THE LABOR OF MEDICAL WORKERS IN THE USA: A SOCIAL ASPECT

ABSTRACT

The shortage of medical personnel is becoming a heavy burden on modern healthcare systems around the world. All countries, without exception, turned out to be vulnerable, regardless of the level of income and available forms of medical care. This study addresses the issue of staffing at the time of transition to a new technological level of the healthcare system in the United States. The paper shows that at the present stage in the country there is a need for fundamental changes in the personnel policy in the medical field. The challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic not only exposed all the vulnerabilities of the national health system, but also opened up opportunities considering the lessons learned to rethink the long-term vision of solving the workforce problems directly related to the use of new technologies. Based on the analysis of statistical data and sociological research, the author identified the latest trends of overcoming barriers in the field of training and retraining of personnel in the context of the transition to digital medicine. Overexertion among medical personnel associated with increased workload has exacerbated the problem of their professional burnout. The mass protests of physicians necessitated the development of new approaches to the labor protection of employees in the medical field. Solution of such important social problems will require a long time and financial costs and is possible only through the joint efforts of the state and the entire community as a whole. © 2023, Russian Academy of Sciences.