Anesthesia, like many physician specialties, faces a shortage of providers in the years ahead. As baby boomers age, the demand for healthcare services — anesthesia included — will continue to increase. At the same time, the anesthesia providers available to care for them is expected to drop as a large percentage of the specialty's clinician base — themselves Baby Boomers — retire or cut back hours, says Brandy Pearson, national director of recruitment for Somnia Anesthesia. Couple that with the millions of newly insured who will be seeking care after the individual mandate goes into effect, and you have a trifecta of forces that will significantly impact the practice of anesthesia.
As a result, anesthesia providers and the healthcare organizations that employ them should expect many changes in regard to anesthesia employment practices and trends in the next few years.
What are these key trends and how will they affect anesthesia employment opportunities and practice? Somnia Anesthesia plans to shed some light on this topic during a complimentary webinar on Oct. 23, 2012, at 6 p.m. CST. Somnia has partnered with GasWork.com, an anesthesia employment resource, for the event, which will discuss the current anesthesia job market, demand for providers by specialty and geography, compensation data and key concerns for anesthesia employers. This is the first time that Somnia and GasWork are collaborating to help anesthesia clinicians advance their careers, and additional presentations are planned.
"We are definitely seeing a shift of practice types, especially in opt-out states, and changing anesthesia dynamics from coast-to-coast, particularly in the western part of the United States," says Ms. Pearson.
Ms. Pearson adds that significant growth in pain management services and an increased focus on quality measures also plays a role in how practices are changing.
Anesthesia providers should keep these shifts in mind when seeking employment. "Above and beyond general standard geography concerns, such as where they want to live, providers need to look at the practice type and whether or not it's a fit for them not just in the next year, but in the next 5-10 years," says Ms. Pearson. "Recruiters recruit with an eye on retention. We want to know the practice type is a great fit not just for the near term, but for the long term."
Editor's Note: To view a recording of the webinar, click here.
Somnia Anesthesia to Offer Webinar on Anesthesia Career Trends
As a result, anesthesia providers and the healthcare organizations that employ them should expect many changes in regard to anesthesia employment practices and trends in the next few years.
What are these key trends and how will they affect anesthesia employment opportunities and practice? Somnia Anesthesia plans to shed some light on this topic during a complimentary webinar on Oct. 23, 2012, at 6 p.m. CST. Somnia has partnered with GasWork.com, an anesthesia employment resource, for the event, which will discuss the current anesthesia job market, demand for providers by specialty and geography, compensation data and key concerns for anesthesia employers. This is the first time that Somnia and GasWork are collaborating to help anesthesia clinicians advance their careers, and additional presentations are planned.
"We are definitely seeing a shift of practice types, especially in opt-out states, and changing anesthesia dynamics from coast-to-coast, particularly in the western part of the United States," says Ms. Pearson.
Ms. Pearson adds that significant growth in pain management services and an increased focus on quality measures also plays a role in how practices are changing.
Anesthesia providers should keep these shifts in mind when seeking employment. "Above and beyond general standard geography concerns, such as where they want to live, providers need to look at the practice type and whether or not it's a fit for them not just in the next year, but in the next 5-10 years," says Ms. Pearson. "Recruiters recruit with an eye on retention. We want to know the practice type is a great fit not just for the near term, but for the long term."
Editor's Note: To view a recording of the webinar, click here.
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