Posts 8AM Friday, September 6, 2024
Health Professions Professor Tom Karnosek provides expertise to statewide task force
Tom Karnosek, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, said it was an honor to serve on the statewide task force developing a plan to strengthen Wisconsin’s health care professional workforce.
Kernozek, a longtime professor of health professions/physical therapy, said Governor Evers’ Task Force on Healthcare Workers Last winter. The group met monthly from spring through summer. 10 Recommendations and 26 Action Items It addresses education and training, recruitment and retention, and regulatory policy.
Recommendations include:
- Supporting faculty teaching health professions
- Enhanced clinical training and experience
- Reducing the barriers to training
- Expanding apprenticeships and other learning opportunities
- Increased payer support for recruitment and retention
- Facilitating recruitment and retention in areas of need
- Supporting regional innovation
- Helping expand the pathway to licensure
- Strengthening state capacity to support licensing
- Increased workforce oversight and support
Karnosek said he’s proud of what the task force was able to accomplish, in large part because of the diversity of voices within the group, which was led by Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and included not only educators but also health care workers, government officials and public policy coordinators.
“The success of the task force is due to our different perspectives, an excellent planning facilitator, the Governor’s staff who understood state policy and actionable steps to implement the plan, invited speakers who provided data and additional context to support evidence-based decision-making, and open and honest dialogue throughout the process,” Karnosek said. “I felt my voice was heard and my ideas were valued.”
Addressing these issues will require a collaborative statewide effort, but universities will continue to be key drivers of workforce development solutions, Karnosek said.
“The University plays a vital role in education and training,” Karnosek said. “We serve as a pipeline to produce students who are knowledgeable and experienced in their fields and have enough clinical experience to enter the profession at the entry level. Many of the task force’s recommendations focus on education and training for health professions, which is one of the strengths of our campus.”
The Healthcare Workforce Task Force is part of Governor Evers’ “Year of the Worker” proclamation, which aims to bolster the state’s workforce in high-demand, high-need industries.
The proclamation supports a renewed focus on building a workforce ready to meet the needs of the 21st century economy, including finding sustainable solutions to retain, attract and train talented workers to address the state’s workforce shortages.
