Toward a More Representative Health Care Workforce

• In Event: 34.095 - MTCC Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: 34.095-4 - Continued Efforts to Diversify the Health Professions: From Educational Pipelines to Professional Practice

Abstract

Six percent of 2016 medical school graduates were Black or African American, and 5% were Hispanic or Latino. Similarly, three percent of 2016 Physician Assistant graduates were Black or African American, and 6% were Hispanic or Latino. For Nurse Practitioners, the most recent data indicate that 86% of the profession is white and female; 3% of the profession is Hispanic or Latino, and 5% is black or African American.

In order to provide our patients and populations with high-quality and accessible care, it is crucial that we advocate for a representative healthcare workforce, and provide students opportunities to learn from, with, and about each other in order to improve patient outcomes. This study describes student outcomes associated with the first graduate program in the science of healthcare delivery. The curriculum is grounded in the principles of the Triple Aim (to improve the patient experience, improve the health of populations, and reduce the cost of care) and includes content in leadership, population health, informatics, systems engineering, healthcare management, and health economics and policy.

The graduate program is offered both online and in person, with an average total enrollment of 76 students per year (range 36 – 121). Graduates of the program seek employment in the healthcare sector, either in administration or as patient care providers. Over the past four years, an average of 42% of the graduate class are from an underrepresented racial and ethnic group (range 40% - 47%). To date, 58% of graduates who applied to professional school were accepted (n=22). Of concern is the additional debt incurred by the students who matriculate to professional programs.

Similarly, 60% of the students in the 2016 undergraduate degree program are from an underrepresented racial and ethnic group, suggesting a new entry-level healthcare workforce.

The College also participates in summer pipeline programs to facilitate workforce development. The NIH-funded BUILDing Scholars program matches undergraduate students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups with faculty mentors in STEM and clinical / healthcare. Also, the College implemented a summer residential program for rising high school seniors from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. To date, 100% of the participants matriculated to institutes of higher education.

This study has significance for other professional health workforce programs as they seek to recruit and retain students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups.

Author

• Alison Essary