Full Citation
Title: Leveraging Data to Monitor the Allied Health Workforce: State Supply Estimates
Citation Type: Miscellaneous
Publication Year: 2021
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Abstract: This study compared state-level estimates of the supply of nine types of allied health care workers from two publicly available national data sources, the American Community Survey (ACS) and the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for 2014 and 2017, and state license records for five occupations from 12 states in 2016- 2017. The nine occupations were occupational therapists, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, dental hygienists, social workers, speech-language pathologists, clinical laboratory technologists and technicians, diagnostic-related technologists and technicians, and medical assistants. License data were obtained for the first five occupations on this list from Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia. Following are key study findings: n National workforce supply estimates from the ACS and OEWS for some occupations were generally comparable between 2014 and 2017. For example, the per 100,000 US population supply estimates of clinical laboratory technicians and technologists and respiratory therapists stayed within a comparable range between 2014 and 2017 using ACS and OEWS data. n The national supply estimates for some occupations, however, had inconsistent changes between 2014 and 2017, depending on the data source. Using ACS data, medical assistant supply stayed about the same, from 161 to 160 per 100,000 population, compared with an increase from 189 to 198 per 100,000 population using OEWS data. The estimated supply of social workers per 100,000 population was similar between 2014 and 2017 using OEWS data, while increasing from 256 to 271 per 100,000 population using ACS data. n State-level supply estimates for occupations varied by occupation and across data sources within states. Estimates of the supply of clinical lab technicians and technologists were consistently higher from ACS compared to OEWS, for example, while occupational therapists supply estimates were higher using ACS compared to OEWS in some states but not in others. n Supply estimates from licensure data were generally higher than estimates from ACS or OEWS with a few exceptions. In small states such as Vermont, we saw higher numbers of dental hygienists per 100,000 population from ACS data compared to licensure data. For social workers of all education levels, estimates from licensure data were generally lower than estimates from ACS and OEWS. Among social workers with a master’s degree or higher, the supply estimates from licensure data were consistently higher than in ACS. n When changes in supply estimates over time were examined, not only were the magnitude of change variable, but the direction of change also varied for several occupations, both at national and state levels, with no consistent pattern for any occupation, state, or data source. n These differences in allied health workforce supply estimates from national surveys result from samples drawn from different populations, different sampling frames and sample sizes, and the times/frequency the data were conducted, which all affect their usefulness for estimating workforce supply at different geographic levels. n Supply estimates from licensure data may overstate the available workforce in a state if they do not include information about work status and location. Health workforce planners should understand the strengths and weaknesses of data used to estimate allied health workforce supply in order to assess how best to apply the estimates when assessing the adequacy of a state’s workforce to meet the needs of its industry and population.
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Authors: Dahal, Arati; Stubbs, Benjamin; Frogner, Bianca; Skillman, Susan
Publisher: Center for Health Workforce Studies - University of Washington
Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Population Health and Health Systems
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