The mission of the Center for Health Workforce Development in Tennessee is to achieve an abundant, competent, and motivated healthcare workforce through statewide collaboration, strategies, and solutions.
To attain the goals set forth in our mission, the Center will develop resources and initiate programs in the following key areas:
Data Clearinghouse
- Serve as a statewide clearinghouse to coordinate all related organizations in data collection, projections, and planning.
- Coordinate with regional liaisons to identify specific needs and issues.
- Identify and disseminate information about successful initiatives and best practices.
- Develop and maintain a website for the Center.
Resource Development
- Investigate, identify, and access the various types of support available from governmental sources.
- Provide technical, educational, and informational resources to hospitals to help them develop more qualified healthcare workers for their communities.
Marketing and Image
- Provide a proactive voice for appropriate workforce development.
- Develop public service announcements to educate the general public about health professions.
- Obtain and/or develop advertising materials that enhance the image of and promote recruitment and re-entry into health professions.
Recruitment and Retention
- Promote statewide strategies, such as image campaigns, high school programs, and re-entry programs that encourage students to select health professions.
- Promote and/or support recruitment and retention programs, such as scholarships, grants, tax incentives, loan forgiveness, etc.
- Develop, promote, and support programs encouraging re-entry into healthcare professions.
- Work with educational institutions to develop and implement local healthcare worker recruitment and retention strategies.
- Develop strategies to enhance the healthcare work environment to improve recruitment and retention, such as those leading to more "employee friendly" work environments.
- Work to improve the image and culture of the healthcare workplace, such as in Southwest Airlines' slogan, "serious about business and a fun place to work."
Education
- Promote communication and collaboration among healthcare professionals, educators, regulators, and employers to identify and address healthcare education needs and issues.
- Promote and support efforts to recruit and retain healthcare education faculty.
- Collaborate with educational institutions providing health professions training:
- Develop comprehensive linkages (K-12, community college, and university) to promote and prepare for health careers.
- Promote health science education programs for 9th through 12th grades.
- Assist in developing internship programs and clinical sites - 9th through 12th grades.
- Promote total articulation/seamless education between nursing programs in the state.
- Assess the needs of allied health programs and develop partnerships with hospitals to provide:
- Training sites
- Financial support for schools
- Job opportunities
- Encourage working healthcare professionals to interact with educators and their students.
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