LABORATORIES; WORKFORCE NEEDS FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY

Transcription

1 CALIFORNIA PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORIES; WORKFORCE NEEDS FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY Linda Whent Ph.D. and Adela de la Torre, Ph.D. APHL 2009 Annual Meeting Wednesday, May 6 Anchorage, Alaska California Department of Public Health University of California, Davis The California Wellness Foundation

2 Need- Shortage of Qualified Directors Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) require new PHL Directors to have doctoral degrees and be board certified California requires Public Health Microbiologist Certification and Four years of Laboratory experience, two years of supervisor level Due to aging workforce California few directors were CLIA Certified, most grandfathered in before The LabAspire Program was created as a direct result of this growing shortage

3 What is the LabAspire Program? Created by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), California Association of Public Health Laboratory Directors (CAPHLD) and California Coalition of Local Health Officers (CCLHO) Recruit and train a qualified workforce and directorship for California s public health laboratories (PHL) Create a training pipeline from public health microbiologist to public health laboratory director

4 LabAspire Program Partners

5 LabAspire Baseline Survey Needs Assessment Dr. Adela de la Torre Dr. Linda Whent Dr. Refugio Rochin

6 Methodology April - June 2007 Descriptive Study On-line Survey Monkey and mailed survey California s 38 Public Health Laboratory (PHL) Directors

7 Baseline Survey: (1) Profiles of Staffing Capacities and Needs; (2) Recruitment Strategies; and (3) Teaching, Education & Professional Development needs

8 Methodology Survey data were downloaded into an Excel file directly from the Survey Monkey website and then imported into a statistical database The statistical package SPSSx Summary statistics were reported to ensure confidentiality: frequency distributions and mean responses reported

9 Results 36 (95%) out of 38 PHL Directors responded to the survey, with at least one director reporting from each geographic area of California

10 The number of PHL employed staff, staffing needs at the time of this study (Spring 2007) and projected staffing needs within the next three years by job title Job Title Number of Employed Staff (FTEs) Number of Staff Needed (FTEs) Number of Staff Needed in 3 Years (FTEs) Director Laboratory Manager Assistant Director Supervisor Microbiologist III Supervisor Microbiologist II Supervisor I Microbiologist II Microbiologist I Clinical Scientist (list specialty) Laboratory Assistant PHM Trainees 3 BT Coordinator 2 Total

11 Results: Workforce Need Regions of California with the greatest need for workforce recruitment currently and in the next three years: Southern Central Valley, Southern California Coastal, and Bay Area Central Coast and Northern Central Valley Regions above share the highest current need for Lab Directors

12 Results: Workforce Needs Directors responded using a 5-point Likert Scale: What are the biggest factors behind inadequate staffing? Two primary concerns: Lack of qualified applicants (Mean= 4.06), and Low salary (Mean= 3.91).

13 Results: Retaining Staff When asked what they thought were the best strategies in retaining staff 27 directors responded competitive salaries and benefits, 11 reported friendly, stable, challenging, and rewarding work environment, 5 reported continued education and advancement opportunities, 4 responded good location, 3 reported flexible work schedule, reported state-of of-the the-art equipment and high standards, 2 identified stable funding

14 Results: Connections with Colleges and Universities Directors were unsure or not aware of the Pipeline between University of California and California State University campuses (mean 3.36)

15 Results: Training and Internships Twenty-four directors reported 39 internship positions available in the state in 2007, of these, 10 directors reported they had paid intern positions

16 Results: Suggestions for Increasing Staffing Applicant Pool 11 Information exchange with colleges and universities, job fairs, biology and immunology majors 9 Competitive salaries and benefits 3 Each said: Medical microbiology majors/courses Increase student awareness of employment opportunities Post positions in doctoral schools Change the CLIA certification requirements

17 Results: Recruitment Activities PHLs will Support 15 Mentorship programs for college students 15 Internship programs 13 Organized public tours Other: PHM Training On campus outreach Career Fairs Guest Lectures Network with hospitals and other laboratories

18 Results: Capacity for Training PHMs 22 Laboratories reported they trained 1 to 3 PHM Certification each year Only 6 had the capacity to teach all components of PHM Cert. 18 Send their trainees to other laboratories for training they do not offer 8 directors stated they were unable to train PHMs

19 Conclusions: Staffing Needs Findings Highlight the PHL Workforce Crisis Shortages in all regions of California and in most public health laboratories across the state Most regions of California will need to fill a Public Health Laboratory Director

20 Conclusions: Recruitment Workforce recruitment should occur on 4 levels: 1) Undergraduate (laboratory technicians and PHM prep); 2) Graduate level (PHM Certification) 3) Post graduate level (Post-doc Training and Assistant Laboratory Director Training) 4) Board Eligible/Board Certified (Assistant Laboratory Director Positions) and professionals (public health laboratory director positions)

21 Conclusions: Recruitment Laboratory Director and Public Health Microbiologist (PHM) levels Expansion of internship positions at all levels of the pipeline and exploration of existing and alternative e funding mechanisms for these programs are important avenues of further investigation

22 Conclusions: Recruitment Workforce outreach, recruitment and training efforts should give priority to those regions of greatest need with emphasis on recruiting new staff, training and retention

23 Conclusions: Recruitment Directors were unsure if they had adequate tools and staff to effectively recruit Most directors reported that they did not have adequate funding for recruitment efforts

24 Conclusions Recruitment There is a need for the LabAspire Recruitment Program to reconnect PHLs with college and university relevant science programs, medical schools and doctoral and postdoctoral programs that train professionals at all levels of the PHL academic pipeline

25 Conclusions: Recruitment LabAspire staff should engage in working with PHLs to help coordinate tours, mentorship programs and internship programs UC Berkeley BSP Program UC Davis BUSP Program Regional Events

26 Follow Up Strategies t Current and Future LabAspire Program Planning Based on Needs Assessment

27 Follow-up Recruiting Qualified Candidates is a major Challenge for PHLs Centralized Need for LabAspire for Staff Recruitment and Pipeline Training

28 labaspire.org Job Page Links to PHLs Links to CAPHLD Program Information Links to Colleges and Universities PHM Training Contact information Recruitment t Videos

29 Follow UP: Communication with Colleges and Universities Scientific conferences University/college career fairs Developing personal contacts with science advisors and faculty

30 Follow Up Career Fairs Increased PHM Applications More qualified Increased Training Regional Events Pair with a Local Lab Presentations and Tours

31 Follow Up: Supplemental Funding The California Wellness Foundation Recruitment Coordinator NIH ARISE Grant Increase diversity of the applicant pool

32 Follow-up Training Most laboratories in California do not have the staff, resources, or supplies to support the variety of training needs Funding from LabAspire has supported: Assistant Laboratory Director Positions Educational materials for PHM and Assistant directors MPH, Doctoral and Post-doc support Travel to CAPHLD conferences for Trainees

33 Follow Up: Training UCLA School of Medicine had 24 top applicants to Post-doc program UCLA School of Public Health 3 Dr.PH.. Students, 2 more admitted for Fall 2009

34 Follow Up: Training CDPH, Richmond Post-doc Program had 2 Post-docs and is recruiting for Fall 2009 UC Berkeley, School of Public Health 2DPH DrPH and d3mph students (doctoral track), 2 MPH students t accepted for Fall 2009

35 Follow Up Strategies Laboratory Staff Training Needs: LabAspire Program purchased a Web-based b communication system (Interwise) for PHL staff training: PHM Certification training, Leadership training of management staff In-service Training

36 Contact Us

37 End