Arizona Healthcare Workforce Data Center

Resources & Links

New Additions

Assessing the Impact of California's Nurse Staffing Ratios on Hospital and Patient Care

In 2004, California began requiring that acute-care hospitals maintain certain minimum ratios between nurses and patients. This brief examines how California's nurse staffing regulations impacted patient care, financial performance, and other issues. It also looks at what strategies were used to meet the ratio requirements. The results show that while the legislation has increased the use of registered nurses, the ratios have had no clear impact on the quality measures that are associated with nursing care. The study also found no relationship between the staffing regulations and the overall decline in hospital operating margins that occurred after the law went into effect. The research combined quantitative and qualitative analysis, including interviews with executives and other management staff at 12 acute-care hospitals. To read more, Click Here.

Nursing, Noise, and Norms: Why Nightingale is Still Right

Whether inadvertent, unavoidable, or accidental, noise is one of the most invasive aspects of the hospital environment. The sounds of suffering and trauma, of machines and technologies, overheard through thin walls and curtains become the context in which patients and their families undergo their own healthcare experiences. Press-Ganey has found that patients complain about noise two times more often than about anything else in a hospital, including the food. (Fick and Vance, 2000) Susan Mazer provides an overview of noise-related risks and outcomes. Learn seven strategies that improve patient outcomes by reducing the negative impact of noise. To read more, Click Here.

Arizona Reports of Interest

2007 Results: Current and Future Arizona RN Supply

Arizona Partnership for Nursing Education Funding and Impact Report (APNE)
Arizona Hospitals' Financial Support of Education - 2006 & 2007 Results

Governor Napolitano's Executive Order: Development of a 21st Century Health Care Workforce Plan for Arizona

Strategic Plan for the Arizona Nursing Shortage by the Arizona Governor's Task Force 2004
Aging 2020: Arizona's Plan for an Aging Population

2007 Economic Impact of Arizona's Hospitals

Arizona Health Care Market Report 2008

National Reports of Interest

Assessing the Impact of California's Nurse Staffing Ratios on Hospital and Patient Care - February 2009

Nursing, Noise, and Norms: Why Nightingale is Still Right - February 2009

Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Healthcare Workforce 2008

National Healthcare Quality Report 2007
The United States Health Workforce Profile: October 2006

The Worsening Shortage of Lab Staff

Latina & Latino Nurses: Why are there so few?

Healthcare Briefings

Arizona's Healthcare Workforce Shortage: Arizona was the second fastest growing state in 2007 with a growth rate just under 3.5 percent. While the population continues to soar, the numbers of registered nurses (RNs) and other healthcare professionals in Arizona have not kept pace with the state's rapid population growth.

Addressing Arizona's Nursing Shortage: Our most recent data (2007) shows there were 2,693 qualified nursing education program applicants not admitted during the semester for which they applied. That represents a significant increase from 2006, when the number of qualified applicants not admitted was 2,052.

The Doctor Is(n't) In: Good news: the number of physicians practicing in Arizona increased from 2004 to 2005, and two new medical school campuses opened in 2007. Bad news: although the number of physicians in Arizona is increasing, our supply of doctors is not keeping pace with the state's rapid population growth.

The Cost of Caring: A Healthy Investment: The question of healthcare costs cannot be addressed in a vacuum. While everyone agrees that healthcare is getting more expensive, the causes for these mounting expenses are not so clear-cut. What's driving higher healthcare costs?

Healthcare Unification: A Shared Vision: According to a recent survey, 77 percent of Arizonans, including 88 percent of physicians, believe tha tthe state's healthcare system needs reform. National polls have revealed similar perceptions among a majority of Americans. Given the overwhelming support for change, the healthcare reform debate had moved from a purely academic disccusion to a more practical question: How should we change the system?

Prepared to Care 24/7: A Look at Arizona's Hospital Emergency Departments: In 2005, there were more than 2 million outpatient emergency visits in Arizona hospital EDs, a 17 percent increase from the 1.7 million visits in 2004. As a result, like the patients they serve, Arizona's EDs and trauma centers are now themselves in need of care.

Caring for Arizona's Uninsured: Assessments by leading research organizations all reach identical conclusions: Arizona has among the highest rate of uninsured citizens in the nation. How has lack of access to healthcare coverage impacted Arizona's healthcare delivery system?

The Right Care, At the Right Time, In the Right Setting: Understanding the Healthcare System's Continuum of Care: This document provides information on hospital discharge planning and how patients may access other providers that are part of the continuum of care in healthcare delivery system.

AZ Hospital Choice: Helping Consumers Make Informed Healthcare Decisions: In the past, it has been difficult for consumers to determine the estimated charge of their hospital care and other medical services prior to receiving treatment. The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA) believes consumers benefit when they take an active role in their healthcare. To support this belief, AzHHA has launched AZ Hospital Choice, www.azhospitalchoice.org, an online tool designed to provide consumers with hospital charge information for all inpatient services.

Arizona's Trauma System: A Partnership Between EMS, Hospitals and the State: More than 24,000 people are traumatically injured every year in Arizona. That's nearly one Arizonan every 20 minutes. In fact, traumatic injury - automobile crashes, gun shots, knife wounds, falls, battery or burns - is the leading cause of death for Arizonans ages 1-44. How does the state manage these situations?

Arizona Colleges & Universities - Healthcare Programs

Apollo College
A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Arizona State University, College of Nursing and Healthcare Innovation
Arizona Western College
Central Arizona College
Coconino Community College
Eastern Arizona College
Grand Canyon University
International Institute of the Americas
Maricopa County Community Colleges District Nursing Program
Mohave Community College
Northern Arizona University
Northland Pioneer College
Pima Community College
Pima Medical Institute - Mesa
Pima Medical Institute - Tucson
University of Arizona, College of Medicine
University of Arizona, College of Nursing
University of Arizona, College of Pharmacy
University of Arizona, College of Public Health

Arizona Licensing Boards

Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners
Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners
Arizona Board of Respiratory Care Examiners
Arizona Bureau of Emergency Medical Services & Trauma System
Arizona Medical Board
Arizona Medical Radiologic Technology Board of Examiners
Arizona Regulatory Board of Physician Assistants
Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners
Arizona State Board of Nursing
Arizona State Board of Pharmacy
Arizona State Board of Physical Therapy
State of Arizona Board of Occupational Therapy

Arizona Organizations of Interest

National Resources

A Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers
AARP State by State Guide to Health Care Provider Performance
Academy Health
Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
American Academy of Nursing: Commission on Workforce
American Hospital Association Healthcare Workforce
American Medical Association
American Nurses Association
American Osteopathic Association
American Pharmacists Association
American Psychological Association
Center for American Nurses
Center for Studying Health System Change
Center to Champion Nursing in America
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Council on Physician and Nurse Supply
Discover Nursing
Home Health Quality Improvement National Campaign
Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Kaiser Family Foundation
Medicare Hospital Compare
Medicare Nursing Home Compare
National Committee for Quality Assurance
National League for Nursing: Nursing Data Review
National Quality Forum
The American Occupational Therapy Association
The Commonwealth Fund
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The World Health Organization: Global Shortage of Healthcare Workers
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration

Resource Library