Topic:
DENTISTS; ELDERLY; LEGISLATION; MEDICAL CARE; MEDICAL PERSONNEL; PHYSICIANS; STATISTICAL INFORMATION; TRAINING PROGRAMS;
Location:
MEDICAL PERSONNEL;

OLR Research Report


September 1, 2006

 

2006-R-0546

HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE SHORTAGES IN CONNECTICUT

By: John Kasprak, Senior Attorney

You asked for information on healthcare workforce shortages in Connecticut.

SUMMARY

Well-documented healthcare workforce shortages have existed in Connecticut for a number of years according to the Department of Public Health (DPH; see “Toward Solving Connecticut's Health Care Workforce Shortages,” DPH, May 2002). While such shortages are not new to the state, DPH notes that the nature of shortages varies by discipline. In the past, nursing shortages have been cyclical. For other disciplines, current shortages have developed through a gradual process as the increase in supply does not meet the increase in demand.

Demand for health care services is steadily increasing due to an aging population and advances in medical technology. Also, the health care provider population itself is aging. Other career opportunities now compete with health care professions.

Training programs in a number of healthcare disciplines are achieving full enrollment (e. g. , pharmacy, nursing), while others (respiratory therapy, radiation technology) are not. All health professional training programs are experiencing a significant rise in the student attrition rate, according to DPH. This is attributed to lack of academic preparation, competing demands of job and family responsibilities, and finances.

Connecticut is expected to have the second greatest decline nationally in the supply of nurses over the next few years and needs to expand nursing education and training programs.

CONNECTICUT AND NATIONAL DATA ON THE HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE

All of the information that follows in this section derives from statehealthfacts. org of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Physicians

In 2004, there were over 820,000 nonfederal physicians in the United States. Of these, 12,918 were in Connecticut. The rate of physicians per 100,000 population in the state was 369 as compared to the U. S. average of 281, ranking Connecticut fifth nationally among the states and U. S. territories. Connecticut's physician population was roughly 70% male, 30% female. Of the total state physician population, 56% were white, 9% Asian, 2% black, 2% Hispanic, and 2% Native American.

In Connecticut, 38% of its total physicians were classified as primary care physicians ranking it 45th among the states. The national average was 40%. The state's primary care physicians can be further classified as (1) internal medicine-52% (37% national average), (2) family practice-12% (29%), (3) pediatrics-19% (18%), (4) obstetrics/gynecology-5% (12%), and (5) general practice-1% (5%).

The following tables provide more information on all 50 states and national averages in various physician categories.

Table 1 Number of Nonfederal Physicians, 2004

Rank

 

Total Nonfederal Physicians

United States

821,911

1

California

93,791

2

New York

77,062

3

Texas

49,170

4

Florida

44,921

5

Pennsylvania

41,223

6

Illinois

36,169

7

Ohio

33,158

8

Michigan

29,188

9

Massachusetts

28,970

10

New Jersey

28,944

11

Maryland

21,602

12

North Carolina

21,522

13

Virginia

19,726

14

Georgia

19,371

15

Washington

16,485

16

Tennessee

15,447

17

Missouri

15,350

18

Wisconsin

14,421

19

Minnesota

14,412

20

Indiana

13,825

21

Arizona

12,934

22

Connecticut

12,918

23

Colorado

12,343

24

Louisiana

11,820

25

Alabama

9,763

26

South Carolina

9,687

27

Oregon

9,665

28

Kentucky

9,660

29

Oklahoma

7,231

30

Iowa

6,445

31

Kansas

6,442

32

Arkansas

5,645

33

Mississippi

5,289

34

Utah

5,134

35

West Virginia

4,604

36

Nevada

4,570

37

New Mexico

4,538

38

Nebraska

4,237

39

District of Columbia

4,160

40

Maine

3,983

41

Rhode Island

3,902

42

Hawaii

3,809

43

New Hampshire

3,474

44

Idaho

2,445

45

Vermont

2,258

46

Delaware

2,255

47

Montana

2,074

48

South Dakota

1,671

49

North Dakota

1,547

50

Alaska

1,424

51

Wyoming

966

 

 

 

Puerto Rico

9,885

Guam

218

Virgin Islands

158

Notes: U. S. total includes territories.

Nonfederal physicians are not employed by the federal government and include medical doctors and osteopaths. They represent 98% of total physicians.

Table 2: Rate of Nonfederal Physicians

per 100,000 Population, 2004

Rank

 

Nonfederal Physicians per 100,000 Population

United States

281

1

District of Columbia

752

2

Massachusetts

451

3

New York

401

4

Maryland

389

5

Connecticut

369

6

Vermont

363

7

Rhode Island

361

8

New Jersey

333

9

Pennsylvania

332

10

Hawaii

302

10

Maine

302

12

Michigan

289

12

Ohio

289

14

Illinois

284

15

Minnesota

283

16

Delaware

272

17

Oregon

269

18

Colorado

268

19

Missouri

267

19

New Hampshire

267

21

Washington

266

22

Virginia

264

23

Louisiana

262

23

Tennessee

262

23

Wisconsin

262

26

California

261

27

Florida

258

28

West Virginia

254

29

North Carolina

252

30

North Dakota

244

31

Nebraska

243

32

New Mexico

238

33

Kansas

235

34

Kentucky

233

35

South Carolina

231

36

Arizona

225

37

Montana

224

38

Indiana

222

39

Georgia

219

39

Texas

219

41

Iowa

218

42

Alaska

217

42

South Dakota

217

44

Alabama

216

45

Utah

215

46

Arkansas

205

46

Oklahoma

205

48

Nevada

196

49

Wyoming

191

50

Mississippi

182

51

Idaho

175

 

 

 

Puerto Rico

254

Notes: U. S. total includes territories.

