B. Scott Nicol Vice Chairman | Tomah Memorial Hospital Inc.
B. Scott Nicol Vice Chairman | Tomah Memorial Hospital Inc.
Brenda Reinert, the Human Resources Director at Tomah Health, reported a relatively stable workforce situation at their facility compared to broader trends across Wisconsin. This comes in contrast to findings from the Wisconsin Hospital Association's (WHA) 2025 Workforce Report, which highlighted persistent high vacancy rates despite some progress in stabilizing workforce shortages statewide.
"The workforce climate is difficult, but not as difficult for us as it could be," said Reinert, noting Tomah Health has maintained a three percent vacancy rate for over a year and a half. This rate is significantly lower than that of other healthcare institutions.
Reinert attributed the positive workforce climate at Tomah Health to a longstanding "grow your own" program, which limits their need to recruit registered nurses externally. "Our climate is very different from other hospitals that maybe don’t do those programs," she stated, citing the hospital’s salary, benefits, and staff flexibility as factors helping to tackle workforce challenges.
She also mentioned the hospital's new surgical tech program allows for on-the-job training, addressing a traditionally hard-to-fill position. "We got this program approved so that we can provide on the job training for individuals to be an OR tech," said Reinert.
Another advantage for Tomah Health is the age of its workforce. "Only four percent of our workforce is close to retirement age, so we are not looking at great numbers of retirements happening in the next five to 10 years," Reinert explained, with the median employee age being 42.
As hospitals statewide strive to attract new professionals, WHA President and CEO Eric Borgerding called for collaborative efforts among policymakers, educators, and healthcare leaders. He stated, "To keep pace with rising health care demands, we need to take immediate and sustained action to minimize barriers, foster innovation and support the development of a strong and sustainable workforce."
Reinert supports the state’s efforts, emphasizing the need for expanded educational and occupational pathways. "Expanding and supporting educational and occupational pathways is huge because we need to have more opportunities for individuals to get the training and the education that they need to step into these positions," she added. Her team engages with local colleges for clinical rotations and participates in job and career fairs to promote healthcare careers.
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