The health-care industry workforce crisis is here. Many providers are exhausted and overworked. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not hard to find a story in the news about burnout among nurses and physicians, which has caused many to leave their professions. This burnout, accompanied by an aging population, is adding severe health-care shortages to an already strained system. According to a report from November 2022, the Health Resources and Services Administration estimates a shortage of over 78,000 full-time registered nurses this year, and the Association of American Medical Colleges recently predicted a physician shortage of up to 86,000 by 2036. These projections threaten the foundation of our health-care system and access to quality health care for people across the country.
As leaders in the health-care higher education space, we know firsthand that to solve this urgent problem, we must expand opportunities to educate and train more health-care professionals. The traditional higher education model alone will not close the gap. We must look beyond the exclusivity of traditional higher education and help students from all backgrounds reach their potential in health-care careers. We must reimagine health-care education to provide it at scale and in communities that are woefully underserved. It's no secret that a health-care workforce that reflects the patient population it serves leads to better care, stronger relationships, and improved health outcomes overall.
