Researchers from the George Washington University Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity and the Social Mission Alliance have analyzed the racial and ethnic diversity within Florida’s healthcare workforce and the graduates of health education programs. By reviewing over 20 health professions, they identified significant gaps in representation, especially among individuals who identify as Hispanic or Black.
Despite Florida being one of the most diverse states in the nation—where 55% of residents aged 20 to 35 identify as people of color—this diversity is not mirrored in many healthcare fields or among health profession graduates. The research revealed that Hispanic individuals were underrepresented in 19 of the 21 health professions examined. Although Hispanic representation among graduates of medical and nursing programs is on the rise, it still lags behind their proportion in Florida’s overall population. Alarmingly, the representation of Black graduates has decreased in 10 of the 16 professions studied, leaving them significantly underrepresented across most fields.
