Linda Whent, PhD, University of California, Davis - Association of ...

CALIFORNIA PUBLIC HEALTH
LABORATORIES; WORKFORCE
NEEDS FOR THE 21ST LABORATORIES; WORKFORCE
NEEDS FOR THE 21 CENTURY
ST CENTURY
Linda Whent
Whent Ph.D. Ph.D. and and Adela Adela de de la la Torre, Torre, Ph.D.
Ph.D.
APHL PHL 2009 Annual Meeting
Wednesday, May 6
Anchorage, Alaska
California Department of Public Health
University University of California California, Davis
The California Wellness Foundation

Need- Shortage g of Qualified Q
Directors
Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)
require new PHL Directors to have doctoral degrees
and be be board board certified
certified
California requires Public Health Microbiologist
Certification and Four years of Laboratory
experience experience, experience, two years of supervisor level
Due to aging workforce California few directors were
CLIA Certified, most grandfathered in before 1992.
The LabAspire Program was created as a direct
result of this growing shortage

What What is the LabAspire LabAspire Program?
Created by the California Department of Public
Health (CDPH), California Association of Public
Health Laboratory Directors (CAPHLD) and
California Coalition of Local Health Officers (CCLHO)
R Recruit it and d t train i a qualified lifi d workforce kf and d
directorship for California’s public health laboratories
(PHL)
Create a training pipeline from public health
microbiologist to public health laboratory director

LabAspire LabAspire Program Partners

LabAspire Baseline Baseline Survey
Survey
Needs Assessment
Dr. Adela de la
T Torre
Dr. Linda Whent
D Dr. R Refugio f i R Rochin
hi

Methodology April
April - June 2007
2007
D Descriptive i ti St Study d
O OOn On-line On On-line li line S Survey
Monkey and mailed
survey survey survey y California’s
38 Public Health
Laboratory (PHL)
Directors

Baseline Baseline Survey:
(1) Profiles of Staffing
Capacities and
Needs;
(2) Recruitment
Strategies; and
(3) Teaching, Education
& Professional
D Development l t needs
d

Methodology
Survey data were downloaded into an
Excel file directly from the Survey Monkey
website and then then imported imported into into a
a
statistical database
The statistical statistical package SPSSx
Summary statistics were reported to
ensure confidentiality: frequency
distributions and mean responses
reported

Results
36 (95%) out of 38
PHL Directors
responded to the
survey, with at
least one director
reporting from
each geographic
area area of California

The number of PHL employed staff, staffing needs at the
time of this study (Spring 2007) and projected staffing
needs within the next three years by job title
Job Title Number of
Employed Staff (FTEs)
Number of
Staff Needed (FTEs)
Number of Staff
Needed in 3 Years (FTEs)
Director 29.6 13 17
Laboratory Manager 6.2 4.2 5.2
Assistant Director 5 5 5
Supervisor Microbiologist III 34 11 11
Supervisor Microbiologist II 22 2 4
Supervisor I 23 8 9
Microbiologist II 90.9 37.5 36
Microbiologist I 117.8 20 28.5
Clinical Scientist (list
specialty)__________________
49.8 21 15
Laboratory Assistant 142.2 32.7 27.7
PHM Trainees 3
BT Coordinator di
2
Total 525.5 154.4 158.4

Results: Results: Workforce Workforce Need
Need
Regions of California with the greatest
need for workforce recruitment currently
and in in the the next next three three years:
years:
Southern Central Valley, Southern California
Coastal, and Bay Area
Central Coast and Northern Central Valley
Regions above share the highest current need
for Lab Lab Directors
Directors

Results: Results: Workforce Workforce Needs
Directors responded using a 55-point
55-point
point Likert
Likert
Scale: What are the biggest factors
behind behind inadequate inadequate staffing?
staffing?
Two primary concerns:
“Lack of qualified applicants” (Mean=
4.06), and “Low salary” (Mean= 3.91).

Results: Retaining Retaining Staff
Staff
When asked what they thought were
the best strategies in retaining staff
27 directors responded competitive salaries
and benefits, benefits
11 reported friendly, stable, challenging, and
rewarding work environment,
5 reported continued education and
advancement opportunities,
4 responded good good location,
location,
3 reported flexible work schedule, reported
state state-of state state-of of-the the-art art equipment equipment and and high high standards,
standards,
2 identified stable stable funding
funding

Results: Connections with
Colleges and Universities
Directors were unsure or not aware of
the “Pipeline between University of
California and California State
University campuses” (mean 3.36)

Results: Results: Training Training and and Internships
Internships
Twenty-four
directors reported
39 internship
positions available
in the state in 2007, 2007, ,
of these, 10
directors reported
they had had paid paid intern
intern
positions

Results: Suggestions for
Increasing Staffing Applicant Pool
11 Information exchange with
colleges and universities, job fairs,
biology and and immunology immunology majors
majors
9 Competitive salaries and benefits
3 Each said:
Medical microbiology majors/courses
Increase student awareness of employment
opportunities
pp
Post positions in doctoral schools
Change the CLIA certification requirements

