There鈥檚 a shortage of healthcare workers across the U.S. and Montana hasn鈥檛 escaped the problem. Especially in rural areas, there is demand for all kinds of healthcare workers. In fact, For a variety of reasons, Montana lacks enough well-trained healthcare professionals to fill the gap. The Global pandemic may have ignited the crisis, but the shortage shows no signs of abating. What鈥檚 going on?

Montana Baby Boomers Need More Care

in the country. It鈥檚 estimated that . As Baby Boomers age, their need for medical care will increase. That means the need for medical workers, including medical assistants, will increase too. In Montana alone, Baby Boomers compose .

The Montana Workforce is Retiring聽

It isn鈥檛 just the general population that鈥檚 aging in Montana鈥攊t’s the workforce too. According to the Montana Hospital Association, the healthcare workforce in the state is among the Many healthcare professionals have retired or are heading in that direction soon. There are more open positions that need to be filled by younger workers. Some medical workers have also expressed high levels of burnout recently. The number of healthcare workers is projected to decline further over the next year. According to a recent study from Elsevier, .

Montana Is Medically Underserved

Most of Montana鈥檚 counties have been designated as HPSAs, but they鈥檙e also designated as MUAs, or . This means there鈥檚 a shortage of primary healthcare services in an entire county, group of counties, urban census tracts, or civil divisions. This is reflected in the state鈥檚 employment statistics for healthcare workers. For example, the number of medical assistants employed across the state is 1,920, but the state’s population is over 1.1 million. With so few workers for such a large population, the need for healthcare professionals in the state is apparent.聽

Can you help tackle the healthcare shortage? If you want a career where you can make a difference in the lives of others, consider joining the healthcare workforce. At SM调教社区College, we provide a variety of healthcare training programs in Billings, Montana. Consider training to become a Medical Assistant. You can complete the program in as few 10 months and be on your way to a rewarding healthcare career. Call 888-200-9942 or fill out the form to learn more.聽