Building a skilled health workforce
WHO works with countries to build the supply of health and care workers and to ensure that they have the necessary skills and competences to meet the current and future population health needs.
Future health and care workers will have different roles and tasks from today. They will need additional competencies, such as the ability to use digital health tools, including artificial intelligence, to work in interprofessional teams and to analyse and adopt new evidence. Health and care workers need to acquire new knowledge and skills throughout their careers. New ways of learning exist, including by using digital learning tools. New thinking is needed about how to attract students into the health and care professions, as occupational prestige is changing.
WHO works with countries to:
- review and update health and care education curricula and programmes, and share evidence on more diverse approaches to student selection;
- develop and strengthen the regulation and accreditation of health and care education and training institutions and programmes;
- improve continuing professional development standards and approaches for the health and care workforce, and
- facilitate access to learning opportunities where appropriate; and develop guidance and frameworks to equip health and care workers with digital competencies.
