BUILDING A HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE TO ACHIEVE HEALTH
EQUITY
REPORT OF THE UIC HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT TASK
FORCE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is a state, regional and national leader in
the training of health care professionals. Over eighty degree and certificate
programs across seven health science colleges provide undergraduate, graduate
and professional training for the health care workforce (Table A10, appendix). The
UIC Health Care Workforce Development Task Force (referred to as “task force”;
see page 1 of appendix for membership) was charged to study emerging
workforce needs and propose recommendations to inform decisions about the
numbers and kinds of health care professionals UIC trains in the decade ahead as
demographic factors and changes in health care delivery systems influence both
demand for and supply of health care. This project follows from UIC’s mission “to
train professionals in a wide range of public service disciplines, serving Illinois as
the principal educator of health science professionals and as a major health care
provider to underserved communities.”
Workforce planning begins with an acknowledgement of both the idiosyncrasies
and uncertainties related to the financing and organization of health care and to
anticipated demographic shifts. First, oversupply of and unmet demand for
services often coexist. There may be high unmet demand for specific services in a
community because those services are poorly reimbursed or large numbers of
individuals are uninsured. For instance, there are underserved communities with a
great need for basic dental care, but few professionals to meet those needs
because of a lack of reimbursement. Training more dentists will not resolve the
disparity. Second, a changing regulatory environment can affect demand when
different job titles share overlapping skills. Demand for primary care physicians,
for instance, diminishes when less costly nurse practitioners are authorized to
provide primary care and bill for their services independently, based on state
regulations regarding scope of practice and level of supervision, and the policies of
individual health plans regarding credentialing and reimbursement for their
services. Third, shifting models of health care delivery in which integrated health
systems assume all financial risk while maintaining or improving quality increases
demand for individuals who facilitate care coordination and outreach. Such
systems should have strong incentives to keep their patients healthy and out of
the hospital. Achieving these goals may call for new types of service providers
such as community health workers as well as a more collaborative team based
approach to care delivery. Finally, there are demographic and epidemiologic shifts,
such as growth in the elderly population and in numbers of people with complex
chronic disease, which, while more predictable at a national level, exhibit a great
deal of local variation.
1
In addition to acknowledging the vagaries of the health care marketplace,
workforce planning must also acknowledge the competing priorities and
constraints for academic programs seeking to respond to workforce demand. In
deciding which programs to expand, contract, revise, eliminate, replace, and link
to other programs, colleges must consider whether they can recruit good students
at a tuition rate that covers costs, as well as competition (are other programs
emerging in the region?), resources (do we have clinical training sites, faculty, lab
space?), and new opportunities (federal or state grants, international interests,
etc.). Some of these variables are proxies for market demand while others, such
as resources, are not.
With these caveats noted, workforce development based on the best available
evidence remains a valuable and essential part of planning, and is surely a
responsibility for a campus that trains such a diverse and significant number of
health care professionals. To that end, the task force reviewed a wide range of
policy reports, commissioned its own study of job and wage growth for health care
occupations, compiled college and campus level data (including survey data), and
identified both state and federal funding opportunities for workforce development.
Although the principal focus of the task force was on addressing emerging
workforce needs in terms of the numbers and kinds of degree and certificate
programs, it also became evident that the changing health care environment will
require an evolving set of competencies across all disciplines and that this should
be a part of the task force report as well.
Recommendations

Incorporate emerging workforce needs into strategic planning at the college
level
Each college should identify and set targets for existing and new programs,
informed by market trends and anticipated demands. These targets should be
revisited annually with updates to the provost and VCHA. Colleges are
encouraged, in particular, to use data and analysis provided in Tables 4-7 of this
report, which should also be updated annually as a planning resource. Colleges
should also be current about other health professions programs in the region.
Data resources, such as the HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis,
and the Degree Program Inventory of the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE)
are listed with URLs in Section A16 of the appendix.
 Pursue funds allocated for health care workforce development
Explore and where feasible pursue state, federal funds and foundation funds,
including those available through the Affordable Care Act and the proposed
Medicaid 1115 Waiver. In particular, the Colleges of Nursing, Dentistry, and
Medicine, the School of Public Health, and the University of Illinois Hospital and
Health Sciences System (UI Health) should develop a plan for pursuing these
initiatives. The Office of the Vice President/Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs
2
(OVPHA/OVCHA) could play a coordinating and tracking role to assure that campus
units are aware of and informed about how to capitalize on funding opportunities.

Develop a cross-college interprofessional curriculum addressing essential core
competencies
Further development of a collaborative curriculum, which would draw on strengths
from each college, could become a signature program across the UIC health
science colleges. The curriculum would build knowledge and skills through didactic
and experiential learning activities that focus on patient centered care, quality,
safety and efficacy in health systems delivery, collaborative care, and health
equity. The curriculum would also include interprofessional training opportunities
at community based clinical sites. This program could be developed through an
Interprofessional Council that works with each health science college and that is
supported through an administrative partnership between the OVPHA/OVCHA and
Office of the Provost.
 Build a pipeline
Coordinate and track campus-wide programs that support underrepresented
minorities at the secondary and post-secondary levels through STEM education
into the health professions and beyond, documenting the impact of investment in
disadvantaged students on developing a diverse workforce. Additionally, identify
and pursue partnerships with two-year colleges and other community education
programs to achieve the following:



Advance the pipeline in health professions education, particularly for
underrepresented groups.
Develop curriculum for emerging mid-level occupations such as health care
navigators, care coordinators and community health workers.
Develop joint programs that require both associate level and baccalaureate
or master’s level training (e.g., physician assistants).
 Develop programs around non-clinical emerging workforce needs
Include colleges from throughout the campus, particularly the College of
Education, the School of Continuing Education, and the School of Public Health
(Division of Health Policy and Administration), and the College of Business
Administration in the development of online and blended professional degree and
certificate programs to train health care managers, actuaries, and health systems
and safety analysts.

