WORKFORCE
Strong hospitals build strong communities, and the hospital workforce is the foundation that provides the strength and stability needed for excellent patient care and ultimately healthy communities.
Nationwide, the healthcare workforce shortage is a growing concern now and in the years ahead, as large numbers of healthcare workers retire while demand increases with an aging population.
Recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals remains a top priority for Tennessee hospitals and THA, and it is especially critical as the state continues to experience steady population growth.
We are working to “mend the gap” by:
- Collecting data to assess the current workforce and forecast future shortages
- Using data to develop actionable strategies to revitalize, recruit, and retain the healthcare workforce
- Collaborating with key stakeholders, including hospital leaders and clinicians, allied health professionals, government agencies, and educational institutions
- Building on established THA and Tennessee Center for Health Workforce Development (TCWD) programs and investing in new programs that support recruitment, training, and retention of hospital and healthcare workers
Actionable data is the foundation of our workforce efforts, helping us assess today’s healthcare workforce and predict future needs.
THA has released two supply-and-demand studies to guide workforce development and help ensure Tennessee has the workforce our communities will need in the future.
Tennessee’s Physician Workforce Landscape (November 2025)
Analyzes physician supply, demand, and education capacity across the state through 2035, including shortage predictions by specialty and provides potential strategies for consideration. The study reports:
- Tennessee is experiencing a physician shortage, with practicing physicians at about 13% below the national per capita average.
- The gap between graduating medical students and available in-state residency slots is widening and is projected to exceed 2:1 over the next decade.
Tennessee Health Workforce Projections:
2021 – 2025 (October 2022)
A long-term health workforce supply and demand study of 11 clinical professions that provides an assessment of the current and future demand, adequacy of key healthcare occupations, as well as an analysis of reasons for workforce shortages and programs that might help alleviate them. The study reports:
- Tennessee is currently experiencing a workforce crisis, specifically in Registered Nurses (RN), Medical Laboratory Technicians, and Respiratory Therapists
- Predicted shortfall of more than 8,500 RNs by 2035
- Population growth, particularly in the over-75 age group, is a contributing factor to the workforce shortage
THA Initiatives to Support Healthcare Workforce Recruitment and Retention
Nurse Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship provides a structured model for workforce development in healthcare roles. Benefits of apprenticeship include increasing retention, recruitment, and collaborative processes to support the growth of professionals. THA pre-licensure nursing (LPN & RN) programs are founded on statewide collaborative task force efforts and registered with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
Nurse Residency Collaborative
The Nurse Residency Program is a collaboration with the Vizient/AACN Nurse Residency Program, which is offered free of charge to critical access hospitals in Tennessee. This program provides hospitals with a competitive edge in recruiting and retaining new graduate nurses.
Nurse Preceptor Incentive Program
The THA Nurse Preceptor Incentive Program supports nurse preceptors in the state of Tennessee by providing financial incentives and professional development opportunities to nurse preceptors.
Health Sciences Achievement Award
The Health Sciences Achievement Award is given to Tennessee high school seniors who are pursuing a degree in a healthcare field after graduation. Awards are $2,000 and come with no requirements as to how the money must be spent.
THA Initiatives to Support Underserved Areas
Residency Incentive Program
The Residency Incentive Program offers $105,000 to primary care residents in a 3-year residency and $140,000 to those in a 4-year residency program in exchange for an equal length commitment to serve in a rural area or with an underserved population in Tennessee.
Practice Site Incentive Program
The Practice Site Recruitment and Retention Incentive is a $50,000 grant available to assist practices in rural or medically underserved areas in Tennessee. The incentive can be used to help recruit primary care physicians, emergency medicine physicians, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or dentists.
Healthy Smiles Student Loan Repayment Program
The Healthy Smiles Student Loan Repayment Program provides educational loan repayment to qualified dentists, hygienists, and dental assistants in exchange for a service obligation to practice full-time at dental clinics located in medically underserved areas.
- Dentists receive up to $300,000 for a 3-year service obligation
- Hygienists receive up to $50,000 for a 2-year service obligation
- Dental assistants receive up to $20,000 for a 2-year service obligation
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Student Incentive
This incentive offers $20,000 per year for two years to psychiatric nurse practitioner students in a Master’s or Doctoral program. In return, students will serve two years in a practice site in a rural or medically underserved area following graduation.
Links to Workforce Data and Resources
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