Career Outlook
There is a current and predicted future shortage of qualified faculty within the health professions. The National League of Nursing has studied faculty workforce issues extensively and notes that each year since 2009 an increasing number of qualified students are turned away due to faculty shortages. Based on national data collected annually by the Physician Assistant Education Association, physician assistant program directors continue to rank the lack of available applicants as a significant barrier to filling open faculty positions. The Bureau for labor and statistics anticipates the need for Pharmacists to grow by 6%, Dentists by 19%, and Social Workers by 16% through 2026. Each year qualified applicants are turned away from training programs due to lack of faculty in these disciplines. An advanced degree in Health Professions Education can contribute to the development of faculty with the skills needed for evidence-based teaching, research, and service expected of the professoriate. Graduates of the degree will be prepared to apply the skills they have acquired to employment in academic centers, as well as local, state, and government positions in healthcare and education.