The healthcare system in the United States faces a critical shortage of skilled workers, particularly in nursing and other allied health fields, such as radiology, respiratory therapy, physical therapists, and laboratory technicians.  This worker shortage is due in large part to the aging of the baby boom generation, as a significant segment of the healthcare workforce nears retirement age.  While there are a number of efforts underway to expand the pool of potential candidates for such positions, there is a concern that recruitment efforts will be insufficient to meet the projected demand.

In 2006, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded a $202,000 grant to the State of Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, in partnership with Johns Hopkins Hospital, Cedars-Sinai Health System and Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), to conduct focus group research among technical and professional healthcare workers who were either approaching retirement or who had recently retired.  The primary objective of this research was to determine strategies that could be implemented to improve the retention of nurses and allied health workers who are approaching retirement.  Over the course of approximately four months, twenty-one (21) focus groups were conducted among four segments of mature healthcare workers over the age of 50.   Some incentives or conditions revealed from the study that would encourage older employees to continue working include:  (1) employers offering financial incentives, such as salary adjustments for experience or an increase in employer matching contributions; (2) flexible scheduling, such as access to part-time employment or paid time off; and (3) better health care benefits for part-time workers.