Table 7d. Number and percent distribution of full-time equivalent staff1 in VA medical centers, by staff discipline: United States, selected years, 1972–94
| Staff discipline | 1972 | 1976 | 1978 | 1986 | 1990 | 1992 | 1994 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of FTE staff | |||||||
| All staff | 42,152 | 39,963 | 40,785 | 33,376 | 29,741 | 24,345 | 22,788 |
| Patient care staff | 24,523 | 25,226 | 26,282 | 23,559 | 22,080 | 20,834 | 21,569 |
| Professional patient care staff | 12,315 | 13,129 | 13,954 | 17,782 | 14,619 | 16,274 | 17,871 |
| Psychiatrists | 902 | 1,320 | 1,471 | 2,245 | 2,103 | 3,403 | 6,676 |
| Other physicians | 626 | 504 | 531 | 555 | 464 | 486 | 212 |
| Psychologists2 | 895 | 1,134 | 1,255 | 1,439 | 1,476 | 2,479 | 623 |
| Social workers | 1,098 | 1,412 | 1,620 | 1,680 | 1,855 | 2,244 | 1,759 |
| Registered nurses | 4,713 | 4,503 | 5,326 | 6,761 | 5,888 | 5,485 | 8,125 |
| Other mental health professionals | 1,497 | 1,812 | 1,748 | 1,423 | 1,322 | 1,266 | 186 |
| Physical health professionals and assistants | 2,584 | 2,444 | 2,003 | 3,679 | 1,511 | 911 | 290 |
| Other mental health workers | 12,208 | 12,097 | 12,328 | 5,777 | 7,461 | 4,560 | 3,697 |
| Administrative, clerical, and maintenance staff | 17,629 | 14,737 | 14,503 | 9,817 | 7,661 | 3,511 | 1,219 |
| Percent distribution of FTE staff | |||||||
| All staff | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Patient care staff | 58.2 | 63.1 | 64.4 | 70.6 | 74.2 | 85.6 | 94.7 |
| Professional patient care staff | 29.2 | 32.9 | 34.2 | 53.3 | 49.2 | 66.8 | 78.4 |
| Psychiatrists | 2.1 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 6.7 | 7.1 | 14.0 | 29.3 |
| Other physicians | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 0.9 |
| Psychologists2 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 10.2 | 2.7 |
| Social workers | 2.6 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.2 | 9.2 | 7.7 |
| Registered nurses | 11.2 | 11.3 | 13.1 | 20.3 | 19.8 | 22.5 | 35.7 |
| Other mental health professionals | 3.6 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 5.2 | 0.8 |
| Physical health professionals and assistants | 6.1 | 6.1 | 4.9 | 11.0 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 1.3 |
| Other mental health workers | 29.0 | 30.3 | 30.2 | 17.3 | 25.1 | 18.7 | 16.2 |
| Administrative, clerical, and maintenance staff | 41.8 | 36.9 | 35.6 | 29.4 | 25.8 | 14.4 | 5.3 |
Sources: Published and unpublished inventory data from the Survey and Analysis Branch, Division of State and Community Systems Development, Center for Mental Health Services.
1The computation of full-time equivalent staff is based on a 40-hour work week.
2 For 1972–78, this category included all psychologists with a B.A. degree and above; for 1986–94, it included only psychologists with an M.A. degree and above.