Among public health agencies, expanding remote work opportunities by many state health departments (SHDs) has increased the pool of candidates for state positions, including people working at local health departments (LHDs). SHDs often pay better than LHDs, especially when compared with salaries among rural LHDs. Rural LHDs particularly struggle to recruit public health–trained employees, and…
This webinar presents findings from two new studies examining the maternal health workforce in the United States. The first explores the career pathways, employment experiences, and sociodemographic characteristics of certified nurse midwives (CNMs) compared to other advanced practice registered nurses. The second introduces a Maternal and Child Health Workforce Supportive Policy Index, measuring state-level policy…
Midwifery-led care is associated with improved birth outcomes, fewer obstetric interventions, and reduced disparities in outcomes among underserved populations. Although efforts to expand the certified nurse-midwife (CNM) workforce have contributed to its growth, midwives still attend a relatively small share of US births, likely due in part to workforce barriers such as restrictive scope-of-practice laws…
Despite improvements in maternal and child health, significant inequities persist in the United States, including disparities in maternal and infant mortality, low birth weight, asthma, and developmental disabilities. A well-trained, supported, and diverse maternal and child health workforce is an important structural factor in addressing these inequities. Existing maternal and child health indices capture some…
Stigma is a social process in which individuals are labeled, stereotyped, and separated from others based on characteristics perceived as undesirable. When this process is linked to a health condition, it can lead to social isolation, discrimination, delayed care-seeking, missed treatments, depression, shame, and underdiagnosis. Health-related stigma has been documented across a range of conditions,…
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a rapid expansion of the use of travel nurses—registered nurses (RNs) hired on short-term contracts to meet immediate labor needs. What began as a pandemic-era response has become increasingly normalized, prompting a reconsideration of the assumed relationship between professionalism and tenure. Yet little is known about how this expansion has shaped…
Attention to burnout among healthcare professionals has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, with known associations of negative clinical and organizational outcomes as well as reduced quality of life. However, faculty responsible for training the next generation of healthcare professionals have received less attention, despite experiencing significant burnout. Faculty from underrepresented minority backgrounds often have additional…
In recent years, there has been growing recognition of the importance of advancing health equity. Public health nurses—who operate at the intersection of nursing and public health—are uniquely positioned to contribute to this effort. Their roles place them at the forefront of addressing the systemic and social factors that influence health outcomes. Despite the increased…
This webinar features 2 presentations highlighting the important roles of nurses in public health and long-term care settings. Paula Kett and Betty Bekemeier provide a timely discussion about the current state of public health nursing workforce research, sharing insights from their own work on improving measurement of the workforce. Joanne Spetz complements this discussion with…
As new equity, diversity, and inclusion programs emerge in physician assistant/associate (PA) education, there is a need to assess baseline levels of implicit and explicit biases among PA preceptors’ and trainees. This article explores implicit and explicit race (Black/White) and weight (fat/thin) biases among PA preceptors and trainees and discusses potential gaps in PA preceptor…
