Free Essay: Nursing Workforce in Texas

Texas is likely to face a shortage of nurse practitioners (NPs), registered nurses (RNs), certified nurse-midwives (CNMs), and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs); this is evident in the projected demand on Texas-specific data in the Health Workforce Model. Each nurse type will experience a shortage every year between 2015 and 2030; the demand projections are generally based on prevailing public healthcare use and delivery patterns (Texas Department of State Health Services 2016). Healthcare delivery patterns and consumption are some factors that have influenced the demand for nurses and physicians over time. For instance, changes in access and the transformation of health care models have directly or indirectly influenced the supply and demand for nurses and physicians. Demand for health providers has always increased as more extra individuals gain health care coverage, as disease prevalence and acuity changes, and as the way individuals use health care services evolves. However, the Texas local government has employed some measures to increase healthcare providers' supply. Such measures include funding nurses training, ensuring diversity in the workforce, and geographical distribution for the right combination of nurses to meet the demand for needed specializations and skill sets; this provides culturally competent delivery care (Texas Department of State Health Services 2016).

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Part II

The Role of Public Policies in Managing Physician Shortage

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) reports, physician demand remains to rise rapidly than supply, leading to a projected total number of doctors’ shortage of up to 121,900 physicians by 2032 (Khalil, 2018). Public policies at play have a significant influence on health reform; historically, programs and policies supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have tried to improve access to care in various ways (Khalil, 2018). In general, public policies have impacted the workforce directly via payment policies and training programs to increase physicians’ and nurses’ supply. Public policies and programs have also been targeted to maintain access by modifying the geographic distribution of health care professionals and facilities. For instance, Medicare payment policies have been linked to quality improvement for many years, initially for hospitals and, now, even in primary care providers, ambulatory care and, primarily physicians.

As AAMC reported, physician training is a complex process and takes several years; therefore, physician shortage in 2032 might be a challenge and needs to be addressed as soon as possible (Khalil, 2018). They suggested the urgent need for public policies that can address the shortage in a multipronged approach, including greater use of technology, innovation in delivery, boost in federal aid for residency training, improved and efficient use of available health professionals on the care team.

References

Texas Department of State Health Services (2016, October 25). Nurse supply and demand projections, 2015-2030. https://www.dshs.texas.gov/chs/cnws/Nursing-Workforce-Reports/

Khalil, M. E. (2018). Physician shortage or allocation problem? A comprehensive analysis of the primary care physician shortage rurally in the United States. https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/grad/28/