Policy recommendation: 'Pipeline to the Health Professions' Employing health professions pipeline programs to produce and prepare future healthcare professionals, diversify the healthcare workforce, and improve the health of our nation

In the United States there is an underrepresentation of African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders and Alaska Natives in the nation's healthcare workforce. This underrepresentation in our nation's healthcare workforce is in spite of the fact that the number of racial and ethnic minorities in our nation is increasing. It is predicted that by year 2050 racial and ethnic minorities will soon become the emerging majority with Whites representing the minority group of our nation's population. Whites currently make up the majority of our healthcare workforce. The lack of racial and ethnic minority representation within the healthcare workforce is a public health concern since underrepresented minority healthcare professionals are more likely to provide accessible and culturally competent health services to these populations than non-underrepresented healthcare professionals, and underrepresented minority health professionals are more likely than their non-underrepresented peers to practice in racial and ethnic minority communities. Overall, diversity in our nation's healthcare workforce increases cultural competence, helps to eliminate healthcare disparities, and reduces inequities found in disadvantaged communities.;A paradigm shift is needed to increase the level of diversity in our healthcare workforce. This study recommends a nationwide comprehensive educational pipeline initiative, called the "Pipeline to the Health Professions," as a policy solution and an intervention strategy to ensure the recruitment of diverse racial and ethnic minorities as well as the provision of career awareness, thorough academic preparation, and holistic mentoring to begin as early as the 5th grade and persist through middle school, high school, postsecondary education, and health professions training school until entry into the healthcare workforce. Pipeline to the Health Professions is modeled after Project 3000 by 2000, a nationwide pipeline campaign implemented by the Association of American Medical Colleges to increase minority enrollment in United States medical schools.