CGFNS International has announced the establishment of the Global Health Workforce Development Institute. The institute aims to conduct research and utilize the knowledge that CGFNS International has accumulated as a credentialing service provider, in order to advance scientific understanding of health workforce roles and develop credentialing and certification programs and policies.
A press release from CGFNS International revealed that one long-term objective of the Global Health Workforce Development Institute is to create certification programs that streamline the assessment of practice competency. This will assist nurses and other healthcare professionals in achieving "work readiness" regardless of their chosen geographical location for career pursuit.
The same press release also stated that the new institute, under the leadership of Julia To Dutka, Ed.D., will encompass three centers of excellence. The Center for Global Assessment and Certification will concentrate on establishing global standards and assessing competencies in health professions. The Center for Knowledge Management will oversee CGFNS International’s education and health regulatory databases, along with other knowledge assets. It will also use educational and regulatory data to further initiatives, policies, and research in global health workforce development. Lastly, the Center for Global Research and Policy will lead the institute’s research and development agenda.
In a statement from Peter Preziosi, president and CEO of CGFNS, he said: "Amid an unprecedented health workforce crisis, and with an increasing number of health workers being displaced by the impacts of climate change and armed conflict, the patchwork quilt of standards and qualifications between countries threatens to prevent health workers from practicing to their capacities, much less helping to alleviate workforce shortages in high-need countries and improve healthcare access for underserved populations." He added that this new Institute would be at the heart of their efforts to address these challenges while facilitating mobility for health workers to practice where they desire or are needed.
