Preparing students to deal with the consequences of the workforce shortage among health professionals: a qualitative approach

Golz, Christoph; Oulevey Bachmann, Annie; Defilippis, Tiziana Sala; Kobleder, Andrea; Peter, Karin Anne; Schaffert, René; Schwarzenbach, Xenia; Kampel, Thomas; Hahn, Sabine (2022). Preparing students to deal with the consequences of the workforce shortage among health professionals: a qualitative approach BMC Medical Education, 22(1), pp. 1-10. BioMed Central 10.1186/s12909-022-03819-4

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Background Healthcare is facing a shortage of qualified healthcare professionals. The pandemic has brought to light the fragile balance that affects all healthcare systems. Governments have realized that these systems and the professionals working in them need support at different levels to strengthen the retention of the workforce. Health professionals’ education can play an important role in ensuring that new generations of workers have sound personal and professional competencies to successfully face the challenges of professional practice. These challenges are described in the literature, but the extent to which they are considered in health professionals’ education is less clear. Methods This qualitative study compares the professional challenges and educational needs described in the literature with the current curricula for health professionals offered in Switzerland. Data were collected nationally through focus group interviews with 65% of Switzerland’s directors of bachelor’s and master’s programs of health professions (nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, midwifery, nutrition and dietetics, osteopathy, radiologic medical imaging technology, health promotion and prevention, and health sciences). The data attained were analyzed using knowledge mapping. Results The results reveal a gap among education programs with regard to occupational health promotion and cultural diversity. Both topics are taught with a sole focus on patients, and students are expected to adopt similar strategies for their health promotion and stress management. Physicians are insufficiently involved in interprofessional education. The programs fail to enhance health professionals’ political, economic and digital competencies. Conclusion The results of this study offer clear guidance about what topics need to be integrated into curricula to improve health professionals’ well-being at work and their preparedness to face daily professional challenges.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

School of Health Professions
School of Health Professions > Nursing
School of Health Professions > Nursing > Innovation in the Field of Health Care and Human Resources Development

Name:

Golz, Christoph0000-0003-1711-5106;
Oulevey Bachmann, Annie;
Defilippis, Tiziana Sala;
Kobleder, Andrea;
Peter, Karin Anne;
Schaffert, René;
Schwarzenbach, Xenia;
Kampel, Thomas and
Hahn, Sabine0000-0002-2697-2014

Subjects:

R Medicine > R Medicine (General)

ISSN:

1472-6920

Publisher:

BioMed Central

Projects:

[UNSPECIFIED] 2017-680.566.857

Language:

English

Submitter:

Christoph Golz

Date Deposited:

11 Nov 2022 09:03

Last Modified:

11 Nov 2022 09:03

Publisher DOI:

10.1186/s12909-022-03819-4

ARBOR DOI:

10.24451/arbor.17904

URI:

https://arbor.bfh.ch/id/eprint/17904

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