What’s behind today’s clinical laboratory staffing shortage?

Guest editorial by Bryan Hanson, the Senior Vice President, Labs and Transfusion Medicine business units at QuidelOrtho.

There is an ongoing dire shortage of lab professionals, the team delivering essential diagnostic results that inform more than 70% of clinical decisions. A September 2000 CAP Today article highlighted the growing shortfall of medical technologists in clinical laboratories nationwide. In the nearly 25 years since that article was published, the gap between the need and unfilled roles has unfortunately only widened. Many of the factors driving the shortage remain the same, including low wages, retirements and decreasing enrollment in medical technologist training programs, as well as an inability to attract new workers to the field. However, the challenges facing healthcare today are more complex and compounded by staffing shortages throughout the system, as well as increasing cost pressures and rising demand for diagnostics driven by higher patient volumes and an aging population. Now, the burden on current lab teams is growing heavier, increasing burnout and stress, and accelerating the negative employment trend.

A recent study by QuidelOrtho reveals surprising insights around drivers of dissatisfaction in the modern laboratory workplace and suggests potential strategies for hospital management and lab techs that may help alleviate challenges and begin to close the staffing gap.

Persistent issues, new problems

To bring the current picture into focus, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects more than 24,000 vacancies for clinical laboratory technologists – per year – over the next decade. This marks a nearly fivefold increase in annual lab tech job openings since 2000, which is a factor of both increasing demand and increased staffing shortfalls. As noted, many of the perennial issues remain, such as compensation; in our study, just 21% of lab techs were satisfied with their pay compared to 69% of directors. However, one of the more concerning data points our study found was that just 12% of lab techs reported they were extremely likely to stay in the diagnostics field.

What’s behind the growing dissatisfaction? Of all respondents surveyed, lab techs to hospital management, burnout and workplace stress were the issues staff felt least optimistic about, with just nine percent feeling positive about the future. Furthermore, when asked to prioritize workplace issues in order of importance, lab techs rated staff burnout highest among all respondents. Adding to the strain, our study also found that just 35% of lab techs felt satisfied with the level of respect they received in their organization compared to 90% at the director level.

Battling burnout

Low pay, long hours, less respect and the intense pressure techs feel to produce accurate diagnostic results at scale are all contributing to staff burnout. With those prospects, it’s no wonder the industry is facing a worker shortfall. Now, with rising demand and lower staffing levels across healthcare, there is also a very real risk of cementing a self-perpetuating cycle that furthers the decline in workplace morale, employment levels and the ability to attract new workers.

So, with stress and burnout in the lab on the rise, what can be done to stem the exodus of talent and break the cycle? While some solutions may seem obvious, our study found a few examples that are more counterintuitive. Perhaps most surprisingly, 80% of lab techs report greater personal recognition as the most important improvement in the workplace – higher than improving pay at 77%. Considering how many factors contribute to an organization’s ability to increase salaries, elevating recognition for lab teams can be an easy and effective way to improve morale and positively impact retention in the short- and longer-term.

Lab technologists pointed to several additional improvements that would make their lives easier and improve job satisfaction, including:

• Training improvements/innovations that make it faster and easier to train staff on the equipment used in their role (72%)
• Aggressively adopting the latest technologies that can help staff get more work done faster (71%)
• Broader adoption of a clear career ladder framework to develop and promote lab staff (66%)
• Improving the visibility and perception of the value of diagnostics as a profession (63%)
• Expanding investments in the use of diagnostics automation (47%)

Here, again, we see that it’s changes like training, technology and improved perceptions of value that lab techs want. These are all relatively high-impact steps healthcare organizations can take to improve the working conditions for techs and help mitigate the staffing crisis in the lab.

Looking ahead

There were also several bright spots among the data that offer hope for the future of the profession. First, the study confirmed that quality patient care remains the best part of the job as reported by 99% of all respondents. In addition, a significant majority of respondents, 92%, felt they are able to maintain patient safety despite challenges and staffing shortages. These points demonstrate the kind of dedication and commitment to patient care shared by healthcare professionals that can inspire the ability to overcome any challenge. Providing access to the tools, resources and support they need will help them thrive.

Go to www.quidelortho.com for more information, or download the white paper to see the full results of the study.