Prioritize placement in medically underserved areas and underrepresented
disciplines
Set targets in each health science college for placing graduates in medically
underserved areas and in primary care or subspecialty fields that are
underrepresented (for instance, pediatrics) and identify state and federal funds for
scholarships and other incentives to meet those targets. Develop tracking systems
to monitor performance.
3
4
Task Force Members
Task Force
Representative
Saul Weiner (Co-Chair)
Title/Department
Vice Provost for Planning and Programs*
Surrey Walton (Co-Chair)
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacy
Systems, Outcomes and Policy, College of Pharmacy
Jonathan Art
John Hickner
Associate Dean, Graduate College
Professor, Division of Health Policy and
Administration, School of Public Health
Interim Executive Director, Institute for Patient
Safety Excellence, College of Medicine
Associate Dean for Prevention and Public Health
Sciences, College of Dentistry
Executive Director, Care Innovation, College of
Nursing
Associate Dean and Director, Admissions, Special
Curricular Programs, College of Medicine
CIO & Executive Director, Academic Computer &
Communication Center
Professor of Clinical Family Medicine, College of
Medicine
Nicole Kazee
Senior Director, Health Policy and Programs
Mary Keehn
Robert Kaestner
Martin MacDowell
Associate Dean, College of Applied Health Sciences
Professor, Institute of Government and Public Affairs
Executive Director, University Office of Governmental
Relations, University of Illinois
Associate Director & Research Associate Professor,
National Center for Rural Health Professions/ Dept.
Family and Community Medicine, College of MedicineRockford
Christopher Mitchell
Associate Dean, Jane Addams College of Social Work
Marieke Schoen
Bernard Turnock
Associate Dean, College of Pharmacy
Chief Operating Officer, Cook County Department of
Health
Associate Professor & Assistant Information Services
Librarian, University Library
Assistant Vice Chancellor, Office of the Vice
Chancellor for Research
Executive Director, Urban Health Program
Clinical Professor, Division of Community Health
Sciences, School of Public Health
Nancy Valentine (5-14- )
Associate Dean for Practice, Policy and Partnerships,
College of Nursing
Beth Calhoun
William Chamberlin
Caswell Evans
Kathy Christiansen
(through 5/14)
Jorge Girotti
Cynthia Herrera
Lindstrom
Katherine "Kappy" Laing
Terry Mason
Cleo Pappas
Lisa Pitler
Jamila Rashid
5
*Laura Stempel in the Office of VPPP provided extensive support with researching
and preparing report.
6
PROVOST’S CHARGE TO THE HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
TASK FORCE
November 26, 2013
Dear Colleagues:
Thank you for agreeing to serve on the Health Care Workforce Development
task force, which will hold its first meeting on December 10. I appreciate your
willingness to help the campus to begin thinking about how we can align future
health care needs with the education and training we offer.
As the leading supplier of the state’s health care professionals, the University of
Illinois at Chicago as a whole, and particularly the seven Health Science
Colleges, have a fundamental investment in the future of Illinois’ health care
workforce. Changing needs, the impact of the Affordable Care Act, and
predictions of increasing practitioner shortages make it crucial that we
understand what we can and should do to ensure that UIC continues to produce
the high quality health care workforce Illinois requires. How will upcoming
changes affect Chicago and the State?
This task force is charged with analyzing UIC’s capacity to train successful
health care professionals in numbers that will meet the State’s future
needs. The Affordable Care Act mandates financial support to increase primary
care providers and allied health workers through grants, scholarships, and loan
repayment programs -- but how do we make the case to federal and state
funders? What academic programs or community partnerships will have to be
expanded or contracted? Do we need new kinds of training? Should we
consider new certificate or degree programs?
To provide strategic guidance to the campus in planning to address workforce
needs and to align the campus with funding priorities to finance those needs, I
ask this task force to develop answers to the following questions:



What sort of workforce will be needed to serve the citizens of Illinois,
Chicago, and our catchment in five years? In ten years?
Which of these workforce needs do we view as an opportunity and
responsibility for UIC to fulfill?
What will UIC need to do over the next ten years in order to meet
these responsibilities and goals?
The answers to these and other questions will play an important part in UIC’s
planning for the next several years. I look forward to hearing the task force’s
ideas about the how to meet these new challenges as well as the opportunities
the changing health care scene will offer.
Sincerely,
7
Lon S. Kaufman
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost
8
I.
PREPARATORY WORK OF THE TASK FORCE
The task force was convened to consider the impact of a number of
anticipated changes in health care needs and delivery systems. Experts
predict that an aging and increasingly diverse population and the
implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)1 will have significant effects
on the health care workforce, increasing demand for some specialties and
occupations, decreasing others, and creating a need for new ones. In
addition, the rising cost of tuition and the burden of large student loans,
along with decreasing state support, are likely to affect students’ decisions
about which, if any, health care professions to pursue. The goal of the task
force was to consider how UIC might respond to these changes by educating
a workforce that meets future needs.
Task force members were selected because of their experience with the
issues at hand, whether as researchers and administrators dealing directly
with health care workforce issues or as representatives of UIC’s seven health
science colleges. Along with staff in the Office of the Vice Provost of Planning
and Programs, a small group of task force members with specific expertise in
health policy, economics, and data collection identified resources and data
needs and proposed priorities and hypotheses for the larger group to
consider. This group accomplished the following set of tasks:




compiled datasets on numbers and types of health care programs and
trainees across UIC;
compiled and reviewed national and regional reports on the health
care workforce and on emerging federal and state funding
opportunities to support health care workforce development;
commissioned a study to extract data from the National Bureau of
Labor Statistics dataset for health care occupations for Illinois, the
Midwest, and the U.S. including changes in numbers of people hired
and wages; and
elicited information on health workforce education priorities and plans
by surveying all seven of UIC’s health science colleges.
The resulting data is reported below and resources gathered to support the
task force’s work are listed in Section A16 of the appendix. The survey of
health science colleges asked the following two questions:

1
Are you aware of any strategic planning initiatives to adjust the numbers
of trainees or to establish, revise, or eliminate programs based on
assessments of emerging workforce needs? If so, can you please describe
them?
A Glossary appears in section A17 of the appendix.
9
Responses: None of the colleges indicated that they plan their educational
programs around workforce data, although some colleges are responsive
to major trends (particularly in social work and some programs in the
applied health sciences).

