Those with healthcare jobs in Rhode Island may be affected by the information released in a new report.

The Rhode Island Department of Health recently released The Health of Rhode Island’s Hospitals, a report that details the financial performance of the state’s 13 hospitals from 2005 to 2008. The report found that even though Rhode Island hospitals were more profitable than others in the Northeast in 2007, the financial performance of local hospitals declined during 2008.

Overall, hospitals in Rhode Island saw a 12 percent loss in net worth during 2008, which can mostly be attributed to losses in their investments as opposed to declines in patient revenue. In fact, patient revenue increased 6 percent from 2007 to 2008.

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More medical jobs in Rhode Island will be created, as 10 community healthcare centers throughout the state have received $4 million in federal stimulus money.

The 10 community health centers in Rhode Island serve about 112,000 people. According to an article by The Providence Journal, eight of those meet standards to qualify for federal funds. The money will not only be used to serve poor and uninsured Rhode Island residents, but also to bring healthcare to those who might not have had access to it before.

“Here, care is coordinated,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said in the article. “Here, patients have electronic medical records … They’re actually showing a model for how some of America’s most well-off might be better served.”

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Although the healthcare industry is one that is often considered to be recession-proof, there is a lack of qualified educators, which is in turn creating a lack of qualified workers to fill healthcare jobs. However, an effort is underway to help create more Rhode Island nursing jobs.

A special legislative commission recently unveiled a proposal to give educators in Rhode Island’s nursing schools a yearly tax credit of $3,500. The credit is an attempt to keep professionals teaching and help prepare for the expected oncoming shortage of nurses throughout the state.

It is expected that Rhode Island will have a shortfall of 1,800 registered nurses by next year. According to an article by The Providence Journal, that number could grow to a shortage of 6,500 registered nurses by 2020. Part of the reason for the lack of qualified nurses is that many potential students are turned away from programs because of a lack of teachers.

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Those with healthcare jobs in Rhode Island recently received some good news.

The Rhode Island Department of Health has released The Health of Rhode Island’s Hospitals (2007), which details the financial performance of the state’s 13 hospitals from 2004 to 2007. It also evaluated the state’s hospitals compaed to others in the Northeast and a group of the best hospitals throughout the country.

The report showed that in 2007, local hospital performance improved. Overall profitability increased from 2.1 percent to 3.4 percent, with 8 out of 13 hospitals increasing their profit margins. Growth in net worths also increased from 9 percent in 2006 to 14.7 percent in 2007. Individual capital structure and liquid assets also improved.

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If you’re looking for an in-demand healthcare job in Rhode Island, you should consider a career as a nurse.

Rhode Island, along with many other parts of the nation, is currently in the midst of a nursing shortage, which is only expected to worsen as many workers retire and the healthcare industry continues to grow. Also adding to the problem is the inability of colleges and universities to increase nursing program enrollments as demand grows and faculty retire.

Nationwide, 4.7 million people are employed as registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nursing assistants, and about 85 percent of these employees work within the healthcare industry. The United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates one-fourth of the 4 million expected healthcare job openings through 2016 will be in the nursing field.
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For the next six years, anyone looking for a Rhode Island healthcare job shouldn’t have too much trouble.

Healthcare has a long reputation of being one of Rhode Island’s fastest growing industries, mostly due to an aging population, medical advances and new technologies.

According to an article from the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, overall employment in the state is expected to increase by more than 55,000 jobs through 2014, with employment that year reaching 573,437 people, an increase of 10.7 percent from the 2004 employment of 518,145 people.

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