Both the industry and the association are facing a workforce development and recruitment challenge that will soon become a crisis issue for healthcare delivery. With the impending retirement of our sustaining Baby Boomer workforce, our industry will soon reach a critical point of disconnect with the demands of an evolving healthcare delivery system – a system that will continue to seek other documentation solutions to meet the high-volume documentation needs that are anticipated in health care as Baby Boomers enter the long-term care continuum. For myriad reasons, the industry has failed to address the emerging recruitment dilemma and find solutions for attracting next-generation documentation specialists into the profession. The commoditization of transcription services has painted the industry into a difficult corner, where there is very little room for innovative solutions for recruiting potential workforce candidates into the profession. The industry has too-long sustained itself with the dangling carrot of at-home income potential to a stay-at-home-mom candidate pool, and it has done very little to find new and dynamic ways to promote the profession and the career to other candidate sectors. The military spouse initiative, while presenting an exciting opportunity to market the career to yet another “ideal match” candidate pool, still operates on the fundamental principle of recruiting wives and moms who want to work from home. The technology-driven documentation picture of the very near future is going to require a different kind of knowledge worker, and work-at-home moms may no longer be the ideal candidates to fill those roles. The evolving needs of the industry are demanding that industry stake-holders step away from outdated recruitment and retention models and face the dilemma of promoting the career to a new generation worker – one whose career needs and expectations may be significantly different than generations before them and one who may be more technologically equipped to step into the new roles emerging in data capture.

The association’s membership picture is likewise a reflection of this reality. Its sustaining Baby Boomer member pool is beginning to retire and drop out of association life. Leaders at the local and state/regional levels who have long held their components together are beginning to step out of active roles, and components are faced with an identity crisis and a dilemma of purpose. There has never been a greater need for an infusion of “new blood” in the industry and the association, and time is running out on the industry’s ability to meet the needs of health care without it.

How can your component association participate?

Host at least one of the following events:

1.	Host a military spouse informational meeting at a local military institution or military base, or attend a military career fair event. The complete four-part “toolkit” can be downloaded below. TOOLKIT Part 1—Information for Military Installation TOOLKIT Part 2—Military Spouse Initiative PowerPoint Presentation TOOLKIT Part 3—Military Spouse Initiative Volunteer Guidelines TOOLKIT Part 4—Military Spouse Initiative Pamphlet
2.	Contact the local school board and find out how to participate in the next career fair hosted for local students. Have a table equipped with a laptop to run the About Medical Transcription PowerPoint presentation and engage high school students in a discussion about a potential career choice in MT. Materials for this event can be downloaded below, then duplicated and disseminated at your event: Next Gen Trifold Brochure (MS Publisher or Adobe PDF) About MT Packet Choosing an MT Program (includes list of approved schools) About Medical Transcription PowerPoint Presentation
3.	Host a military spouse informational meeting at a local military institution or military base. We will provide our military spouse “meeting in a box” kit for any component who wishes to host this event. Materials for this event can be downloaded below, then duplicated and disseminated at your event: Military Spouse Trifold Brochure About MT Packet Choosing an MT Program (includes list of approved schools)
4.	Host a reception (not a meeting) for all local students, recent graduates, and relatively new MTs to encourage their membership and involvement in AHDI. Engage in broad outreach by sending tangible invitations to a reception in their honor to as many MTs (or healthcare facilities that contract/employ MTs) as possible. Plan a meaningful, special event that generates enthusiasm and excitement about the profession and encourages new MTs to join your component. If components select this option, we would strongly encourage them to do this during MT Week. Wear and pass out "I Love My Career" buttons for this event. The buttons are now available in the AHDI online store. They can also be purchased by contacting Member Services toll free at 800-982-2182. Price: 5 for $1.00, plus shipping.

AHDI is partnering with MTIA to promote Next Gen awareness and empowered recruitment of workforce candidates. MTIA members are being encouraged to partner with a local or state/regional AHDI component to sponsor and host these Next Gen component events. If your component is interested in partnering with a MTIA member to host and promote your Next Gen event, email components@ahdionline.org  for more information or help with finding a MTIA business in your area.