National cross-sectional study of the sociodemographic characteristics of Aotearoa New Zealand’s regulated health workforce pre-registration students: a mirror on society?

Abstract

ObjectivesTo provide a sociodemographic profile of students enrolled in their first year of a health professional pre-registration programme offered within New Zealand (NZ) tertiary institutions.DesignObservational, cross-sectional study. Data were sought from NZ tertiary education institutions for all eligible students accepted into the first ‘professional’ year of a health professional programme for the 5-year period 2016–2020 inclusive. Variables of interest: gender, citizenship, ethnicity, rural classification, socioeconomic deprivation, school type and school socioeconomic scores. Analyses were carried out using the R statistics software.SettingAotearoa NZ.ParticipantsAll students (domestic and international) accepted into the first ‘professional’ year of a health professional programme leading to registration under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003.ResultsNZ’s health workforce pre-registration students do not reflect the diverse communities they will serve in several important dimensions. There is a systematic under-representation of students who identify as Māori and Pacific, and students who come from low socioeconomic and rural backgrounds. The enrolment rate for Māori students is about 99 per 100 000 eligible population and for some Pacific ethnic groups is lower still, compared with 152 per 100 000 for NZ European students. The unadjusted rate ratio for enrolment for both Māori students and Pacific students versus ‘NZ European and Other’ students is approximately 0.7.ConclusionsWe recommend that: (1) there should be a nationally coordinated system for collecting and reporting on the sociodemographic characteristics of the health workforce pre-registration; (2) mechanisms be developed to allow the agencies that fund tertiary education to base their funding decisions directly on the projected health workforce needs of the health system and (3) tertiary education funding decisions be based on Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the foundational constitutional agreement between the Indigenous people, Māori and the British Crown signed in 1840) and have a strong pro-equity focus.

What are heads of department looking for in new general surgeons in Aotearoa New Zealand?

“…16,17 Addressing the under-representation of indigenous health professionals is a globally acknowledged step in overcoming health inequities in indigenous populations. [18][19][20] M aori and Pasifika remain underrepresented in the AoNZ health workforce, 18,21 failing to meet the targets outlined in RACS Strategic Plans. [22][23][24] There are numerous barriers to women achieving a career in surgery 25,26 and despite outnumbering men in medical schools, 21 they are significantly under-represented in surgical specialties.…”

“…[18][19][20] M aori and Pasifika remain underrepresented in the AoNZ health workforce, 18,21 failing to meet the targets outlined in RACS Strategic Plans. [22][23][24] There are numerous barriers to women achieving a career in surgery 25,26 and despite outnumbering men in medical schools, 21 they are significantly under-represented in surgical specialties. 25,27 Despite efforts by RACS and New Zealand Association of General Surgeons (NZAGS) to increase diversity in the general surgical workforce, much work remains to be done.…”

Socio-demographic profile of medical students in Aotearoa, New Zealand (2016–2020): a nationwide cross-sectional study

“…4 Previously we have reported on students accepted into the first 'professional' year of all health professional programmes leading to registration under the NZ Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 19 during the 5-year period 2016-2020. 20 The purpose of this substudy is to report on the students accepted to study medicine (starting in Year 2) between 2016 and 2020 inclusive to document whether medical student cohorts in NZ mirror NZ's society. 20 and are summarised.…”

“…20 The purpose of this substudy is to report on the students accepted to study medicine (starting in Year 2) between 2016 and 2020 inclusive to document whether medical student cohorts in NZ mirror NZ's society. 20 and are summarised.…”