Meeting the Personnel Needs of the Health Care Industry through Vocational Education Programs.

A 2-year study of the health care industry in the San Francisco Bay Area identified avenues for reducing health care labor shortages. Focus was on classifications where demand was expected to grow and where current demand exceeds supply: nursing, medical imaging, medical therapy, and medical records management. A modified job analysis technique collected data through intensive interviews with subject matter experts, focus group meetings for data collection on occupational clusters, and surveys of major health care providers. Information obtained for each occupational cluster included the following: changes in settings in which these jobs are practiced, occupational skills that have changed in importance, skills important for entry-level jobs, and skills significant for career advancement. The study identified issues related to the role of educational programs in meeting labor supply and skill requirements in these occupational clusters, changing skills requirements that cross occupational clusters, and skill deficiencies identified by health care employers. Two sets of educational policy recommendations were made: one addressing integration of vocational and academic programs to increase the supply of personnel and another centering on articulated educational programs and their value in increasing labor supply through improved employee retention. (Appendixes, amounting to approximately one-half of the report, include a 91-item bibliography; medical imaging, medical therapy, and medical records occupations tables; and instruments. The occupations tables list skills, knowledge, and abilities that are important for advancement or have recently increased in importance.) (YLB)