Can you describe the factors that do in fact determine the numbers and
kinds of health professions training programs your college supports?
Responses: Colleges indicated that program planning in health
professions education consists of determining program types, program
size, curriculum, location, and partnerships. College decisions about
which programs to expand, contract, revise, eliminate, replace, and link
to other programs is driven by demand (can we recruit good students?),
tuition rates (can we cover our costs?), competition (are other programs
emerging in the region?), resources (do we have clinical training sites,
faculty, and lab space?), and new opportunities (federal or state grants,
international interest, etc.).
II.
WORKFORCE DEMOGRAPHICS: WHAT DO THE NUMBERS SHOW?
The task force commissioned a report on recent trends in health occupations
based on data compiled by the Office of Employment Statistics in the
National Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Employment and wage data on
health care related occupations for the five-year period from 2008 to 2012
were collated by state, region and nationally in order to track changes that
indicated which occupations could be considered in demand. Occupations
were identified as having increased in demand if there was an increase in
both employment and wages over the five-year period; those with declines
in both employment and wages were considered to have decreased in
demand. The complete report, including the methodology used and tables
showing additional employment and wage data, is included in the appendix
to this report.
The purpose of this exercise was threefold. First, we needed to determine
which among our approximately 80 degree and certificate programs in the
health sciences are training students for occupations that are increasing (or
decreasing) in demand as reflected in wage and job growth. Second, it was
important to identify occupations that are growing in demand for which UIC
is not currently providing training because these represent potential
opportunities. Finally, it was useful to identify in demand occupations that do
not specify particular professional degree requirements, such as “health
services managers,” for which graduates of existing UIC programs would be
well suited.
10
The following tables present the occupations in demand nationally (Table 1),
in the Midwest (Table 2), and in Illinois (Table 3) between 2008 and 2012.
Each of the occupations listed has shown growth in both wages and job
numbers. For instance, there has been a 20% increase in the number of
nursing instructors and other health science teachers at the post-secondary
level, coupled with 5% wage growth adjusted for inflation.
In prognosticating about the future of the workforce, it is important to keep
in mind that these labor statistics reflect past hiring and salary trends and
therefore cannot predict what will happen in the future with any certainty.
Health care systems and the services provided by specific occupations are in
flux and it is difficult to know what impact particular changes will have. For
instance, we can predict that the health care workforce will change because
of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). However, we
cannot anticipate the extent to which that will lead to increased demand for
pharmacists, nurses and physician assistants to take up responsibilities
provided by physicians who work in primary care. Past data is also not
inclusive of new occupations that may emerge, such as those related to
coordination of care.
11
Table 1. In Demand Jobs in the U.S., 2008-2012
12
Table 2. In Demand Jobs in the Midwest, 2008-2012
Table 3. In Demand Jobs in Illinois, 2008-2012
13
Pairing the data from the Occupation Codes (OCC) of the BLS in Tables 1-3
with educational programs at UIC poses several challenges. First, they do
not necessarily match. On the one hand, the OCC may list multiple
occupations that require the same degree, some of which are in demand and
some of which are not. (That would certainly be true for the MD degree.)
Conversely, there are a number of occupational codes that are sufficiently
broad that they apply to graduates coming out of different degree programs
on campus. We have attempted to address these challenges in Tables 4 and
5.
Table 4 pairs UIC’s degree and certificate programs with occupational codes
from BLS data, indicating increasing demand at the state, regional and
national level. Note that under some of the degrees listed, related
occupational titles are indicated in italics that are taken directly from the BLS
OCC codes. For instance, Social and Community Service Managers, which
are in demand at both the state and regional level, is listed under Health
Care Administration, and associated with both the MHA and the MPH
because it seems like a relevant fit. However, it could also have been placed
with our MSW degree program. For that degree, note that we paired nine
different occupational titles, including Mental Health Counselors and Health
Educators.
Table 4. Existing UIC health science degrees and changing demand,
2008 – 2012
DEGREES Italics identify specific
occupations
Undergraduate Degrees & Minors
Health Information Management
Medical Records and Health
Information Technicians
Nursing
Nutrition
Public Health
Community and Health Service
Managers
Medical and Health Services
Managers
Graduate & Professional Degrees
Dental Medicine (Professional
Program)
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Health Informatics
Health care technical occupations
LEVELS
Increasing
demand
Regio U
State n
S
BS
x
BS
BSN
BS, Minor
BA
x
BA
x
BA
DMD
DMD
MS, MPH
MS
Decreasing
demand
Stat Regi
e
on
US
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
14
Health Professions Education
Health Care Administration
Social and Community Service
Managers
Kinesiology, Nutrition, and
Rehabilitation
Dieticians and Nutritionists
MHPE
MHA, MPH,
DrPH
x
MHA, MPH
x
x
PhD
x
PhD
x
MS
MD
MD
MD
MD
MD
MD
x
x
Nursing
Nursing Instructors and Teachers,
Postsecondary
Nursing Practice
Nursing Instructors and Teachers,
Postsecondary
Nutrition (Applied)
Occupational Therapy
Patient Safety Leadership
Pharmacy (Professional Program)
Physical Therapy (Professional
Program)
Psychology
Health care diagnosing and treating
practitioners
Industrial-Organizational
Psychologists
Mental Health Counselors
Therapists, All Other
Marriage and family therapists
MS, PhD
Epidemiologists
Health Educators
Public Health Informatics
Occupational Health and Safety
Specialists
Medical and Health Services
Managers
Social and Community Service
x
x
Medical Biotechnology
Medicine (Professional Program)
Epidemiologists
Family and General Practitioners
OB/Gyns
Pediatricians
Psychiatrists
Public Health (Professional Programs)
Occupational Health and Safety
Specialists
Public Health
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
MS, PhD
DNP
x
x
x
x
x
DNP
MS
MS, OTD
MS
PharmD
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
DPT
MA, PhD
x
x
PhD
x
PhD
PhD
PhD
PhD
MPH, MS,
PhD
MPH, MS,
PhD
MS, PhD
MPH, MS,
PhD
MPH, PhD
MPH
MS, PhD
MS, PhD,
DrPH
MS, PhD
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
15
Managers
Social Work (Professional Program)
Health Care Social Workers
Mental Health Counselors
Health Educators
Social and Community Service
Managers
Child, Family & School Social
Workers
Medical and public health social
workers
Mental health and substance abuse
social workers
Marriage and family therapists
Social workers, all other
Joint Degrees
Integrated IBHE Certificate in Oral and
Maxillofacial Surgery (Residency)
Program
Nursing
Pharmacy
Public Health
IBHE Certificate Programs
Administrative Nursing Leadership
Social and Community Service
Managers
Advanced Practice Cardiometabolic
Nursing
Advanced Practice Forensic Nursing
Advanced Practice Palliative Care
Nursing
Assistive Technology
Health care technical occupations
Basic Community Public Health
Practice
Bioinformatics Engineering
Clinical Nurse
Evidence-Based Mental Health Practice
Health Environmental Health
Informatics
Occupational Health and Safety
Specialists
Health Information Management
Management and Leadership in the
MSW,
MSW,
MSW,
MSW,
PhD
PhD
PhD
PhD
x
MSW, PhD
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
MSW, PhD
x
MSW, PhD
x
MSW, PhD
MSW, PhD
MSW, PhD
(OMFS)/MD
MBA/MS,
MPH/MS
PharmD/MBA
, PharmD/
MSCCTS,
PharmDMSH
M,
PharmD/PhD
MD/MPH
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
16
Nonprofit Disability Organization
Social and Community Service
Managers
Nurse Practitioner/Midwifery PostMaster's
Nursing Patient Safety Organizations
Occupational Health and Safety
Specialists
Patient Safety, Error Science, and Full
Disclosure
Public Health Informatics
Public Health Management
School Teaching/Learning in Nursing
and Health Sciences
Social Work Health Informatics
Health care technical occupations
Specialist Post-Master's Nursing
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Table 5 takes a different approach. Here we began with broad occupational
titles that are included in the BLS dataset, such as Medical Scientists or
Health Care Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners, placed them as bold
headings, and then listed for each one all of the UIC degree programs that
apply. For instance, under “Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists” we
list almost two dozen educational programs, including Anatomy and Cell
Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology/Biochemistry and Molecular
Genetics, etc., most of which have both pre-terminal (e.g., MS) and terminal
(e.g., PhD) degrees. Again, we indicate the demand for these broad
occupational titles at the state, regional and national levels. Because this
data is less specific, i.e. programs are clustered under broad occupational
titles – it may also be less accurate. Anatomy and Cell Biology, for instance,
is classified as increasing in demand regionally only because it falls within a
broad occupational title for which this is the case.
Table 5. Broad occupational categories with increasing demand for
which multiple academic degrees may provide qualifications
Increasing
demand
OCCUPATIONS & UNITS GRANTING DEGREES
MEDICAL SCIENTISTS, EXCEPT EPIDEMIOLOGISTS
Anatomy and Cell Biology
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology/Biochemistry and
Molecular Genetics
Bioengineering
Bioinformatics
Biomedical Visualization
Biopharmaceutical Sciences
Degrees
MS, PhD
MS, PhD
MS, PhD
MS, PhD
MS
MS, PhD
State
Region
x
x
x
x
x
x
17
US
Clinical and Translational Science
Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Rehabilitation
Medical Biotechnology
Medicinal Chemistry
Microbiology and Immunology
Neuroscience
Nursing
Oral Sciences
Pathology
Patient Safety Leadership
Pharmacognosy
Pharmacology
Pharmacy
Pharmacy
Psychology
Physiology and Biophysics
Clinical and Translational Science
Clinical and Translational Science
HEALTH DIAGNOSING AND TREATING
PRACTITIONERS, ALL OTHERS
and HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONERS
Dental Medicine (Professional Program)
MS
PhD
MS
MS, PhD
MS, PhD
MS, PhD
MS, PhD
MS, PhD
MS, PhD
MS
MS, PhD
MS, PhD
MS, PhD
PharmD/MBA,
PharmD/MSCCTS,
PharmD/MSHM,
PharmD/PhD
MS, PhD
MS, PhD
DMD/MS
MD/MS
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
DMD
x
x
x
MD
x
x
x
MS, PhD
x
x
x
DNP
x
x
x
Occupational Therapy
Pharmacy (Professional Program)
Physical Therapy (Professional Program)
MS, OTD
PharmD
x
x
x
x
x
x
DPT
x
x
x
Psychology (Clinical)
MA, PhD
Medicine (Professional Program)
Nursing
Nursing Practice
Social Work (Professional Program)
Integrated IBHE Certificate in Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgery (Residency) Program
Nursing
MSW
x
x
(OMFS)/MD
MBA/MS
x
x
x
x
x
IBHE CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS
Advanced Practice Cardiometabolic Nursing
x
x
x
Advanced Practice Forensic Nursing
x
x
x
Advanced Practice Palliative Care Nursing
x
x
x
Clinical Nurse
x
Evidence-Based Mental Health Practice
x
Nurse Practitioner/Midwifery Post-Master's
x
x
Specialist Post-Master's Nursing
x
x
x
COMMUNITY AND HEALTH SERVICE MANAGERS
18
Health care Administration
MHA, DrPH, PhD
BA, MS, MPH,
PhD
x
x
x
x
MSW
x
x
Business Administration
BBA, MBA
x
x
Public Administration
MPA, PhD
x
x
BA
x
x
BA, MS, MPH,
DrPH, PhD
x
x
x
MPA
X
x
x
BBA, MBA
x
x
x
Public Health
Social Work (Professional Program)
Non-health science degrees
Urban and Public Affairs
MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES MANAGERS
Public Health
Non-health science degrees
Public Administration
Business Administration
Note that neither Table 4 nor 5 captures pairing of degree programs with
occupational titles that may be quite specific but to which numerous
potential educational pathways are available to students at UIC. For
instance, students might qualify to be Community Health Workers,
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists, and Medical and Health Service
Managers based on skills and qualifications acquired in a variety of
undergraduate and graduate degree programs. These are indicated in blue
in the next table (see below).
The purpose of Table 6 is to highlight occupations for which UIC does not
have degree or certificate programs but that are in demand at the national,
regional or state levels. The table also indicates if degree programs exist on
the Urbana campus or, for associate degree level programs, at the City
Colleges of Chicago (CCC). For each, we note in the last two columns to the
right whether UIC should consider either opening a program or, for associate
level degrees, finding a two-year college partner. Finally, as just noted, we
highlight in blue occupations for which many of our existing degree
programs likely prepare students, but who may be unaware of emerging
occupations in the health section for which they are qualified.
19
Table 6. In demand occupations for which UIC does not have an
educational program
Blue highlighting indicates that UIC offers relevant preparation in other programs.
Increasing Demand
(Blue highlighting: UIC
offers related
Consid
educational training
er
that could qualify
Availabl Availabl
finding
students for these
Regio Illinoi
e at
e at
Conside partner
occupations)
US
n
s
UIUC
CCC
r UIC
s
Audiologists
x
√
x
Cardiovascular
Technologists and
Technicians
x
x
Community Health
√
Workers and Other
x
x
√
x
Emergency Medical
Technicians and
√
Paramedics
x
x
x
√
x
Health Technologists
and Technicians, All
Other
x
x
x
Industrialorganizational
√
psychologists
x
x
Medical and Health
Services Managers
x
x
x
x
Medical Equipment
Preparers
x
x
Medical Records and
Health Information
Technicians
x
x
x
√
x
Occupational Therapy
Assistants
x
x
x
Pharmacy Technicians
x
√
x
Physical Therapist
Assistants
x
x
x
Physician Assistants
x
x
x
Podiatrists
x
x
Psychiatric aides
x
x
√
x
Respiratory Therapists
x
√
x
Social and community
service managers
x
x
Speech-Language
√
Pathologists
x
x
x
x
Surgical Technologists
x
√
x
While Table 6 lists programs that UIC does not have but should consider
establishing, it does not take into account programs that the campus already
20
has in place that may be undersized given market demand for occupations
associated with the skills acquired in those programs. Hence, Table 7 below
lists existing programs that granted fewer than 20 degrees in AY 2013 but
prepare students for in demand occupations. This data is derived by cross
listing occupations listed in high demand in Tables 4-5 with associated
programs of relatively small size listed in Tables A11 and A12 in the
Appendix, which present enrollment and degree data for UIC’s health
sciences programs from 2009 to 2013. The programs in this table represent
additional opportunities for UIC to capitalize on workforce demand by
increasing enrollment and the number of degrees granted.
Table 7. Programs training for in demand occupations but granted
fewer than 20 degrees in AY 2013
Program
Health Professions
Education
Nursing Practice
Nursing (Research)
Nutrition
Occupational Therapy
Occupational Health
and Safety Specialists
Public Health
Degree
Occupations
MHPE
DNP
PhD
BS, MS
(Applied)
OTD
Health Educators
Health Educators, Nursing Instructors & Teachers
Nursing Instructors & Teachers
MPH, MS, PhD
DrPH, MS,
PhD
Nutritionists
Occupational Therapists
Safety technicians and specialists in occupational
health
Community Health Workers, Social & Community
Service Managers
Not fully captured in any of the data from the BLS are the emerging unmet
needs of health systems that are in a process of transformation in which
they assume both greater financial risk for the care of large numbers of
patients and concurrent accountability for maintaining or achieving measures
of quality. Such needs, for instance, will likely include extensive care
coordination provided by case managers (or some similar occupational
title[s]) who serve as the glue linking patients and their families to complex
care delivery services. Requisite skills may vary, depending on the
complexity of patient illness and the range of services and providers in an
integrated health system, but may include social work, nursing, information
technology and health care administration expertise ranging from associate
degree to graduate level skills development.
In addition, the data in Tables 4-7 do not incorporate information on UIC’s
particular areas of strength for prioritizing program development. For
instance, given its partnership with the College of Engineering, the College of
Medicine is well positioned to develop a biomedical engineering track within
the medical school curriculum to respond to regional demand for
21
bioengineers (Table 5), many of whom need clinical expertise. And UIC is
well position to provide professional development for the current workforce
through additional degree or certificate programs, such as the highly
successful RN to BSN program in the College of Nursing and a wide variety
of IBHE certificate programs that build on current institutional strengths (see
Table A10)
Finally, another limitation of the BLS data, which is an indirect driver of
other variables that impact enrollment and tuition rates (see box below), is
that it is entirely a measure of market demand rather than community need.
Unfortunately, many communities and the individuals who reside within
them cannot afford services they need, or are ethnically/racially or
geographically isolated. Serving these communities remains a signature
dimension of UIC’s mission. The university’s commitment to serving the
underserved requires admissions and other policies that ensure that lowincome students and those from underrepresented and underserved
communities have both the access and the financial means to pursue
training in the occupations of their choice. It also requires that the health
care professionals educated at UIC understand the needs of underserved
communities and the impact of health disparities.
22
THE ECONOMICS OF PROGRAM AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
As seen from the survey of UIC health science colleges, workforce development is not often
a direct factor in program planning. However, workforce demand likely impacts the
variables that influence decision-making. Specifically, when colleges make adjustments in
enrollment and tuition rates those changes generally reflect changes in the workforce
marketplace. When there is unmet workforce demand, wages for those job titles rise and
tuition rates follow (as prospective students are willing to pay more based on anticipated
higher future income). Hence, when programs increase enrollment and raise tuition they do
so because the market will bear those rates and there is a pool of qualified applicants--i.e.,
they are responding to workforce development needs.
Workforce demand, however, should not be confused with workforce need. For instance, a
community may need primary care services – services that can be provided by physicians,
nurse practitioners or physician assistants. Which health care professionals may provide
those services depends on state regulations regarding the scope of practice, level of
supervision for each type of practitioner, and whether the non-physician provider can bill
directly or under the physician’s provider number. A particular occupation is only in demand
when there is both a need for the services that practitioner is trained to provide, a
regulatory environment for credentialing of the job title, and reimbursement for the
services provided.
However, market forces are not a substitute for social policy that assures that trainees from
underrepresented minority communities or low income strata can enroll and graduate, or
the special planning and investments (such as grants, incentives, and loan payback
agreements) that may be required for graduates to work in underserved areas.
III.
MAJOR THEMES
In addition to compiling and analyzing workforce data, the task force
conducted an environmental scan of major trends that have implications for
health care workforce planning that others have documented in reports
prepared by government organizations, “think tanks,” and professional
societies. Five themes emerged and are described below.

