What’s Up with Childcare in West Michigan? by Andreas Rodriguez-Kupres
Many aren’t aware of the current situation of childcare in West Michigan. Currently, parents are under a lot of stress trying to find a licensed physician for their children. Across West Michigan, there are anywhere between 50-300 kids waiting to get a primary care physician. This issue isn’t just in West Michigan, it’s a prominent issue across the world. The president of First Steps Kent states that there are about 600 licensed childcare physicians in Kent County. Although that may seem far more than enough, doctors are spread very thin, working extra long hours and even seeing more patients than what is recommended.
Why is there such a shortage? We all are asking the same question. Turns out because of the pandemic, many practitioners were forced to close their doors forever. Additionally, clinics and hospitals have staffing challenges. It has become more and more difficult to find quality workers that are dedicated to caring for children. Many offices are looking to “elevate their staffing while looking for new employees.” The downside is that the healthcare field is not always the best at meeting its workers' needs. Childcare workers are some of the lowest-paid workers across the country. Staff often does not have the wages and benefits that they need or want, leading to fewer people wanting to work in that field. The root of the problem may in fact be that many college students aren’t choosing to go into the pediatric field. There is a shortage of people wanting to go into pediatrics. Why? We really don’t know. What we do know is that as fewer people go into pediatrics there are more positions opening up.
What can we do about this shortage? Well, we can encourage students to study pediatrics and become physicians; however, we can't force people to study pediatrics. Another solution is talking to our politicians about this issue and encouraging them to provide more funding and benefits to our healthcare workers.
Continue to support our healthcare workers!
Why is there such a shortage? We all are asking the same question. Turns out because of the pandemic, many practitioners were forced to close their doors forever. Additionally, clinics and hospitals have staffing challenges. It has become more and more difficult to find quality workers that are dedicated to caring for children. Many offices are looking to “elevate their staffing while looking for new employees.” The downside is that the healthcare field is not always the best at meeting its workers' needs. Childcare workers are some of the lowest-paid workers across the country. Staff often does not have the wages and benefits that they need or want, leading to fewer people wanting to work in that field. The root of the problem may in fact be that many college students aren’t choosing to go into the pediatric field. There is a shortage of people wanting to go into pediatrics. Why? We really don’t know. What we do know is that as fewer people go into pediatrics there are more positions opening up.
What can we do about this shortage? Well, we can encourage students to study pediatrics and become physicians; however, we can't force people to study pediatrics. Another solution is talking to our politicians about this issue and encouraging them to provide more funding and benefits to our healthcare workers.
Continue to support our healthcare workers!