Struggling Medical Practices in Schleswig-Holstein Cry Out for More Staff
Numerous Establishments in Schleswig-Holstein Struggle with Staff Shortages - Numerous medical facilities across Schleswig-Holstein face shortage of staff.
Want a chat about the bitter reality plaguing Schleswig-Holstein's medical sector? It's a staffing crisis, though the buzzword wouldn't do justice to the dire situation.
Medical Assistants (MFA) are the backbone of many medical practices, according to industry reps. But, alas, these vital players are missing in action due to a variety of reasons.
Hannelore König, head of the Association of Medical Professions, shared some chilling numbers. As of late last year, about 14,929 MFAs were holding down the fort in Schleswig-Holstein, according to their records. However, the number of trainees has been dwindling since 2021, König warned.
Why the exodus? Besides the growing stress and responsibility that comes with the job, MFAs feel they deserve better pay compared to other healthcare professionals with similar roles and pressures.
"An MFA-less practice is a shell of its former self," Jens Lassen, Chair of the House Doctors' Association Schleswig-Holstein, remarked. The role is challenging and exciting, but the shortage is severe, with many practices scrambling for personnel. Lassen couldn't offer exact numbers, but the need is palpable.
The staff shortage severely impacts the capacity of a practice, causing longer wait times and constraints in services, Lassen revealed. Moreover, it adds to doctors' workload, potentially affecting patients' care.
Kröger, spokesman for the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians Schleswig-Holstein, agrees. The shortage is a significant problem, causing doctors immense trouble in finding good MFAs, he said. Well-trained assistants are the lifeblood of a practice, he emphasized.
The situation is grim in all specialties, with competing clinics poaching skilled workers, Kröger lamented. He urges adequate funding for medical practices to enable them to pay good wages, thereby attracting qualified personnel.
The staffing crisis isn't confined to Schleswig-Holstein; it's nationwide. The 2023 skills shortage analysis by the Federal Employment Agency in the district of Schleswig-Holstein/Hamburg shows a progressive worsening of the staff shortage, with four out of six criteria already displaying signs of a gap.
Looking ahead, König predicts that the shortage will widen as baby boomers retire and the demand for MFAs grows to relieve doctors. Unless the competition distortion between medical practices and clinics is addressed, the crisis will persist, she cautioned, particularly in larger cities near clinics.
MFA wages lag behind comparable professions, despite the identical training duration and high patient responsibility, König pointed out. She calls for salary adjustments proportional to the increase in collective wages, which should be co-financed to ensure fair compensation for MFAs.
- The growing staff shortage in Schleswig-Holstein's medical sector, particularly among Medical Assistants, is causing concern, as informed by Hannelore König, head of the Association of Medical Professions.
- Vocational training programs for Medical Assistants (MFA) have been seeing a decline in trainee numbers since 2021, as revealed by Hannelore König.
- Jens Lassen, Chair of the House Doctors' Association Schleswig-Holstein, suggests that the lack of MFAs in medical practices could be addressed by offering competitive wages, akin to other healthcare professionals performing similar roles.
- Kröger, a spokesman for the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians Schleswig-Holstein, advocates for adequate funding for medical practices to improve wages and attract more qualified personnel, including MFAs. This is in response to the increasing number of chronically ill patients, such as those suffering from chronic kidney disease, and the need for health-and-wellness therapies and treatments like CBD, which require specialized medical assistance.
