on Capitol Hill
Two workforce-related bills were recently introduced on the Hill. First, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), and Sen. Jeff Merkley introduced the Health Care Workforce Expansion Act (S. 2954). This bill, amongst other provisions, would make nonprofit nursing school tuition free for any student who wants to become a nurse. It would also invest over $5 billion in medical, nursing and dental schools to increase enrollment, recruit and retain faculty, modernize clinical and classroom spaces and more and provide $20,000 relocation grants to doctors, dentists and nurses who agree to practice in rural communities. More on this bill can be found in Senator Sanders’ press release.
Next, Ways and Means Worker and Family Support Subcommittee Ranking Member Danny K. Davis recently led a group of lawmakers to re-introduce legislation, The Pathways to Health Careers Act (H.R. 5370), that will modernize and reauthorize the Health Profession Opportunity Grant program. The HPOG program aims to prevent health care worker shortages by providing job seekers a direct pathway to these in-demand health industry careers. View the full bill text.
Incredible Health Launches Two AI Agents to Transform the Economics of Healthcare Hiring
Incredible Health, the largest AI-powered healthcare career marketplace, announced the launch of Gale and Lyn, two purpose-built AI voice agents designed to transform the economics of healthcare hiring by making the experience more personalized, reliable, and faster for healthcare workers and employers.
Carolina Complete Health and the Centene Foundation Award $1.3 Million Grant for Innovative Health Care Workforce Mental Health Program
The North Carolina Clinician and Physician Retention and Well-being Consortium announced a transformative $1.3 million grant from the Centene Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Centene Corporation, and Carolina Complete Health, a provider-led Medicaid health plan created by Centene, the North Carolina Medical Society, and the North Carolina Community Health Center Association. This multi-year investment will fuel a comprehensive initiative aimed at strengthening the mental health and well-being of physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals across North Carolina.
To Read
Health care workers under 65 must be vaccinated against Covid
By Judy Stone and Judith Feinberg, Stat News – The discussion around health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s changes to Covid vaccine recommendations have focused on two things: the exclusion of pregnant women and infants, and the restrictions on anyone under 65 without an underlying condition getting the vaccine. But that conversation overlooks a group essential to public health: health care workers under 65.
New White Paper Urges Policymakers to Modernize Practice Laws to Unlock AI’s Full Potential in Healthcare
As the U.S. confronts a historic healthcare workforce crisis, a new white paper recently released calls on federal and state policymakers to modernize outdated laws, regulations, and payment systems in order to harness the full potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in care delivery. Titled “Aging Well with AI: Transforming Care Delivery,” the report was commissioned by HealthFORCE, in collaboration with the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) and West Health, and developed by The LINUS Group. It is the second in a two-part series examining how AI can support care teams, expand access, and ease the growing strain on America’s healthcare system.
How Many People Are Working in the Health Industry in the U.S. – 2025 Update
By Robert McAllister, NCHstats – As of 2025, the U.S. health industry employs an estimated 19 to 20 million people, representing roughly 12% of the entire national workforce. Makes healthcare the largest employment sector in the country, surpassing retail, manufacturing, and education in total jobs. The number has grown steadily over the past decade, from about 16.3 million in 2015 to nearly 18 million in 2024, driven by rising demand for aging care, chronic disease management, and post-pandemic staffing recovery. rojections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) suggest that by 2030, the sector could reach 21–22 million workers, cementing its position as the economic backbone of U.S. service employment.
National Workforce Study From WellSky® Finds 51% of Nurses Have Sought Mental Health Care
WellSky, a global health and community care technology and services company, announced additional findings from a national study of the healthcare workforce conducted in partnership with the Center for Generational Kinetics, a premier thought leadership research firm. “Addressing today’s healthcare workforce challenges” shows that men and women across generations view healthcare as a demanding profession, with more than half of all nurses surveyed reporting they needed mental health support due to work-related stress.
ICYMI
And ICYMI – Experts weigh in with predictions on targeting workforce issues with AI.
