A health care hiring surge may help the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) rebound from the problems outlined in a recent VA inspector general report on pandemic-era staffing.
Things looked bleak during the pandemic throughout U.S. health care systems, and VA was no exception to mounting pressures in providing patient care. The VHA had to alter delivery of services to the over 9 million veterans who relied on care through its 140 hospital and outpatient centers. And as the largest integrated health care network in the country, VA also serves as the nation’s support system during emergencies and national disasters.
VHA shifted delivery of care from in-person to telehealth as a way to limit face-to-face interactions, the September 2023 inspector general (IG) report noted. Elective and outpatient care requirements decreased as hospitalizations increased, but staff challenges remained: Burnout, turnover and recruitment problems which surfaced during the pandemic exacerbated personnel shortages from before the crisis.
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The report identified 22 occupations defined as “severe occupational shortage” areas (difficult to fill positions) at 20% of the 139 medical facilities surveyed. Psychiatry, practical nursing, psychology, primary care, and medical technologists were the top five clinical shortage areas. Nonclinical occupational shortages included custodial workers, medical support assistants, police, general engineers, and food service workers.
The report listed these reasons as most frequently cited for the shortages in the top five clinical and nonclinical occupations:
- Lack of qualified applicants
- Noncompetitive compensation
- Staff turnover
- Recruitment challenges
- Geographical recruitment challenges
Current VHA Staffing Outlook
Dr. Sheref Elnahal, VA under secretary of health, told MOAA in a recent veteran service organization meeting that he was pleased but cautiously optimistic about the turning of the tide on the staffing. The VHA onboarded well over 403,000 employees since late fiscal year 2022 – the most in history. The increase was a result of focused and proactive hiring and staffing practices. The VHA also saw a decline in employee turnover and retirement rates.
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Like other health care systems, VHA still has problems hiring in some occupational areas. In fiscal year 2024, the health system is targeting its efforts at hiring mental health and primary care professionals.
The VA also is working to standardize its hiring process across the enterprise and expand its human resource workforce. Like the VHA’s patient-centered or veteran-centric model, the VA hopes to create a candidate-care model that puts individuals and employees at the center of its human resource system.