Significant Demographic Shifts
A recent report of the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities indicated that
20% of the US population resides in communities that are medically
underserved. This problem is exacerbated by an aging population with growing
23
health care needs. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
predicts 91,000 more physicians needed by 2020. The American Association of
Colleges of Nursing anticipates 260,000 more registered nurses needed by
2025, and the Association of Schools of Public Health anticipates 250,000
additional public health workers required by 2020. Underrepresented minorities
(particularly Hispanics and African Americans) comprise over one third of the
population and continue to grow as a proportion of the total population yet only
comprise 9% of physicians, 7% of dentists, 10% of pharmacists, and 6% of
registered nurses.2
Implications: Leading educational and trade organizations project substantial
shortages based on available workforce data and demographic projections,
and also note a need for increased diversity among health care providers.
Note that the actual shortage projections may not take into account crossover in the services health professionals can provide. For instance, the
primary care physician workforce shortage may be mitigated by the training
of more nurse practitioners who can provide many of the same services.
Regardless, the evidence is that we need to train a more diverse workforce
and provide incentives to health care professionals to work in medically
underserved communities. This will require developing a workforce pipeline
that is representative of the populations they will serve, with a particular
emphasis on supporting student success in the STEM fields at the secondary
and post-secondary school levels.

Health Systems Assume More Risk for Excess Costs
University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System (UI Health) is
engaged in developing an Accountable Care Entity contractual agreement
with Medicaid for a subset of patients in which the health system will receive
a fixed sum of money monthly from each participant for coordination of care
and will, in turn, assume increasing risk while maintaining certain
benchmarks of quality. The challenge will be to increase efficiency, i.e., to
provide the same or higher quality care at lower cost.
Although not yet complete, the Office of the VPHA is conducting its own
needs assessment of the local population, the University of Illinois Survey on
Neighborhood Health (UNISON), which includes neighborhoods from
Humboldt Park to Englewood. UNISON will draw on 1,400 interviews of
residents selected from a stratified probability sample to identify unmet
needs for new programs and services, with a particular focus on uncontrolled
hypertension, diabetes, and asthma. The goal of UNISON is to identify health
2
“Developing a health workforce that meets community needs,” community-wealth.org http://communitywealth.org/content/urban-universities-developing-health-workforce-meets-community-needs. Workforce distribution maps
available through the HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (National Center for Health Work Analysis.
http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/) indicate similar workforce needs in Illinois.
24
disparities and the resources needed to address them so that UI Health can
mobilize a data driven response. This project should provide insight into the
kinds of workers and skills that support community health.
Implications: As health care systems such as UI Health are held accountable
for controlling costs while maintaining quality, they will create new job
descriptions (e.g., various types of community health workers and care
coordinators) and redesign old ones (e.g., employing pharmacists as clinical
providers for chronic care management) to increase efficiencies. This
requires avoiding overuse and misuse of medical services. UI Health will
need to develop improved collaborative care processes to assure, for
instance, that as patients transition from inpatient to outpatient care there is
detailed communication among providers and with patients and their families
that will minimize preventable readmission risk. Efficiency also requires that
all health professionals work “at the top of their license,” ensuring that
health care services are provided by the health professional who can give
safe and effective care at the lowest cost.

