Post graduate dental (PGD) training has increased 27% over the last decade (2009-2019). More than 75% of this increase was due to the growth of primary care training. Despite this increase, little is known about factors associated with the pursuit of PGD training and whether or not they vary between different dental specialty fields. There…
Assessing the distribution and organization of the dental workforce is critical to understand how to address poor access to dental care for lower income families. The US currenly lacks a significant supply of dentists who accept Medicaid, or will work in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), which impacts communities of color and disabled individuals. There…
Research has shown evidence of doulas’ positive impacts on maternal health outcomes, particularly among underserved populations. Such research supports expanding access to doula services. However, health workforce-related barriers challenge the development of robust doula services in the US. This article published in the Journal of Perinatal Education investigates organizations’ barriers regarding training, recruitment, and employment of doulas.
To meet growing demand, address social determinants of health, and improve health equity, a larger and more diverse registered nurse (RN) workforce is needed in the US. To do so, it is important to understand current pathways and barriers to becoming an RN. This article published in Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice examines prior health…
The State Health Workforce Data Collection Inventory describes findings from a survey about data collection on health workforce supply (eg, demographic, education, and practice characteristics of health professionals), demand (eg, vacancies and employer recruitment and retention difficulties), and the education pipeline (eg, graduation rates and trainee/graduate characteristics). The data collection survey is ongoing and the…
Dental therapy is a workforce model that introduces mid-level practitioners—dental therapists—with both preventive and restorative skills. The introduction of dental therapists appears to improve access to and equity in dental service delivery in the US. The Oral Health Workforce Research Center conducted a study that evaluated the satisfaction of clinical providers, organizational administrators, and patients…
Treating the complex issues of people living with dementia is difficult because behavioral symptoms often occur in combination with pain symptoms. In addition, increasing cognitive impairment and communication challenges exist as dementia severity progresses. Little is known about either the contributions of different clinical specialties in prescribing medications for this population or prescribing patterns by…
Peer support providers are individuals who have been trained to use their personal experiences with mental illness and substance use disorders to help others in recovery. Organizations that provide behavioral health treatment are increasingly employing peer support providers as vital team members. Prior studies have focused on evaluating the effectiveness of peer providers in terms…
Birth doulas, who support pregnant women during the perinatal period, have positive impacts on pregnancy and birth outcomes, particularly among underserved populations. However, health workforce-related barriers challenge the development of robust doula services in the United States. This article examines various approaches to train, recruit, and employ doulas, as well as what system-level changes are…
Navigators in the federal Insurance Navigator Program provide enrollment assistance, outreach, and education to individuals who are eligible for health insurance coverage. Their work is key to public health efforts to address inequities but continues to be poorly understood and undervalued. This article examines the navigator profession to better understand the equity work they do,…
