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Center for California Health Workforce Studies

Allied Health

Did you know the allied health workforce comprises an estimated 60 percent of the 11 million health care workers in the U.S.?

Did you know more than half of the top 30 fastest growing jobs through 2010 in the U.S. are expected to be allied health jobs?

CCHWS' focus in allied health is on the timely and critical issues of supply, demand, and utilization of allied health professionals in California. Much of this work has been done with the Center for the Health Profession's Allied and Auxiliary Health Care Workforce Project, funded by The California Endowment and the California HealthCare Foundation.

A July 1999 report summarizes available data on supply and characteristics of allied health professionals in California, describes changes in the organization and financing of healthcare that are affecting demand for these professionals, and offers recommendations for leaders in industry, labor, and education. Download Executive Summary

Projects and Studies

Current and past projects and studies on the allied health workforce:

• Allied and Auxiliary Health Care Workforce Project
• Certified Nurse Assistants and Home Health Aides Study
• Clinical Laboratory Scientist Workers Shortage Study
• Geriatric Workforce Project

Allied and Auxiliary Health Care Workforce Project - Home Page

Addressing the challenges and opportunities confronted by the allied health workforce, employers, educators, policy makers, and consumers in California, the Allied Project's programs and resources include: funding twenty-two model programs to improve the recruitment, education, training, retention, diversity, and cultural competency of the state's allied health professionals, as well as policy development with statewide allied health workforce experts. The Allied Project is funded by The California Endowment and the California HealthCare Foundation, as part of the California Workforce Initiative.

• Allied Health Project - Resources
  • Links - See our comprehensive links to health careers education, professional associations, funders, workforce policy, research, data, and other resources.
  • Publications, Projects and Reports

Trends, Issues, and Projections of Supply and Demand for Nursing Aides and Home Health Care Aides: California Fieldwork

Key findings were released in a March 2002 report about California's Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs) and Certified Home Health Aides (HHAs). Estimates of California's current shortage of CNAs ranges from 10,000 to 35,000 workers. The lack of common terminology and accurate and timely data results in major discrepancies in current and projected shortages of long-term care workers. Without better data, workforce planning for California's nursing facilities and home health agencies will be difficult. Funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Human Resources Services Administration, this Project was part of a national study by the Center of the Health Workforce Studies, State University of New York, Albany.
: entire report

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An Aging U.S. Population and the Health Care Workforce: Examining Long-Term Care Models and Projections and Implications for the Geriatric Care Workforce

As the U.S. experiences a rapid aging of the nation's population, with the number of Americans age 65 and over doubling between 2000 and 2030, the demand for long-term care will rise significantly. The nation faces critical shortages in the health care workforce, particularly among direct caregivers: nurses, nursing assistants and home care workers. Funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, the Project's objective is to identify the impact of changes in the demand and supply of long-term care and its implications on the geriatric workforce. A final project report has been submitted to HRSA in late 2003.

For related information about the geriatric care workforce, see the Caregiver Training Initiative (CTI) Report. The Employment Development Department released this evaluation report on the process and implementation of CTI, part of Governor Davis' Aging with Dignity Initiative. The report was written by UCLA School of Public Policy and Social Research and USCF Center for the Health Professions. For other CTI information, click here.

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Clinical Laboratory Scientist Workers Shortage Study

The clinical laboratory workforce includes phlebotomists, laboratory assistants, and medical laboratory technicians and technologists. The Center for the Health Professions is pleased to announce a new study on the clinical laboratory workforce funded by HRSA. Susan Chapman, Principal Investigator, is working with Tim Hamill, Director of the UCSF Medical Center's Clinical Laboratories, and Kory Ward-Cook, Director of the American Society for Clinical Pathology and its Board of Registry. The Project will address the supply, demand, educational preparation and scope of practice of this workforce and provide recommendations to address current and future shortages. For more information about this Study, please contact Susan Chapman.

For related information about the clinical laboratory workforce, go to The American Society for Clinical Pathology.

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For Further Information

To read our allied health publications, click here.

For further resources click here.