#healthcare-workforce

#healthcare-workforce

Under ED's latest proposal, in order for a degree program to count as "professional" and gain access to the highest amount of federal loans it must: Signify that students have the skills to begin practice in a particular profession Require a level of skill beyond that of a bachelor's degree Be a doctoral level degree (with the exception of a Masters in Divinity)

Dr. Karla Solheim leads the Iowa chapter of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She says practicing got harder after Iowa's abortion ban started in 2024. KARLA SOLHEIM: It just feels like our job is impossible. KREBS: Solheim says a recent pregnant patient developed life-threatening complications, so Solheim ended the pregnancy. She says afterwards she was grilled by hospital administrators to make sure the abortion qualified for an exception under the law.

America's healthcare system is straining under the twin pressures of an aging population and a stretched pool of healthcare providers. Doctors told Fortune that policies limiting skilled visas and student entries could deepen labor shortages in areas such as geriatrics and rural medicine, where immigrant staff have long filled gaps. Physicians urge clearer pathways for skilled workers to stay, warning that without them, the system's capacity to care for older Americans may falter.

If you or your loved ones have ever been sick, you may have encountered a Filipino medical professional at the clinic or hospital-a nurse, doctor, or lab technician-or perhaps an in-home caregiver or staffer in an assisted living facility. This is because Filipinos are disproportionately represented in the healthcare sector-for example, 4 percent of US nurses are Filipino, though Filipinos make up only 1 percent of the population.

But even in the best-funded clinics with the most committed professionals, standards can still fall short; doctors, like the rest of us, are working with stone age minds. Despite years of training, human brains are not optimally equipped for the pace, pressure, and complexity of modern healthcare. Given that patient care is medicine's core purpose, the question is who, or what, is best placed to deliver it?

The Department of Veterans Affairs has lost thousands of healthcare professionals deemed core to the system's ability to function, affecting mission-critical work.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has described the proposed 3.6% pay increase for nurses as 'grotesque', expressing deep discontent over disparities in pay increases among public sector workers.

Nursing homes are facing staff shortages exacerbated by immigration policy changes, leading to the loss of employees with Temporary Protected Status. This impacts caregiving roles significantly.

The new visa rules introduced by the Labour government have sparked fierce debate among readers, with many warning it could tip an already fragile care system into collapse.

"It certainly is challenging to expose medical students early in their careers to the joys of this kind of integrated healthcare," Reddy said. "The relationships we build and the care we provide truly allow people to live longer with a better quality of life."