September 16, 2024
Study of Florida’s Healthcare Workforce Finds Underrepresentation of Hispanic and Black Populations
New data highlights gaps and advancement of racial & ethnic representation among Florida’s healthcare professionals
Researchers from the George Washington University Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity and the Social Mission Alliance examined the racial and ethnic diversity of Florida’s health care workforce and graduates of health educational programs. Reviewing over 20 health professions, they identified many gaps in representation, particularly for those who identify as Hispanic or Black.
Florida is one of the most diverse states in the nation, with 55% of those between the ages of 20 and 35 identifying as persons of color. This diversity, however, is not reflected in many healthcare fields or graduates of health professions programs in the state especially those requiring advanced education. Researchers found that in Florida’s current workforce, Hispanic individuals were underrepresented in 19 of 21 health professions reviewed. Among the graduates of programs training the future healthcare workforce, in 16 health professions such as medical and nursing schools, Hispanic representation is increasing in most but still below their representation in the Florida population. Regrettably representation of the Black population decreased among graduates in 10 of the 16 professions and they remain very underrepresented in most professions.
The underrepresentation of Black and Hispanic people in health professions in the United States is widely documented and can be seen in the Health Workforce Diversity Tracker. Increased racial/ethnic diversity of healthcare professionals is associated with both improved health for populations and higher patient satisfaction. Additionally, diversity in education is particularly important because it exposes students to a variety of cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives, which improves cultural competence and increased awareness of all students.
The newly released report, The Race and Ethnicity of the Florida Health Workforce, looks in-depth at the existing healthcare workforce and healthcare student population in Florida, down to school-level data, to show where things are going well, and what requires more improvement.
Here are the key takeaways:
- The proportion of health professions students who are Hispanic is increasing, but not high enough to reach parity with Florida’s college-aged population.
- Hispanic individuals are underrepresented in all health professions requiring higher education (i.e., Master’s level or higher).
- Black individuals are underrepresented in most health professions requiring advanced education and their representation is decreasing in most of the professions studied.
- Asian/Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (NHPI) individuals in health professions education are well represented and increasing in most health professions.
- Institution level data documents wide variation between schools of a given profession. For example, for nursing graduates between 2019-2021, 21 of 93 programs had a graduating class that was less than 10% Hispanic at a time when 30% of Florida’s college-aged population was Hispanic.
This report supports the need for work to enhance racial/ethnic diversity in healthcare professions, and is particularly timely given recent laws banning DEI programs in Florida’s public colleges.
The full report is publicly available and free to access online, see The Race and Ethnicity of the Florida Health Workforce.
