Across the United States, doctors are facing a perfect storm that threatens to upend the landscape of medicine as we know it.
Recent longshoremen’s strike paralyzed East Coast and Gulf Coast ports It may seem a long way from your primary care physician’s office, but it is the canary in the coal mine for the future of healthcare. While we’ve been preoccupied with supply chain disruptions and their impact on consumer goods, we’ve been missing out on a far more important story unfolding right before our eyes.
Let’s connect some dots.
Edited by Mary Furlong
© Mary Furlong & Associates
The longshoremen’s strike highlighted the critical issue of an aging workforce that performs physically demanding jobs. almost Half of dock workers are over 50 years old. Now let’s move on to healthcare. That’s all Half of certified nursing assistants In the United States, nearly everyone over the age of 50 One-fifth of registered nurses Plans to retire within the next five years. The demand for these workers is poised to surge to meet the growing healthcare needs of an aging population. Where will these jobs be filled?
All healthcare executives and policy makers should read the latest report “We are aging and the labor market shows it.” Published by the Atlanta Federal Reserve. Discusses the impact of an aging workforce on the labor market. Since 2019, America’s middle-aged workforce (ages 25-54) has grown little, while the workforce aged 65 and older has grown by nearly 5 million people. This is a demographic disaster awaiting our healthcare system.
Source: “We are aging and the labor market shows it” – © Atlanta Federal Reserve
Now, you might think that younger workers would step up to fill the necessary roles. However, according to research from ADP released in August This suggests that the temporary trend of Gen Z flocking to blue-collar jobs has reached a plateau. Sadly, they are still more interested in becoming social media influencers than becoming nurses.
But it’s not just about numbers. It’s about the changing nature of work itself. The longshoremen’s strike highlighted the tension between human labor and automation. Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics are performing a similar dance in healthcare. Promises of efficiency collide with fears of job loss and the desperate need for a human touch in patient care.
Many of your colleagues are probably caught in this crossfire as well. They struggle to keep up with increasing administrative burdens while maintaining the personal connections that drew them to medicine in the first place. The introduction of AI-powered diagnostic tools and electronic medical records was supposed to make the job easier. On the contrary, many people often feel that they are working for technology rather than the other way around.
So what should the state, and more importantly, health care providers, do?
beginning, We need to rethink our approach to talent development. Longshoremen’s unions are sounding the alarm about the need for training programs to help workers adapt to new technology. Healthcare needs to do the same thing, but with steroids. We are investing heavily in education and training, from better career paths programs for nurses to mid-career retraining initiatives that encourage more people to pursue jobs in these fields. I’m talking about.
For healthcare providers, this means more than simply maintaining up-to-date treatment protocols. It means embracing a new paradigm of lifelong learning and adaptability. Just as longshoremen are grappling with automation, so too are doctors, nurses, and nursing assistants. Good at using new technologyFrom AI-powered clinical decision support systems and predictive analysis of patient deterioration to computer vision tools for medical images and natural language processing for clinical documentation, we reduce the workload of physicians.
But here’s the important part. We need to help essential workers integrate these tools into their daily lives. In a way that enhances, rather than replaces, the compassionate care that drew them to these careers in the first place. It’s not about turning healthcare providers into robots. It’s about helping them become tech-savvy healthcare providers who can navigate the complexities of 21st century healthcare while maintaining the empathy and personal touch that patients so desperately need. This shift requires Significant investment in training programs and rethinking education to prepare the next generation.
Number 2, We all need to advocate for policies that support and strengthen health care. Longshoremen’s strike caused estimated damage to the U.S. economy $5 billion per day. A shortage of health care workers of a similar magnitude would be catastrophic, not only economically but also in terms of human lives. We need to advance policies that encourage careers in health care, from loan forgiveness programs to reforming reimbursement models to better reflect the value of preventive care and care coordination.
Third, We need to have a serious conversation about immigration. Like it or not, foreign-born workers are the backbone of many healthcare fields. Immigrants make up nearly 40% of home health aides and 30% of physicians in the US. If we want to avoid catastrophic labor shortages, we need a rational and comprehensive immigration policy that prioritizes health workers. Consider the following data from the Bipartisan Policy Center.
Source: “Immigration in the Health Care Workforce: Explainer” – © Bipartisan Policy Center
The longshoremen’s strike gave us a glimpse of what happens when an aging workforce collides with changing technology and changing work expectations. In healthcare, the stakes are even higher. I’m not just talking about delivery delays. We are talking about life or death.
So, our call to action to all healthcare providers reading this is: Use this moment as a wake-up call. Society needs to be proactive in shaping the future of medical practice. We need to work with policymakers, health care administrators, technology companies, and educators to develop solutions before we spiral into a crisis beyond our control.
Because if we don’t act now, we might find ourselves nostalgic for the days when our biggest worry was whether we’d get one more patient in before lunch. Instead, you’ll wonder if there really is anyone left to staff our clinics. And that’s a future none of us want to think about.
Neil K. Shah I am the CEO of CareYaya Health Technologiesone of America’s fastest-growing senior care platforms. He runs a social enterprise and applied research lab that leverages artificial intelligence (AI), neurotechnology, and workforce innovation to advance health equity for an aging population. He has advanced AI projects to improve neurological care with support from the National Institutes of Health, Johns Hopkins AITC, and Harvard University Innovation Institute. He is a “Top Healthcare Voice” on LinkedIn and has over 40,000 followers.
Edited by Mary Furlong, is the founder of the same name Mary Furlong & Associatesis a leading consulting firm in the $8.3 trillion longevity market. She is an advisor to the Ziegler LinkAge Longevity Fund and executive professor to the dean of entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University. For more than 30 years, she has guided strategy for leading companies and startups that improve the lives of older adults through innovation.