Emphasis on Patient Centered Care
Care that is patient centered is coordinated, comprehensive, safe and of
measurably high quality, accessible, and responsive to patients’ needs and
preferences. In particular it includes a proactive and personalized approach
to addressing the health needs of patients who may not be optimally utilizing
the resources of the health system. For instance, in patient centered medical
homes, a team of providers shares responsibility for a “panel” of patients
assigned to them. The team may utilize a data warehouse to identify
patients in their panel with poorly controlled diabetes who are not requesting
services and refer them to nutritionists, clinical pharmacists, and other
providers who can assist them with chronic disease management. They may
arrange for home visits by a community health worker who is trained to
communicate with sensitivity to relevant cultural issues and the patient’s life
context. They may also involve a home telehealth team that uses phone or
internet based technology that enables the patient to provide regular reports
on the diabetes control and obtain frequent feedback. Such approaches
avert the need for unnecessary appointments in the doctor’s office, prevent
patients from “falling through the cracks,” and make effective use of
technology, all to assure that patients get the right care at the right time,
with the aim of reducing the chances of complications and possible
admission or other high-cost interventions later.
Implications: The education of all health care providers should prepare them
to work in teams, to use technology effectively to communicate, and to
address problems proactively by accessing data and reaching out to
patients, rather than the traditional reactive approach in which the health
25
care system waits for problems to occur. There appears to be a need among
all who care for patients directly or indirectly for a set of shared
competencies in strategies essential to providing patient centered care,
including topics in health policy and planning, communication, the effective
use of technology, and collaborative decision making.

Funding Opportunities for Educational Programs and Students in Health
Sciences
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) includes public workforce provisions of
relevance to UIC because they provide education and incentives for medical
students, physicians in training, pharmacists, nurse practitioners and other
frontline providers to work in underserved areas (details are provided in
Table A13 and Section A14 of the appendix). These include the following
opportunities:

ACA public workforce provisions scheduled to expand the existing
National Health Service Corps program to increase scholarships to
primary, dental, mental and behavioral health providers who practice in
medically underserved areas. The law increases loan repayment
amounts to $50K. ($710M-810M)

Title VII Health Profession expansion to support training in primary
care, dentistry, physician assistants, and mental and behavioral health
providers and enhance workforce diversity provisions, including Centers
of Excellence, Area Health Education Centers and loan repayment and
scholarship initiatives, and enhance a program to train providers in
cultural competency, prevention, and working with individuals with
disabilities. ($214M)

Title VIII Nursing Education Programs program expansion to support
training and diversity in nursing, including student loan programs,
grants and scholarships for undergraduate and graduate nursing
education and retention, loan repayment for nursing faculty, a new
nurse-managed health clinic program, a new demonstration program
for family nurse practitioner training, and grants to help minority
individuals complete associate or advanced degrees in nursing.
($223M)

Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Grants to expand national allhazards preparedness for public health emergencies through a grant
program to respond to infectious and chronic diseases and other
conditions at state, local or tribal departments or academic centers.
($104M)
26

Expansion of the preventive medicine residency program at HRSA to
support training at schools of public health and medicine, hospitals, and
state, local or tribal health departments. ($18M)
In addition to the Affordable Care Act, another major opportunity for UIC is
the Medicaid 1115 Waiver. 1115 Waivers are submitted by states to the
federal government as requests to waive some of the standard requirements
for how states must spend Medicaid dollars to be eligible for matching
federal dollars. If approved, the waiver enables states to adopt innovative
strategies to improve care delivery at a budget neutral cost as a “pilot” for,
typically, a 5-year time period. Recently, in June 2014, Illinois, through its
Department of Health care and Family Services (DHFS) submitted a 1115
Waiver proposal to the US Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS) that included requests to allot substantial Medicaid dollars to
educational programs at UIC that would better prepare the workforce. Some
of the funds would go towards expanding existing degree and/or professional
training programs and some would establish new ones. A summary of the
proposed program expansions or additions, which were drafted by each of
the health science colleges, is included in Table A15 of the appendix. As the
waiver review process advances, it is likely that the DHFS will negotiate with
DHHS over what aspects of the waiver they are prepared to fund and, during
those negotiations, UIC will be called upon to provide greater details about
how the funds to campus health science training programs will ultimately
advance health care and health in Illinois.
Finally, private foundations are investing resources in addressing emerging
health care work force needs. For instance the John A. Hartford Foundation,
which has a particular interest in the health of older Americans, is funding
Interprofessional Leadership in Action, a portfolio of projects to develop
collaborative skills and leadership in population-based health in an aging
population.
Implications: There are funding opportunities that apply to many of the
programs and students in the health sciences at UIC. These funds reflect
federal and state priorities and conclusions about where investments will
have the highest yield. They also provide potential resources for health
science colleges and their programs and students to offset costs of education
and training.

