Amid the staffing crisis in the healthcare industry, 60% of all healthcare support workers expect to leave their jobs in the next five years, according to the Allied Health Workforce Retention report released by Ultimate Medical Academy. The report found that among those who have considered leaving, approximately 45% have looked for a new job in the past six to 12 months and another 21% are currently looking for a new job.

“The healthcare industry is facing an exodus of employees in support roles, which could jeopardize access to routine preventive and emergency care in communities across the US,” said Ultimate Medical Academy President Tom Rametta.

Approximately one in five allied healthcare workers cannot see themselves working at their current employer in a year, nor would they apply for the job again, according to the report. In addition, 15% do not expect to work in their current position for more than a year. While 49% are considering leaving their current employer for a different role in healthcare, 39% are considering leaving their current position for another industry.

The academy noted over the past six months, employers reported that one in five employees in support roles have left, resulting in a loss of trained employees and more. Based on the number of employees and how many have left, employers reported an average of 22% turnover in their organization and 15% within their specific departments.

Overall, employers are actively looking to hire an average of 17% of their total current support role positions in their organizations, while those in larger organizations are looking to fill an average of 26% of their support positions. Meanwhile, 40% of employers admit retention of employees in support roles is difficult.

The survey was conducted by Acupoll Precision Research on behalf of Ultimate Medical Academy from Feb. 3 to Feb. 22 among 1,000 healthcare employees in support roles and 320 employers responsible for hiring.