Virginia's medical sector has a shortage of workers. But, it's a problem that some people are working to fix.
Virginia has 133 cities and counties, and more than a hundred of them are currently muddling through with a shortage of health professionals. That's according to the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority. Harrison Hayes is executive director of the authority, and he says scholarship programs need to go to areas that are most in need.
"We know that there might be nursing shortages across the Commonwealth," Hayes says. "But there may be particular regions in southwest Virginia that need that funding versus other areas of the Commonwealth like northern Virginia that may not necessarily be dealing with as big of a nursing shortage."
That's one of the reasons why former Health Secretary Bill Hazel is now CEO of Claude Moore Opportunities – a nonprofit that hopes to direct charitable funds to a series of regional initiatives.
"Let's suppose that you are in Charlottesville at the University of Virginia, where you may need to have 35 surgical techs tomorrow because there's a huge shortage of surgical techs, which by the way there is," explains Hazel. "Someplace else, maybe you need three ultrasound techs tomorrow."
Jobs in Virginia that are currently in the highest demand today include nurses, dental assistants, lab techs, pharmacy techs, respiratory techs and physical therapists.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