Community Engagement and Public Health
It is evident that community based prevention is an essential component of
the health care delivery system. Wellness programs and a focus on healthy
homes, workplaces and communities can also reduce costs and extend
27
resources, especially in underserved communities. Community health care
workers and health educators are central to the effort to engage people in
promoting their own health.
Implications: By directly training public health professionals and health
educators and partnering with community colleges to create effective
curricula in other health care occupations that serve communities, UIC has
an opportunity to make a wide impact on Chicago area communities.
IV.
BUILDING A SET OF SHARED COMPETENCIES ACROSS THE
HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE
Consensus emerged among task force members that addressing workforce
needs includes developing essential competencies across all health
professions programs on campus, in part because of the increasing focus on
collaborative, pro-active, personalized care. Specifically, the task force
identified the following four areas for curriculum development:
1. Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (ICP)
Interprofessional collaborative practice occurs “when multiple workers from
different professional backgrounds work together with patients, families,
careers [sic], and communities to deliver the highest quality of care.”3
Developing the skills, knowledge and attitudes that foster ICP is the goal of
interprofessional education (IPE), which the World Health Organization
(WHO) describes as an experience that “occurs when students from two or
more professions learn about, from, and with each other.” In May 2013, the
Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences issued a
workshop report, Interprofessional Education for Collaboration: Learning
How to Improve Health from Interprofessional Models across the Continuum
of Education to Practice, concluding that:
Interprofessional education provides students with opportunities to
learn and practice skills that improve their ability to communicate and
collaborate. Through the experience of learning with and from those
in other professions, students also develop leadership qualities and
respect for each other, which prepares them for work on teams and in
settings where collaboration is a key to success. This success is
3
Solaro, Irwin A. A conceptual framework for action on the social determinants of health. Social Determinants of Health
Discussion Paper 2 (Policy and Practice. World Health Organization, 2010. World Health Organization Discussion Paper 2.
http://www.who.int/social_determinants/corner/SDHDP2.pdf
28
measured by better and safer patient care as well as improved
population health outcomes.4
The IOM report details how IPE works as a tool for achieving the “triple aim
constructed by the Institute of Health care Improvement (IHI) of . . . better
patient care, better health outcomes, and more efficient and affordable
educational and health care systems” (p. 26).
To date, UIC has made significant headway in introducing interprofessional
education to the campus, mostly through the volunteer efforts of a group of
faculty from the health science colleges who established the Collaborative for
Excellence in Interprofessional Education (CEIPE). CEIPE has organized two
large seven-college IPE events and raised the profile of IPE greatly on
campus. In addition, the Office of the Provost has covered costs and, most
recently, invested in a part-time position for a faculty member from CEIPE to
advance IPE, including facilitating the development of an IPE strategic plan.
2. Patient Centered Care (PCC)
The IOM defines PCC as “Providing care that is respectful of and responsive
to individual patient preferences, needs, and values, and ensuring that
patient values guide all clinical decisions.” 5 In practice, PCC has considerable
overlap with ICP, because providing patients with personalized care often
requires the coordinated effort of teams. For instance, providing patients
with complex chronic health care needs with care that addresses individual
barriers– e.g., financial, social, and educational – often requires the close
coordination of nurses, pharmacists, social workers, physicians and an array
of other members of the health care team. PCC also requires effective
communication strategies, including health coaching skills, motivational
interviewing, cultural competency, attention to health literacy, and shared
decision making.
3. Health Systems, Policy and Finance
Health professions education often ill prepares future clinicians and health
care leaders to be patient advocates in a complex health system. Effective
organizations achieve meaningful measures of quality, safety and efficacy
while controlling costs. Such success requires that the health care
professionals within these organizations have the knowledge, skills and
attitudes to advance these goals. They also need to understand the drivers
4
Institute of Medicine. Interprofessional Education for Collaboration: Learning How to Improve Health from Interprofessional
Models Across the Continuum of Education to Practice: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press,
2013, p. 7.
5
Institute of Medicine. Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National
Academies Press, 2001, p. 6.
29
of change in the larger health care environment, including Medicare,
Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and the healthcare marketplace. Few are
prepared with a foundation of knowledge to lead within their own
organizations or to participate in local and national debate. There is also
little formal education about the continuum of care, including home health
and hospice services, skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation settings, or nontraditional care delivery options such as telehealth or group care
approaches. However, because nearly all who participate directly or
indirectly in patient care have an impact on quality and patient safety, an
understanding of the causes of medical error and the drivers of quality and
performance is essential.
4. Health Equity
Since the IOM’s 2002 report to Congress, “Unequal Treatment: Confronting
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care,”6 there has been heightened
attention to health equity, defined by WHO as “the absence of unfair and
avoidable or remediable differences in health among population groups
defined socially, economically, demographically or geographically.” 7 The
emphasis of the term “health equity” is not simply on addressing disparities
but on responding to avoidable differences in health. It is a call to action
across society. For healthcare professionals it calls for addressing
assumptions and biases that can undermine equity, beginning in the earliest
stages of their health professions education. It also requires an
understanding of the barriers to establishing healthy communities and the
roles health professionals can play in addressing them.
Establishing a signature UIC cross college curriculum: opportunities and
challenges
Developing a set of core competencies across the health science professions
in these four broad areas is integral to addressing emerging workforce needs
because the increasing emphasis on team-based care and the emergence of
new healthcare paraprofessionals require that all team members understand
their colleagues’ roles. At a minimum, an interdisciplinary cross-college
course for all graduate and professional students in the health sciences
would introduce them to basic content, themes and the acquisition of
competencies as listed above. In addition, for students interested in
acquiring greater depth in a particular area, further training could be
available to students who enroll in specific tracks through which they acquire
6
Institute of Medicine. Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care (full printed version).
Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2003.
7 Solaro, p. 12.
30
added expertise in topics such as patient centered care or health systems
management.
Establishing such a program would include considering the following:
 Convening a working group that draws faculty from each of the health
science colleges. Faculty would be selected who are already leading or
teaching courses that address one or more of the topics in the proposed
collaborative curriculum. Innovative strategies for building on existing
curricular foundations would be explored. For instance, existing courses
need not be eliminated but instead might be-cross listed so that students
could readily participate, gaining credits towards their degree.
 In addition to the classroom elements, the collaborative curriculum
would provide a strong experiential learning component, primarily in the
clinical or community setting, but also through simulation. All of UIC’s
clinical training programs have extensive clinical practice curricula,
typically following a didactic training component of one or more years.
There are rich opportunities here for IPE in which, for instance, nursing,
medical, pharmacy, physical therapy students and others rotate with
peers, particularly during the elective time that is often available in the
final phases of their training. (These IPE collaborative experiences would
require addressing the enrollment and tuition issues noted below.)
 Along with the interprofessional approaches described above,
individual health science programs may develop internal tracks for
students interested in cultivating advanced skills in one of the core
competency areas. Students could apply to or opt in to such tracks at the
start of their training. These programs are already available, but could be
expanded to include cross-college collaboration. Currently, students in the
College of Medicine may apply to the Urban Medicine Program, which
prepares them for practicing in an urban context, with an overview of the
health policy, advocacy, and care planning challenges inherent in caring
for underserved urban patients in their communities. More recently the
COM has established a parallel program in Global Health. In addition, the
Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy have programs specifically targeted to
provide practitioners in rural and urban practice at both the Rockford and
Urbana campuses. Such tracks, which have generally been successful
could expand and incorporate IPE.
 Developing a tuition model for cross-college participation should not
disadvantage colleges when students take their courses. Current policy,
which provides for $150 per credit hour for cross-college participation in
graduate level courses for credit, is intended to offset losses when an
31
occasional student takes courses in another college. It is not designed for
extensive cross-college collaboration. Facilitating enrollment in courses
across colleges that assures equity will require modifications to tuition
sharing within the structure of UIC’s current RCM tuition model. A
working group that draws on education and finance leaders in the
colleges along with staff in the Office of the Provost would develop
solutions.
Although developing a tuition model for collaborative curricula is critical to
the alignment of health science education at UIC, there are also other
promising sources of revenue to develop the initiative. In particular, the
1115 Medicaid Waiver may provide substantial funds. The OVPHA/OVCHA
has anticipated this opportunity and is developing a proposal along the
lines detailed above to anticipate discussions with DHFS as it works with
DHHS in finalizing the waiver.
V.
RESPONSES TO THE THREE QUESTIONS IN THE CHARGE
1. What sort of workforce will be needed to serve the citizens of
Illinois, Chicago, and our catchment in five years? In ten years?
Although predicting workforce needs is inexact, the current evidence
indicates a need for the following:





