Increasing BIPOC Representation in Healthcare Professions

Project Description Narrative:

Wisconsin’s healthcare workforce reflects a national shortage of professionals in frontline technical and professional positions. At the same time, recent studies indicate healthcare racial and ethnic disparities in our state, where Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) populations are more likely to be hospitalized and diagnosed with various conditions.

To address these disparities, and support growth in the healthcare workforce, the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) seeks to identify strategies to increase recruitment in their Healthcare Pathway, which provides cutting-edge programs to prepare students for healthcare professions. The school is the largest source of diverse talent in the region, with 55%+ students of color.

Through this project, MATC will develop messaging to encourage BIPOC students to learn about and enter their Healthcare Pathway, with hopes they will pursue higher-paying career options in the pathway and then transition to other institutions for advanced degrees. Overall, the project will contribute to efforts to support greater equity of representation in health care professionals, with longer-term better community health outcomes.