16 June 2023
KANSAS (KSNT) – On Thursday, the Kansas Hospital Association published its annual Kansas Health Care Workforce Report. The report found there are still many job vacancies and not enough qualified professionals to fill them.
The statewide vacancy rate has been increasing ever since 2017 with a sharp increase in vacancies starting in 2019, according to the report. The employee turnover rate has been increasing since 2017 and leveling out at 19% from 2020 to 2022.
Source: The Kansas Hospital Association, American Hospital Association Annual Survey, collected in 2022.
Both turnover and vacancy rates are the highest they’ve been in more than a decade, according to the report.
The position with the highest turnover rate in 2022 was hospital-based housekeepers with a turnover of 32% followed by nurse assistants (CNA) at 30%, according to the report. Licensed practical nurses had the highest vacancy rate at 25% followed by staff nurses at 21%.
The report estimated the highest volume of job openings in 2018-2028 will be for nursing assistants, registered nurses and medical assistants.
In Kansas, 40% of the total hospital staff comprises registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and nurse assistant personnel.