Nonfederal physicians are not employed by the federal government and include medical doctors and osteopaths. They represent 98% of total physicians.

Table 3: Nonfederal Primary Care Physicians as a Percent of Total Physicians, 2004

Rank

 

Nonfederal Primary Care Physicians

United States

40%

1

Alaska

49%

2

Wyoming

47%

3

North Dakota

46%

4

South Dakota

45%

5

Idaho

44%

5

Iowa

44%

5

Maine

44%

5

West Virginia

44%

9

Arkansas

43%

9

Hawaii

43%

9

Illinois

43%

9

Nebraska

43%

9

Oklahoma

43%

14

Alabama

42%

14

Georgia

42%

14

Kansas

42%

14

Minnesota

42%

14

Mississippi

42%

14

Nevada

42%

14

New Mexico

42%

14

Oregon

42%

14

Vermont

42%

14

Washington

42%

14

Wisconsin

42%

25

Colorado

41%

25

Indiana

41%

25

Michigan

41%

25

Montana

41%

25

New Hampshire

41%

25

South Carolina

41%

25

Virginia

41%

32

Arizona

40%

32

California

40%

32

Kentucky

40%

32

New Jersey

40%

32

Ohio

40%

32

Rhode Island

40%

32

Tennessee

40%

32

Texas

40%

40

Delaware

39%

40

Missouri

39%

40

New York

39%

40

North Carolina

39%

40

Utah

39%

45

Connecticut

38%

45

Florida

38%

45

Louisiana

38%

45

Pennsylvania

38%

49

Maryland

37%

50

District of Columbia

36%

51

Massachusetts

35%

 

 

 

Guam

58%

Puerto Rico

48%

Virgin Islands

43%

Notes: Nonfederal physicians are not employed by the federal government and include medical doctors and osteopaths. They represent 98% of total physicians.

Definitions: Primary care physician specialties include Internal Medicine, Family Practice, Pediatrics, Obstetrics/Gynecology, and General Practice.

Table 4: Distribution of Nonfederal Primary Care Physicians

by Field, 2004

 

Internal Medicine

Family Practice

Pediatrics

Obstetrics/ Gynecology

General Practice

Total Primary Care

United States

37%

29%

18%

12%

5%

100%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alabama

35%

32%

17%

13%

4%

100%

Alaska

18%

52%

14%

10%

7%

100%

Arizona

34%

32%

17%

12%

5%

100%

Arkansas

21%

48%

15%

10%

7%

100%

California

37%

26%

19%

12%

5%

100%

Colorado

29%

39%

16%

12%

3%

100%

Connecticut

52%

12%

19%

15%

1%

100%

Delaware

30%

33%

21%

13%

4%

100%

District of Columbia

49%

12%

24%

14%

2%

100%

Florida

35%

28%

19%

12%

8%

100%

Georgia

34%

27%

19%

16%

4%

100%

Hawaii

39%

21%

20%

15%

5%

100%

Idaho

20%

54%

10%

12%

5%

100%

Illinois

41%

26%

17%

12%

3%

100%

Indiana

26%

43%

14%

12%

5%

100%

Iowa

21%

53%

13%

8%

5%

100%

Kansas

26%

45%

13%

11%

5%

100%

Kentucky

32%

34%

17%

12%

5%

100%

Louisiana

35%

26%

19%

15%

5%

100%

Maine

28%

45%

14%

10%

4%

100%

Maryland

47%

15%

23%

13%

2%

100%

Massachusetts

55%

12%

21%

10%

2%

100%

Michigan

36%

31%

15%

12%

5%

100%

Minnesota

29%

46%

14%

9%

2%

100%

Mississippi

28%

35%

16%

15%

6%

100%

Missouri

36%

28%

17%

12%

6%

100%

Montana

24%

49%

11%

11%

5%

100%

Nebraska

25%

49%

14%

10%

2%

100%

Nevada

39%

29%

14%

13%

5%

100%

New Hampshire

33%

35%

17%

13%

2%

100%

New Jersey

44%

16%

23%

13%

3%

100%

New Mexico

30%

39%

17%

10%

4%

100%

New York

50%

14%

22%

13%

2%

100%

North Carolina

33%

33%

18%

14%

2%

100%

North Dakota

28%

50%

10%

7%

5%

100%

Ohio

36%

30%

18%

12%

4%

100%

Oklahoma

25%

43%

13%

10%

7%

100%

Oregon

36%

33%

15%

12%

4%

100%

Pennsylvania

38%

31%

16%

11%

4%

100%

Rhode Island

48%

18%

21%

11%

3%

100%

South Carolina

27%

38%

17%

14%

4%

100%

South Dakota

28%

49%

8%

10%

5%

100%

Tennessee

36%

30%

17%

13%

4%

100%