Our Vision: A coordinated approach to addressing health care workforce issues.
Our Mission: Identify and implement strategies that directly improve supply, recruitment, and retention of the technical and professional health care workforce in Kansas.
Access to a sustainable, skillful, dedicated workforce is one of the most
demanding challenges hospitals face. Retaining employees is difficult at a time when demand for health care workers at almost every level outweighs supply. Sources continually report current and anticipated shortages of health care workers. The nursing workforce, which comprises the bulk of hospital employees, has been particularly hard hit. KHA will continue to work with the many organizations similarly concerned with health care workforce issues and advocate for regulations that do not burden an already critical situation.
For a summary of hospital workforce issues, challenges and activities organized by KHA Core Functions, click the "issue brief" icon to link to the member-only file.
The Top Health Care Occupational Opportunities in Kansas
The Top Health Care Occupational Opportunities in Kansas publication (2005), a collaborative resource between the Kansas Hospital Association and the Kansas Board of Regents, highlights 22 professional health care job opportunities at various levels of education, from one-year or post-secondary training, to the requirement of a graduate degree. Learn about salary, average job openings and employment expectations for Kansas.
Links to Other Workforce Resources
- KBOR Nursing Initiative
In February 2008, the Kansas Board of Regents released the first annual report for the Kansas Nursing Initiative, which is a 10-year, $30 million state funding and matching grant program approved by the State Legislature and signed into law by the Governor in 2006. The nursing initiative utilizes a combination of grant and scholarship programs to increase the capacity of existing registered nursing (RN) programs in Kansas.
- Innovative Care Models
As part of a research project conducted by Health Workforce Solutions LLC and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 24 innovative health care delivery models from across the country are profiled in detail. Launched April 2008, the site sorts models into three categories of care delivery and provides descriptions, results, replication information, challenges and lessons learned.
- Pre-licensure Nursing
In response to concerns about nursing shortages and challenges in scheduling clinical experiences, a multi-stakeholder group devised survey questions to identify clinical site capacity in Kansas. Under the direction of Cynthia Teel, KU Nursing School assistant dean, graduate nursing students polled Kansas Hospital Association members, along with members of the Kansas Health Care Association and the Kansas Association for Homes and Services for the Aging, to determine specifics about the opportunities to expand the number and capacity of clinical sites.
- Pre-licensure Nursing Clinical Education Capacity in Kansas Report - University of Kansas School of Nursing, October 2007
- J-1 Visa Waiver Program
The State 30 (Conrad) J-1 Visa Waiver Program assists in the recruitment and retention of physicians to serve communities that lack adequate access to health care.
- HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
All reports produced by the Health Resources and Services Administration dealing with health care workforce topics are housed at this site.
- HRSA Loan Repayment Programs
Along with scholarships and loan opportunities for students, the Health Resources and Services Administration offers loan repayment opportunities for health care professionals.