A Personal Reflecton on the Value and Importance of a Diverse Healthcare Workforce: A look at biomedical workers
Clifford Houston, PhD, Associate Vice President of Educational Outreach, University of Texas Medical Branch’s Schools of Medicine/Allied Health Sciences /Nursing/ Biomedical Sciences, Galveston, TX
Presented at the Austin Conference
The purpose of this presentation is to provide a personal reflection on the value and importance of a diverse healthcare workforce; identify some barriers to success; and some suggestions for overcoming those barriers. In addition, steps will be presented that will successfully lead young decision makers into careers in the biomedical sciences and healthcare as well as the impact that their decision will have on better health for those served.
It is well established that the United States as a whole and Texas in particular are not developing sufficient biomedical and health career talent to meet our current and future workforce needs. With the retirement of the “baby boomers” over the next fifteen years, the demand for all healthcare and biomedical workers will continue to increase beyond the current shortages. As a result, there is a critical need to improve student academic performance and interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-based careers. Due to the rapidly changing demographics in the United States, it is important to tap into our country’s vast quantity of historically under-utilized human resources (the disadvantaged, under-represented minorities, and women). Aside from the ethical issue, there is an overarching economic imperative to rectify disparities: We are now competing in a global market; any waste of talent is a loss in productivity, innovation and wealth that we cannot afford. Institutions of higher education, local school districts across the nation and communities must partner in an effort to engage a greater number of young students in math and science at the K-12 levels in order to produce more college-ready high school graduates.