Virtually all fields of the health workforce have been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Different states and health organizations responded to these challenges using a variety of different strategies and adjustments. The pandemic has also highlighted the need for a strong health workforce. This article summarizes the other articles in the research supplement and…
Due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic, the American Rescue Plan and the CARES act have provided major increases to healthcare funding. However, planning and accountability are needed to ensure that this new funding is spent responsibly and equitably to address the nations most pressing health needs. This article provides recommendations for organizations to…
Preventive medicine physicians work at the intersection of clinical medicine and public health. Previous reports on the state of the preventive medicine workforce revealed an ongoing decline in preventive medicine physicians and residents, but there have been few updates in recent years. This article describes trends in both the number of board-certified preventive medicine physicians…
North Carolina, as a state with a significant Black population and fast-growing Hispanic population, is greatly reflective of national demographic changes. Due to these demographic changes, the US is currently facing challenges to recruit and retain a general surgery workforce that mirrors the population. This article examines the slow and gradual diversification of the surgical…
Integrated care has become increasingly common in recent years and has helped provide patients with care for a wide variety of health needs. These integrated approaches tend to be more complex and require new ways of collecting data to measure their effectiveness. Electronic health records (EHR) present a potential solution. This article describes the development…
In the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, health care decision-makers in North Carolina needed information about the available health workforce in order to conduct workforce surge planning and to anticipate concerns about professional or geographic workforce shortages. This article describes how data was used in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in North…
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a profound impact on the health workforce in the United States. Current issues facing the health workforce include vaccine mandates, workforce shortages, and resiliency of the workforce in the face of burnout. At the same time, while some of the changes to state and federal laws regarding the delivery…
Medical assistants (MAs) are a flexible and low-cost resource for primary care practices and their roles are swiftly transforming. This article surveyed MAs and family physicians for evidence of role confusion between MAs and physicians, physician resistance to delegate tasks to properly trained MAs, or MA reluctance to pursue training to take on new roles….
Despite a growing body of research on the evolving roles of medical assistants, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, there is currently a lack of knowledge regarding different team configurations in primary care practices. This article utilizes data from the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) examination application to explore what types…
In order for the current health workforce to meet the increasing demand brought about by the pandemic, health care delivery organizations, educators, and government leaders will need to work together to adapt regulations to expand workforce capacity. Strategies such as expanding scopes of practice, developing cross-state licensure programs, and increasing telehealth services are essential. This…
