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

Christoph Golz; Annie Oulevey Bachmann; Tiziana Sala Defilippis; Andrea Kobleder; Karin Anne Peter; René Schaffert; Xenia Schwarzenbach; Thomas Kampel; Sabine Hahn

doi:10.1186/s12909-022-03819-4

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

BMC Med Educ. 2022 Nov 4;22(1):756. doi: 10.1186/s12909-022-03819-4.

Authors

Christoph Golz¹, Annie Oulevey Bachmann², Tiziana Sala Defilippis³, Andrea Kobleder⁴, Karin Anne Peter⁵, René Schaffert⁶, Xenia Schwarzenbach⁵, Thomas Kampel², Sabine Hahn⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Professions, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Murtenstrasse 10, 3008, Bern, Switzerland. christoph.golz@bfh.ch.
² La Source School of Nursing, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Lausanne, Switzerland.
³ Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Locarno, Switzerland.
⁴ Department of Health, Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
⁵ Department of Health Professions, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Murtenstrasse 10, 3008, Bern, Switzerland.
⁶ School of Health Professions, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Winterthur, Switzerland.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Bachelor’s program; Curriculum; Health professionals; Knowledge mapping; Master’s program; Workforce shortage.

MeSH terms

Curriculum*
Health Personnel* / education
Humans
Qualitative Research
Students
Workforce