Rebuilding the nation's health care workforce: WorkForward

Health care systems know the challenge all too well: The health care workforce is not growing fast enough to meet demand. This means:

• Patients wait longer for care

• Staff burnout and turnover continue to rise, increasing reliance on expensive and temporary agency staff

• Training pathways cannot scale to meet workforce needs

The traditional ways of training health care workers simply will not resolve health care workforce shortages. By 2038, these gaps are projected to only grow. Among the most concerning are likely shortages of:

• 108,960 registered nurses

• 60,610 physical therapists

• 12,770 respiratory therapists

Source: National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA)

The issue is not a lack of talent — it is a lack of coordination.

Addressing the structural gap

Health care employers, schools, colleges and workforce systems all contribute to talent development, but they often operate in silos.

• Education is not aligned to workforce demand

• Programs turn away qualified students

• Clinical training capacity is limited

UW Health, the health care system affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has spent more than a decade building workforce pathways that connect people directly to health care careers.

Today, UW Health is at the forefront, operating one of the largest employer-embedded health care apprenticeship models in the nation, with nearly 100% of apprentices who complete the program moving into a role at UW Health.

Building on this experience, UW Health launched a new, national nonprofit: WorkForward. Read about the launch of the program.

WorkForward is an employer-led intermediary helping health systems strengthen and scale workforce pipelines. This includes:

Proven results

Growing and sustaining the health care workforce means patients have access to the care they need, when and where they need it. The apprenticeship model, or “earn while you learn,” is the driving force behind the success of UW Health’s career pathways programs.

Since 2018, UW Health has achieved:

• 700+ adult registered apprentices trained

• 250+ youth (high school) apprentices trained

• 95% completion rate

• 100% employment outcome result

These results exceed national benchmarks and demonstrate that apprenticeship and degree-integrated earn-and-learn pathways can serve as a core workforce strategy.

Addressing the health care workforce shortage requires investment in long-term infrastructure, not short-term solutions.

Philanthropic partners play a critical role in accelerating adoption, scaling proven models and expanding access to health care careers.

Investment in WorkForward supports:

• Expansion of workforce pathways and apprenticeships across health systems

• Development of tools, research and implementation resources

• Growth of a national employer network

• Alignment of workforce systems at scale

Together, we can build a stronger health care workforce and expand opportunity in communities across the country. Please email edunker@uwhealth.org for more information.

WorkForward is the first employer-based intermediary in health care, aligning employers, educators, governing bodies and other entities that share talent development goals and outcomes.

The WorkForward team will consult with employment organizations, schools and health care organizations to provide tailored strategies for workforce development, offering side-by-side support to launch or expand apprenticeships, youth career pathways and experiential learning — all customized to local regulations, partners and priorities.

WorkForward leadership

• Bridgett Willey, PhD, Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer

• Eric Dunker, PhD, Chief Business Development and Strategy Officer

• Marshall Behringer, Manager, Partnerships and Consulting Services

Connect with us to learn more about partnership or funding opportunities. Contact: workforward@uwhealth.org