greater numbers of primary care providers, including primary care
physicians, dentists, nurses, physician assistants, and geriatricians;
increased distribution of providers to underserved areas, including
rural and low-income urban communities;
professionals and mid-level providers who facilitate care coordination,
including social workers, patient navigators, patient health assistants,
community health workers, and telehealth technicians;
providers who are trained to work in teams to coordinate care using
technology and understanding of each other’s roles and skills; and
information managers trained in medical and health informatics and
health systems management who can utilize “big data” to track
performance of providers and health systems, in terms of both quality
metrics and costs.
2. Which of these workforce needs do we view as an opportunity and
responsibility for UIC to fulfill?
As listed in Table A10 of the appendix, UIC has approximately 80 health
science degree and certificate programs spanning an extraordinary range of
professional and skills development from traditional clinician provider
programs such as medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, occupational and
32
physical therapy, to public health, informatics, bioengineering, clinical and
translational research, management, and patient safety leadership.8
UIC has an opportunity and, according to its mission, a responsibility to do
the following:



systematically incorporate data on workforce needs into decisions
about which programs to expand, establish, contract or eliminate;
establish a set of core competencies, ideally through an
interprofessional health science curriculum that addresses essential
topics and skills development in collaborative care, achieving health
equity, and performing efficiently (i.e., achieving consistently
personalized, high quality care while avoiding unnecessary costs) in
complex, evolving health systems; and
establish new programs that involve partnerships with two-year
colleges and that extend outside of UIC’s health science colleges to
include expertise in business and education, among others.
3. What will UIC need to do over the next ten years in order to meet
these responsibilities and goals?

Incorporate emerging workforce needs into strategic planning at the
college level
Each college should identify and set targets for existing and new programs,
informed by market trends and anticipated demands. These targets should
be revisited annually with updates to the provost and VCHA. Colleges are
encouraged, in particular, to use data and analysis provided in Tables 4-7 of
this report, which should also be updated annually as a planning resource.
Colleges should also be current about health professions programs in the
region. Data resources, such as the HRSA National Center for Health
Workforce Analysis, and the Degree Program Inventory of the Illinois Board
of Higher Education (IBHE) are listed with URLs in Section A16 of the
appendix.
 Pursue funds allocated for health care workforce development
Explore and where feasible pursue state, federal funds and foundation funds,
including those available through the Affordable Care Act and the proposed
Medicaid 1115 Waiver. In particular, the Colleges of Nursing, Dentistry, and
Medicine, the School of Public Health, and the University of Illinois Hospital
and Health Sciences System (UI Health) should develop a plan for pursuing
8
Some of these programs are located on the east side of the UIC campus rather than exclusively within the seven traditional
health science colleges that are predominantly located on the west side of campus or at Rockford, Peoria, Urbana or the Quad
Cities (Colleges of Medicine and Nursing).
33
these initiatives. The Office of the Vice President/Vice Chancellor for Health
Affairs (OVPHA/OVCHA) could play a coordinating and tracking role to assure
that campus units are aware of and informed about how to capitalize on
funding opportunities.

Develop a cross-college interprofessional curriculum addressing essential
core competencies
The collaborative curriculum, which would draw on strengths from each
college, could become a signature program across the UIC health science
colleges. The curriculum would build knowledge and skills through didactic
and experiential learning activities that focus on patient centered care,
quality, safety and efficacy in health systems delivery, collaborative care,
and health equity. The curriculum would also include interprofessional
training opportunities at community based clinical sites. This program could
be developed through an Interprofessional Council that works with each
health science college and that is supported through an administrative
partnership between the Offices of the VPHA/VCHA and the Provost.
 Build a pipeline
Coordinate and track campus-wide programs that support underrepresented
minorities at the secondary and post-secondary levels through STEM
education into the health professions and beyond, documenting the impact
of investment in disadvantaged students on developing a diverse workforce.
Additionally, identify and pursue partnerships with two-year colleges and
other community education programs to achieve the following:




advance the pipeline in health professions education, particularly for
underrepresented groups;
develop curriculum for emerging mid-level occupations such as
healthcare navigators, care coordinators and community health
workers; and
develop joint programs that require both associate level and
baccalaureate or master’s level training (e.g., physician assistants).
Develop programs around non-clinical emerging workforce needs
Include colleges from throughout the campus, particularly the College of
Education, the School of Continuing Education, and the School of Public Health
(Division of Health Policy and Administration), and the College of Business
Administration in the development of online and blended professional degree and
certificate programs to train health care managers, actuaries, and health systems
and safety analysts.
34

Prioritize placement in medically underserved areas and
underrepresented disciplines
Set targets in each health science college for placing graduates in medically
underserved areas and in primary care or subspecialty fields that are
underrepresented (for instance, pediatrics) and identify state and federal
funds for scholarships and other incentives to meet those targets. Develop
tracking systems to monitor performance.
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