Vermont’s excellent healthcare rankings are a major factor in the state’s high quality of life and healthy population. New developments in medical technology and in patient care and treatment are made possible by a highly-educated and trained healthcare workforce.

Vermont’s healthcare sector is an interconnected community of healthcare providers, insurers, policymakers, educators, nonprofits, and businesses that serve Vermonter’s health needs. Vermont is ranked the #1 healthiest state in the U.S., #4 for women’s and children’s health, and the 8th best state for senior health. Vermont also ranks #4 in quality of state healthcare system performance and #6 overall based on criteria including health care access, quality, avoidable hospital use and costs, health outcomes, and health care equity.

From a patient care perspective, Vermonters enjoy low nurse-to-patient and doctor-to-patient ratios. There are 14 non-profit hospitals and a network of healthcare systems spread throughout Vermont including: 8 small critical access hospitals, 5 mid-size rural hospitals, 2 academic medical centers, a Veterans Administration hospital, and 5 designated psychiatric inpatient facilities. Community health care centers across the state supplement these institutions and provide non-emergency care. There are also over 350 individual and group dental practices.

The healthcare sector is an important driver of Vermont’s economy, with average annual employment of 52,328 workers, or 13% of the state’s total workforce. The McClure Foundation projects that within the next ten years the number of job openings in this sector will increase significantly in multiple healthcare professions.

Medical manufacturing and software development companies are also part of Vermont’s healthcare landscape and account for a significant part of the workforce. Large companies like Mylan Technologies and GE Healthcare share the field with local Vermont businesses like BioTek Instruments and Physicians Computer Company. These companies offer services from electronic medical records and healthcare imaging informatics to surgical equipment and pharmaceutical products, expanding Vermont’s healthcare workforce offerings outside the doctor’s office and hospital.

The University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine is the state’s flagship research institution, offering medical student education, residencies, and fellowships. UVM also offers degrees in nursing and health sciences. Castleton University, Norwich University, and Vermont Technical College also offer programs in nursing and other allied health fields including dental hygiene.

REPRESENTATIVE HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS IN VERMONT