Latest news with #healthcareworkforce
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Maine's only medical school to expand in new home
Jun. 3—Dr. Jane Carreiro gestured to several rows of student exam tables in the shiny new home of Maine's only medical school. In that particular classroom on the third floor of the Harold and Bibby Alfond Center for Health Sciences, students will soon be role-playing as doctors and patients to learn how to conduct primary care exams. The $90 million building — which will be showcased in a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday — is the cornerstone of a strategy to grow the University of New England's Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program, and connect it to all of the health sciences programs at the university. By moving the medical program from the university's Biddeford campus to the sprawling, 110,000-square-foot building on its Portland campus, the DO program will grow from graduating 165 medical students per year to 200. The first class with 200 students will start this fall and graduate in 2029 before going into their residency program. A $30 million gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation, $5 million in federal funding secured by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and other fundraising efforts made the construction of the new facility possible. The aim is to try to get more newly minted doctors working in Maine to help ease the health care workforce shortage. "That is our No. 1 goal," said Carreiro, vice president of health affairs at UNE and dean of the medical school. "That's what we are here for, to provide the workforce that we need for patient care in northern New England." The total number of health care practitioners in Maine — doctors, nurses, physical therapists, physician assistants and others working to provide care — rebounded in 2024, increasing to 43,930 from a recent low of 41,110 in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But there are continuing shortages of some providers, and demand for care is ever-increasing. In one category of primary care, for example, the number of family physicians working in Maine declined from 710 in 2019 to 630 in 2024. And experts say that Maine's recent population gains, plus its aging population, mean that demand for care has spiked even as the numbers of some providers has declined. James Herbert, UNE's president, said it's not only about increasing the number of graduating doctors, but also getting them to stay here. "Most doctors settle within the general vicinity of where they did their residencies," Herbert said. A residency is a supervised clinical training for medical school graduates, where they learn under a practicing doctor for a few years. "We need more residencies in Maine to anchor doctors in Maine," he said. Herbert said there is no federal money available to increase the number of residencies, so the university is supporting a bill, LD 1311, that would add $2 million in state funding to increase physician residencies in rural Maine. Herbert said the initial proposal was $5 million per year, but it's since been scaled back to $2 million to give it a better chance of passing. The bill is pending in the Maine Legislature. Herbert said while the new building will serve DO students, it will also be used by students in the other health sciences, including nursing, dentistry, physical therapists, physician assistants and pharmacists. The different health sciences programs will work together. Doctors of osteopathy can practice all areas of medicine similar to doctors of medicine, or MDs, and training emphasizes a "whole person" approach to diagnosis, treatment and patient care. "The way we've traditionally done health care education is to have everything siloed — nurses do their own thing, doctors do their own thing, PAs do their own thing. They don't train together. We will be doing more interprofessional education, and learn how to work on interdisciplinary teams," Herbert said. With all medical sciences working at the same Portland campus, having the students and faculty work together across programs will be easier to achieve. "It's a point of pride that at the Portland campus, the University of New England will be the only university in New England where all of its health programs will be co-located on a single campus," Herbert said. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New ED consultants will strengthen under pressure workforce, says minister
The health minister has said the recruitment of up to 26 emergency medicine consultants will help stabilise and strengthen the healthcare workforce in Northern Ireland. The Department of Health said some of the consultants are already in post, with the others set to begin in their roles across all five health trusts by the end of the year. It said funding for the new posts comes from reducing spending on locum doctors in emergency departments and that it comes as part of work to find roles for newly-qualified consultants in the health system. Mike Nesbitt said everyone was "acutely aware of the very significant pressures" on emergency departments. "Both staff and patients want us to do all we can to alleviate those pressures and that's been a central focus for my department and trusts in recent months." He added that, at a meeting with the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) last year, he recognised that it was "incongruous" for Health and Social Care (HSC) to train emergency medicine doctors but then have no vacancies for them, while also "spending around £30m a year on locum cover for emergency departments". Prof Lourda Geoghegan, deputy chief medical officer, said she was "very encouraged" by early reports on the impact of the new consultants, who had not only helped reduce locum spending but also increased the "presence of senior decision-making in emergency departments". Dr Russell McLaughlin, vice chair of RCEM Northern Ireland, said its research showed there was a critical shortage of emergency medicine consultants, with only half the recommended number in place. "The need for expansion is clear," he added. "It's vital our departments have these senior decision makers, who are qualified and ready to step into these roles, which are critical for patient safety." Northern Ireland's emergency departments have been under severe pressure for years. On New Year's Eve figures showed that more than half of the 892 people who attended emergency departments (EDs) had to endure a wait of more than 12 hours. Figures released by the Department of Health (DoH) revealed that there was a 7.6% increase in hospital attendances over a 12-month period, with 63,347 attendees in December 2024 compared to 58,875 in December 2023. Dr McLaughlin said the situation in EDs was "deteriorating" as the health service "pushed through" another "hugely challenging winter". The figures showed that the number of ED attendees waiting more than 12 hours in December 2024 was 12,281, an increase from 10,597 in December 2023. The number of patients discharged or admitted within the target of four hours was highest in October 2024 (45.6%) and lowest in December 2024 (40.6%). Compared to December 2023, fewer people (-1.4%) spent under four hours in emergency departments, which had a figure of 42%. ED situation 'deteriorating', NI doctors warn Emergency departments have no space, says doctor 'We're at breaking point' - says ED doctor
