CRNA vacancy rates in US hospitals

The 1988 Survey of Human Resources, conducted by the American Hospital Association, quantifies the extent of CRNA shortages in US hospitals. Nearly 12% of responding hospitals experienced a shortage of one or more CRNAs at the end of 1988. The vacancy rate was 10.3%, signifying that 1 in 10 positions remained unstaffed. This translates into a shortage of an estimated 514.5 full-time equivalent CRNAs. With a 42.5% response rate to the survey, this estimate represents the lower boundary on the extent of the shortage. Among the hospitals facing the most severe shortages were those in the Middle and South Atlantic states, those in the urban areas, federal hospitals, and teaching hospitals. Vacancy rates also increased with bed size. Over 40% of hospitals reported that it took more than 90 days to fill a vacant position. The most common strategy used to deal with CRNA vacancies was overtime or changes in compensation programs. Results on the distribution of CRNA vacancies have implications for setting educational objectives for the 1990s.