Allied Healthcare Professional Revenue and ROI Report
REHABILITATION PROFESSIONALS ALSO ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY Similarly, the American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA) Hiring Challenges in Outpatient Physical Therapy report tracked 2022 personnel vacancy rates at outpatient physical therapy practices nationwide. The total vacancy rate reported by these practices was 16%. Vacancy rates were highest for PTs at 17%, followed by 14% for support personnel and 13% for physical therapy assistants (PTAs). The demand for OTs also is rising, with job growth expected to increase 17% from 2020 through 2030, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Vacancy rates for OTs vary and may be somewhat lower than vacancy rates for PTs or comparable depending on type and location of practice. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), approximately 150,000 SLPs are employed nationwide. Of these, 60,920 are employed by elementary and secondary schools. The demand for SLPs is high, with the BLS projecting that SLP employment will grow 21% from 2021 to 2031. On average, the BLS projects openings for SLPs at 14,000 per year for the next decade, with many of these openings caused by the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or who retire. THE RISE OF CONTINGENT ALLIED HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL STAFFING The use of contingent or “travel” nurses is common throughout the healthcare system, as is the use of physicians who travel to temporary assignments (known as “locum tenens”). For decades, travel nurses and locum tenens physicians have been utilized to fill gaps in clinical staffs that occur due to worker shortages, turnover or temporary absences. The use of contingent or “travel” allied healthcare professionals also now is widespread. Allied professionals are part of an increasingly mobile healthcare workforce that allows employers to fill workforce gaps and utilize more flexible staffing options. AMN Healthcare’s 2021 Survey of Temporary Allied Healthcare Professional Staffing Trends found that 96% of hospitals and other healthcare facilities had used travel allied healthcare professionals sometime in the last 12 months to supplement their staffs. Fifty-six percent of allied professionals used were either radiology professionals, PTs, OTs, or SLPs, who are the focus of this report.
© AMN Healthcare 2024
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