As the Baby Boomer generation ages, the demand for workers grows.
According to the National Council on Aging, by 2040, around 78.3 million Americans will be 65 or older. That poses a challenge to the health care system, which is already facing a shortage of workers and continued burnout in the five years since the COVID pandemic.
A 2024 National Library of Medicine journal article addressed the problem.
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“The US healthcare system is at a crossroads. With an aging population requiring more care and a strained system facing workforce shortages, capacity issues, and fragmentation, innovative solutions and policy reforms are needed,” the .
A new found that more than half of health care workers are looking to leave their current jobs in the next year. The poll was commissioned by Strategic Education Inc.
“But what we really found that was surprising is one thing that would help them stay is the opportunity to pursue education; preferably, that leads to a career advancement,” said Adele Webb, Executive Dean of Healthcare Initiatives at Strategic Education, Inc. “But in addition to having that opportunity, that opportunity for different kinds of programs, different flexibility, what really helps with tuition assistance is that they pay it upfront.”
If that tuition support was provided, more than 60% of surveyed health care employees said they’d likely stay with their employer. Some also pointed to reduced workloads and flexible shifts to make it easier to pursue education.