Training Healthcare Professionals for A Diverse World

The nation’s patient population is growing more diverse—in terms of race, ethnicity, sexual and gender identity, and differing abilities.

Caring for this population will require strategic approaches in medical and health education that are more inclusive than ever before. Now, as seen in the Inside Higher Ed article “Training Healthcare Professionals for A Diverse World,” New York Tech recognized this need early on and is taking vital steps to educate the next generation of physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, physician assistants, clinical nutritionists, and exercise science professionals.

Through College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) and the School of Health Professions, New York Tech has introduced innovative new programs and initiatives designed to produce a workforce that is fully prepared to address the societal and medical challenges of increasingly diverse communities. A key step toward achieving this outcome is acknowledging bias, said NYITCOM Dean Nicole Wadsworth, D.O.

“Bias is part of the human condition, but if we learn about bias and the behaviors associated with it, we can be more open and understanding of different people’s experiences,” she says. In turn, this allows us to provide more comprehensive, compassionate care for our patients.”

The article highlights multiple examples underscoring New York Tech’s commitment to inclusion, including the medical school’s new Master of Public Health degree program, NYITCOM-Arkansas’s Delta-Care-a-van outreach to rural communities, and curriculum updates that emphasize eliminating racial, gender, and other bias in medical education.

It also features the School of Health Professions’ New York Tech Healthcare Service Training Project. Supported by a $200,000 New York State grant, the workforce development program aims to help meet Long Island’s short- and long-term workforce needs by providing tuition-free training to veterans, young people with autism spectrum disorder, and under- and unemployed people interested in healthcare careers. Graduates are certified in one of five areas, including home healthcare aide and medical coding.

“These are entry-level certificates, but it gets people into a university environment,” said Gordon Schmidt, Ph.D., dean of the School of Health Professions. “Who knows where these certificates might lead them.”

These are just some of the ways that New York Tech is helping to educate and train a more inclusive healthcare workforce. Read the full article here.

This story is part of an initiative in which New York Tech has partnered with Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle of Higher Education to offer strategic insights on key topics in higher education. This article is one of seven featured articles planned to run this spring.

Prior articles include:

• “Space for Innovation,” featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education, which focuses on the agreement between New York Institute of Technology and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to provide real-world experiences for students to work on technology prototypes.
• “Reinventing Teaching,” featured in Inside Higher Ed, on ways New York Tech professors have incorporated unconventional approaches in their teaching and scholarship, including improvisation, video games, and popular culture.