Department of Family Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Center for Health Workforce Studies, Seattle, Washington, USA.
J Adv Nurs. 2018 Jul;74(7):1628-1638. doi: 10.1111/jan.13577. Epub 2018 May 4.
The aim of this study was to explore career transitions among individuals in select entry-level healthcare occupations.
Entry-level healthcare occupations are among the fastest growing occupations in the USA. Public perception is that the healthcare industry provides an opportunity for upward career mobility given the low education requirements to enter many healthcare occupations. The assumption that entry-level healthcare occupations, such as nursing assistant, lead to higher-skilled occupations, such as Registered Nurse, is under-explored.
We analysed data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, which is a nationally representative and publicly available longitudinal survey of US households.
Using longitudinal survey data, we examined the job transitions and associated characteristics among individuals in five entry-level occupations at the aide/assistant level over 10 years timeline (2003-2013) to determine whether they stayed in health care and/or moved up in occupational level over time.
RESULTS/FINDINGS: This study found limited evidence of career progression in health care in that only a few of the individuals in entry-level healthcare occupations moved into occupations such as nursing that required higher education. While many individuals remained in their occupations throughout the study period, we found that 28% of our sample moved out of these entry-level occupations and into another occupation. The most common "other" occupation categories were "office/administrative" and "personal care/services occupations." Whether these moves helped individuals advance their careers remains unclear.
Employers and educational institutions should consider efforts to help clarify pathways to advance the careers of individuals in entry-level healthcare occupations.
本研究旨在探讨特定入门级医疗保健职业人员的职业转变。
入门级医疗保健职业是美国增长最快的职业之一。公众认为，鉴于进入许多医疗保健职业的教育要求较低，医疗保健行业提供了向上的职业流动机会。入门级医疗保健职业（如护理助理）会导致更高技能职业（如注册护士）的假设尚未得到充分探索。
我们分析了来自收入动态面板研究的数据，该研究是一项针对美国家庭的全国代表性和公开的纵向调查。
使用纵向调查数据，我们考察了五年内从事助手/助理级别的五个入门级职业的个体在 10 年时间内（2003-2013 年）的工作转换及其相关特征，以确定他们是否随着时间的推移仍留在医疗保健行业，或在职业水平上有所提升。
结果/发现：这项研究发现，医疗保健领域的职业发展证据有限，因为只有少数入门级医疗保健职业人员进入需要更高教育的护理等职业。虽然许多人在整个研究期间都留在了他们的职业中，但我们发现，我们样本中有 28%的人离开了这些入门级职业，进入了另一个职业。最常见的“其他”职业类别是“办公室/行政”和“个人护理/服务职业”。这些变动是否有助于个人职业发展仍不清楚。
雇主和教育机构应考虑努力帮助澄清入门级医疗保健职业人员的职业发展途径。
