What’s in a Workforce?
The problems faced by state policymakers is no doubt exacerbated by the fact that the definitions of the “health workforce” vary, making the workforce difficult to size and assess. The total could include clinicians as well as others involved in healthcare delivery. The nature of the workforce itself is constantly evolving, with the range of skills and competencies associated with specific jobs shifting. Then there is the “multiplicity of regulatory and standard setting bodies” that has “created an intricate web of control over all aspects of the health workforce, with no entity available to harmonize interests or agendas,” the AAHC notes. Some of this oversight loops back to scope of practice issues and sharp elbows among the health professions. Physical therapists, for instance, advocate for patients gaining direct access to their services without a doctor referral. Podiatrists can perform medical and surgical procedures in all 50 states but would like to see their scope of practice
