The healthcare industry is grappling with unprecedented challenges from an aging population to severe staffing shortages and training gaps. These issues contribute to h a high-stress environment for professionals and have far-reaching implications for patient care. Many healthcare professionals are perfectly aware of these problems, but their scale might still surprise you. Here are some of the key statistics showing where things are at today. 

1. 100,000 More Healthcare Workers Needed By 2028

Mercer projects there’ll be a major deficit of 100,000 trained healthcare staff workers by 2028. The gaps will include the gamut of specialty healthcare roles, from physicians to nurses and everything in between. These staffing teams are needed to fill critical care requirements, but there’s a danger of not having enough skilled professionals to go around. That means an increased workload and higher stress for existing healthcare workers if something isn’t done to stop it. 

2. More than 100 Million Americans Lack Adequate Healthcare Access

Geographic healthcare disparity is and will almost certainly continue to be a major challenge for Americans seeking care access. As of last year, there were as many as 100 million Americans living in pronounced Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). 

Staffing shortages in the industry usually hit these regions first, as experienced professionals more often migrate to larger population areas where work opportunities are more plentiful. Nevertheless, a large part of the American population lives in rural areas where only a little over 12% of physicians choose to practice. This creates a major disparity in the affordability and accessibility of quality care, and that will very likely get worse as staffing shortages increase. 

3. Nearly Half of Physicians are Approaching Retirement

There are likely not enough incoming medical students to replace the outgoing number of physicians. As of 2023, almost half (47%) of physicians were already over the age of 55, which means they’re getting quite close to retirement age by now. As you can imagine, this presents a real challenge for new physicians, nurses and health professionals at every level of the industry. 

We can expect to see an increase not just in staffing shortages, but in knowledge and education gaps. The loss of so many decades worth of experience can easily have a tremendous impact on patient care quality. Now more than ever, it’s vital for health institutions to expand their training and educational offerings to meet these upcoming gaps.

Fill the Gaps With MedCerts

This healthcare staffing crisis is a complex problem that won’t go away anytime soon. Healthcare institutions of all sizes need to devote attention and long-term planning to these challenges if they expect to overcome them. That’s where MedCerts Partner Solutions can help. Our training and education programs offer a way to find new healthcare talent and upskill and certify existing healthcare workers in order to fill some of the most crucial roles in the industry. To build your own talent pipeline and avoid joining the rising statistics outlined above, connect with one of our partnership managers today.