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
New ED consultants will strengthen under pressure workforce, says health minister
The health minister has said the recruitment of up to 26 emergency medicine consultants will help stabilise and strengthen the healthcare workforce in Northern Department of Health said some of the consultants are already in post, with the others set to begin in their roles across all five health trusts by the end of the year. It said funding for the new posts comes from reducing spending on locum doctors in emergency departments and that it comes as part of work to find roles for newly-qualified consultants in the health Nesbitt said everyone was "acutely aware of the very significant pressures" on emergency departments. "Both staff and patients want us to do all we can to alleviate those pressures and that's been a central focus for my department and trusts in recent months."He added that, at a meeting with the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) last year, he recognised that it was "incongruous" for Health and Social Care (HSC) to train emergency medicine doctors but then have no vacancies for them, while also "spending around £30m a year on locum cover for emergency departments".Prof Lourda Geoghegan, deputy chief medical officer, said she was "very encouraged" by early reports on the impact of the new consultants, who had not only helped reduce locum spending but also increased the "presence of senior decision-making in emergency departments".Dr Russell McLaughlin, vice chair of RCEM Northern Ireland, said its research showed there was a critical shortage of emergency medicine consultants, with only half the recommended number in place."The need for expansion is clear," he added."It's vital our departments have these senior decision makers, who are qualified and ready to step into these roles, which are critical for patient safety." Emergency department pressures Northern Ireland's emergency departments have been under severe pressure for New Year's Eve figures showed that more than half of the 892 people who attended emergency departments (EDs) had to endure a wait of more than 12 released by the Department of Health (DoH) revealed that there was a 7.6% increase in hospital attendances over a 12-month period, with 63,347 attendees in December 2024 compared to 58,875 in December McLaughlin said the situation in EDs was "deteriorating" as the health service "pushed through" another "hugely challenging winter".The figures showed that the number of ED attendees waiting more than 12 hours in December 2024 was 12,281, an increase from 10,597 in December number of patients discharged or admitted within the target of four hours was highest in October 2024 (45.6%) and lowest in December 2024 (40.6%).Compared to December 2023, fewer people (-1.4%) spent under four hours in emergency departments, which had a figure of 42%.
CTV News
26-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Why are Canada's nurses and other health-care workers leaving long-term care? Share your story
As Canada's population ages, there is expected to be a shortage in long-term care workers. (Pexels) Canada faces a challenge of meeting the demand for long-term care workers as the sector's workforce is shrinking, according to a new study. With one of Canada's fastest growing age groups being people 85 and older, long-term care capacity will need to nearly double in the next decade to meet demand, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). The CIHI found that fewer staff mainly worked in the long-term care sector in 2023, at an estimated 13.6 per cent of the health workforce or 50,216 providers, than before the pandemic. These workers include nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. Recent data shows many of these workers are moving to jobs outside the long-term care industry. For instance, the number of registered psychiatric nurses working in long-term care dropped 42.5 per cent to 315 in 2023, from 548 in 2014. CIHI found in 2023 that most health-care job vacancies were for staff who often work at long-term care facilities, including registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, licensed practical nurses and personal support workers. These vacancies have risen steadily since 2015 and 'remain elevated' for many jobs, according to CIHI. Reasons for the vacancies include retirement, changing jobs or adding positions, the report found. The findings are an overview of recent trends and more data is needed for in-depth analyses, CIHI added. wants to hear from workers about their experiences working in the long-term care industry. Have you left or are you thinking of leaving your job in the sector? Why did you switch jobs, or thinking of making the change? What challenges did you face in your job? What can Canada do to retain workers in the sector? Share your story by emailing us at dotcom@ with your name, general location and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your comments may be used in a story.
CTV News
26-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Why are Canada's nurses and other health-care workers leaving long-term care? Share your story
As Canada's population ages, there is expected to be a shortage in long-term care workers. (Pexels) Canada faces a challenge of meeting the demand for long-term care workers as the sector's workforce is shrinking, according to a new study. With one of Canada's fastest growing age groups being people 85 and older, long-term care capacity will need to nearly double in the next decade to meet demand, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). The CIHI found that fewer staff mainly worked in the long-term care sector in 2023, at an estimated 13.6 per cent of the health workforce or 50,216 providers, than before the pandemic. These workers include nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. Recent data shows many of these workers are moving to jobs outside the long-term care industry. For instance, the number of registered psychiatric nurses working in long-term care dropped 42.5 per cent to 315 in 2023, from 548 in 2014. CIHI found in 2023 that most health-care job vacancies were for staff who often work at long-term care facilities, including registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, licensed practical nurses and personal support workers. These vacancies have risen steadily since 2015 and 'remain elevated' for many jobs, according to CIHI. Reasons for the vacancies include retirement, changing jobs or adding positions, the report found. The findings are an overview of recent trends and more data is needed for in-depth analyses, CIHI added. wants to hear from workers about their experiences working in the long-term care industry. Have you left or are you thinking of leaving your job in the sector? Why did you switch jobs, or thinking of making the change? What challenges did you face in your job? What can Canada do to retain workers in the sector? Share your story by emailing us at dotcom@ with your name, general location and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your comments may be used in a story.
