Health Professions Education
Past Topics
Information about changes to medical education and clinical experience opportunities due to the pandemic.
(10/13/2021) Florida Nursing Schools Need More Funding, Faculty to Prevent a Nearly 60,000 Nurse Shortfall by 2035, FHA Report Says
A report from the Florida Center for Nursing suggested that, by 2035, Florida may experience a nursing shortage of 59,100. The already-existing need for new nurses will be exacerbated by Florida’s aging population and anticipated expansion. According to the report, many nursing schools lack the resources or finances to grow. For example, nearly 200 candidates were turned down by Seminole State College of Florida’s nursing school. Over 200 eligible candidates were turned down by the University of Central Florida for the 2020-21 academic year.
(09/29/2021) Keeping It Human: Pandemic Era Psychiatry Teaching
This article from The Clinical Teacher shares the authors’ experience in transforming a 6-week clinical placement in psychiatry into a 4-week online course. Undergraduate clinical assignments were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Online course was designed to meet major learning goals and engage students in mental health discussion, using videos and blogs. In this course with 67 students, the students felt prepared for clinical placements and rated the course highly. Students’ comments that showed favorable views about mental illness.
(08/31/21) Generation Public Health: Fixing the Broken Bridge Between Public Health Education and the Governmental Workforce
In light of staff losses during the COVID-19 pandemic and chronic underfunding for public health education, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 would spend $7.4 billion in health agencies and associated organizations to recruit, employ, and train personnel. In this AJPH article, Krasna and Fried suggest to evaluate workforce requirements, expand educational opportunities for future public health professionals, and reduce the burden of high student loan debt.
(08/26/21) Report Urges Major Reforms in the Transition to Residency
In August, the Coalition for Physician Accountability, which is the organization supported by several major stakeholders in the field of medicine, announced 34 recommendations for improving the process of transitioning from medical students to residents. The recommendations include professional developments for avoiding racism and enhancing equity, specialty-specific caps on the number of applicant interviews, and standardized feedback provided to medical schools regarding their graduates.
(08/14/21) “What Are You Signing Up for?”: Pre-medical Students’ Perception of Physicians’ Risk and Responsibility During COVID-19
A new research study published on Science Direct found that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on pre-medical students and their perception of medical practice. Pre-medical students believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed physician’s risk and responsibilities as well as the need to address obstacles in pre-medical education. The study has also found the pandemic has increased their interest in becoming a physician.
(07/02/21) The Health Care Workforce is Understaffed for Life After COVID-19
This opinion piece from STAT News discusses the profound impact the COVID-19 pandemic has made on the health care workforce. As the nation slowly approaches a sense of normalcy, an anticipated spike in the demand for health care workers is magnifying the worsening health workforce shortages that negatively affect the health care system. Reaching pre-pandemic levels of the supply in health care workers may need to begin with improving the educational pipeline and investing in a higher paying labor market.
(06/18/21) How the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Demonstrated a Need for Increased Leadership Education in Medicine
The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the need for effective leadership as decision-makers in health care were forced to make challenging decisions. The U.S. medical education system currently produces clinically and scientifically competent professionals at all levels but falls short of providing effective leadership training. This commentary from Dovepress highlights the need to incorporate leadership skills in medical education curricula.
(06/17/21) AMA Announced Policies Adopted on Medical Trainees, Residents, Fellows
The American Medical Association (AMA) has recently announced newly adopted policies by physician and medical student leaders across the nation during the AMA House of Delegates meeting. Some of the policies adopted by the House of Delegates include reduced costs for medical trainees, the addition of employee benefits, and strengthened measures to safeguard residents and fellows as they complete their medical training.
