Table 7a. Number and percent distribution of full-time equivalent staff1 in State and county mental hospitals, by staff discipline: United States, selected years, 1972–94
| Staff discipline | 1972 | 1976 | 1978 | 1986 | 1990 | 1992 | 1994 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of FTE staff | |||||||
| All staff | 223,886 | 219,006 | 205,289 | 182,466 | 175,566 | 171,745 | 148,415 |
| Patient care staff | 138,307 | 141,127 | 131,187 | 119,073 | 114,198 | 110,874 | 99,145 |
| Professional patient care staff | 38,516 | 46,596 | 45,131 | 54,853 | 50,035 | 56,953 | 38,480 |
| Psychiatrists | 4,389 | 4,333 | 3,712 | 3,762 | 3,849 | 4,457 | 3,442 |
| Other physicians | 2,440 | 2,047 | 1,809 | 1,917 | 1,962 | 2,126 | 1,467 |
| Psychologists2 | 2,484 | 3,039 | 3,149 | 3,412 | 3,324 | 3,620 | 2,699 |
| Social workers | 5,324 | 5,948 | 5,924 | 6,238 | 7,013 | 7,378 | 5,276 |
| Registered nurses | 13,353 | 15,098 | 14,859 | 19,425 | 20,848 | 21,119 | 16,918 |
| Other mental health professionals | 5,890 | 10,551 | 10,492 | 8,033 | 8,955 | 11,527 | 5,450 |
| Physical health professionals and assistants | 4,636 | 5,580 | 5,186 | 12,066 | 4,084 | 6,726 | 3,228 |
| Other mental health workers | 99,791 | 94,531 | 86,056 | 64,220 | 64,163 | 53,921 | 60,664 |
| Administrative, clerical, and maintenance staff | 85,579 | 77,879 | 74,102 | 63,393 | 61,368 | 60,871 | 49,270 |
| Percent distribution of FTE staff | |||||||
| All staff | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Patient care staff | 61.8 | 64.4 | 63.9 | 65.3 | 65.0 | 64.6 | 66.8 |
| Professional patient care staff | 17.2 | 21.3 | 22.0 | 30.1 | 28.5 | 33.2 | 25.9 |
| Psychiatrists | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 2.3 |
| Other physicians | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| Psychologists | 21.1 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 1.8 |
| Social workers | 2.4 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 3.6 |
| Registered nurses | 6.0 | 6.9 | 7.2 | 10.6 | 11.9 | 12.3 | 11.4 |
| Other mental health professionals | 2.6 | 4.8 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 6.7 | 3.7 |
| Physical health professionals and assistants | 2.1 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 6.6 | 2.3 | 3.9 | 2.2 |
| Other mental health workers | 44.6 | 43.2 | 41.9 | 35.2 | 36.5 | 31.4 | 40.9 |
| Administrative, clerical, and maintenance staff | 38.2 | 35.6 | 36.1 | 34.7 | 35.0 | 35.4 | 33.2 |
Sources: Published and unpublished inventory data from the Survey and Analysis Branch, Division of State and Community Systems Development, Center for Mental Health Services.
1 The 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.