Results: Recruitment Activities
PHLs will Support
15 Mentorship programs for college students
15 Internship programs
13 Organized public tours
Other:
PHM Training
O On campus outreach t h
Career Fairs
Guest Lectures
Network with hospitals and other laboratories

Results: Capacity p y for Training g
PHMs
22 Laboratories reported they
trained 1 to 3 PHM
Certification each year
Only 6 6 had had the capacity to
teach all components
of PHM Cert.
18 Send their trainees to
other laboratories for
training they do not offer
8 directors stated they were
unable to to train train PHMs

Conclusions: Staffing Staffing Needs
Needs
Findings Highlight Highlight the PHL Workforce
Crisis
Shortages in all regions of California and in
most public health laboratories across across the
state
Most regions of California will need to fill a
Public Health Laboratory Director

Conclusions: Conclusions: Recruitment
Recruitment
Workforce recruitment should occur
on 4 levels:
1) Undergraduate (laboratory technicians
and PHM PHM prep);
prep);
2) Graduate level (PHM Certification)
3) Post graduate graduate level level (Post (Post-doc doc Training
and Assistant Laboratory Director
Training)
4) Board Eligible/Board Eligible/Board Certified Certified (Assistant
(Assistant
Laboratory Director Positions) and
professionals (public health laboratory
di director t positions)
iti )

Conclusions: Conclusions: Recruitment
Recruitment
Laboratory Director and Public Health
Microbiologist (PHM) levels
Expansion of internship positions at
all levels of the pipeline and
e exploration ploration of of existing e isting and and alternative
alternati e
funding mechanisms for these
programs are important avenues of
f further th investigation
i ti ti

Conclusions: Conclusions: Recruitment
Recruitment
Workforce outreach,
recruitment and
training efforts
should give priority
to those regions regions g of
greatest need with
emphasis on
recruiting new staff staff,
training and
retention

Conclusions: Conclusions: Recruitment
Recruitment
Directors were unsure if they had
adequate tools and staff to effectively
recruit
Most directors directors reported that they did not
have adequate funding for recruitment
efforts

Conclusions Recruitment
Recruitment
There is a need for the LabAspire
Recruitment Program to reconnect
PHLs with college and university
relevant science programs, medical
schools and and doctoral and and post-
post
doctoral programs that train
professionals at all all levels levels of of the the PHL
PHL
academic pipeline

Conclusions: Recruitment
LabAspire staff should
engage in working with
PHLs to help coordinate
tours, mentorship
programs and
internship programs
UC Berkeley BSP
Program
UC D Davis i BUSP
Program
Regional Events

F Follow ll Up U Strategies St t i
Current and Future
LabAspire Program
Planning Based on
Needs Assessment

Follow Follow-up up
Recruiting Qualified Candidates is a
major Challenge Challenge for
for PHLs
PHLs
Centralized Centralized Need Need for for LabAspire LabAspire p for
Staff Recruitment and Pipeline
Training

labaspire labaspire.org org
Job Page
Links to PHLs
Links to to CAPHLD
CAPHLD
Program Information
Links to Colleges and
Universities
PHM Training
Contact information
R Recruitment it t Vid Videos

Follow UP: Communication
with Colleges and Universities
Scientific
conferences
University/college
career fairs
Developing
personal contacts
contacts
with science
advisors and
faculty

Follow Up
Up
Career Fairs
Increased PHM
PHM
Applications
More qualified
Increased Training
Training
Regional Events
Pair with a Local Lab
Presentations and
Tours

Follow Up: p Supplemental pp
Funding
The California Wellness
Foundation –
Recruitment Coordinator
Coordinator
NIH ARISE Grant
Increase diversity diversity of the
applicant pool

Follow Follow-up up Training
Most laboratories in California do not have the
staff, resources, or supplies to support the
variety of training needs
Funding from LabAspire has supported:
Assistant Laboratory Laboratory Director Positions
Educational materials for PHM and
Assistant directors
MPH MPH, Doctoral and Post-doc support
support
Travel to CAPHLD conferences for Trainees

Follow Up: Training
UCLA School of Medicine had 24 top
applicants to to Post-doc Post doc program
program
UCLA School of Public Health – 3
3
Dr.PH Dr.PH. Dr.PH Dr.PH. . Students, Students, 2 2 more more admitted admitted for
Fall 2009

Follow Up: Training
CDPH, Richmond
Post Post-doc Post Post-doc doc Program
Program
had 2 Post Post-docs Post Post-docs docs and
and
is recruiting for Fall
2009
UC UC Berkeley,
Berkeley, y,
School of Public
Health
2DPH 2 DrPH and d3MPH 3 MPH
students (doctoral
track), 2 MPH
students t d t accepted t d
for Fall 2009

Follow Follow Up Strategies
Laboratory Staff Training Needs:
L LabAspire bA i P Program purchased h d a W Web-based b b d
communication system (Interwise) for PHL
staff training:
PHM Certification training,
Leadership training of management
staff
In-service Training

Contact Contact Us
Us

End