Welcome to ourSDG Editorial Board Membersblog collection. We are hearing from the Editorial Board Members of the BMC Series journals whose work aligns with achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Here you can find other posts in this collection, grouped with the tag ‘SDG editorial board members’.
我是加拿大注册营养师（RD），对营养和饮食学，健康管理和护理理论进行跨学科培训。通过我的研究计划，，，，I create new knowledge that empirically defines the characteristics of work settings that facilitate evidence-based, timely use of allied health services while also supporting allied health professional’s (AHPs) innovative behaviors, career satisfaction, and job satisfaction and enhancing retention of these professionals, both in specific specializations and within organizations. It is clear that the actions and leadership skills of middle managers in health care settings are key to optimal workforce outcomes. Key stakeholders for my research include employment policy-makers, health administrators, and front-line supervisors and managers of AHPs. Commonly included in the classification of allied health professions are physiotherapy, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and dietetics.
加拿大RN和AHP的大多数在65岁之前退休，甚至平均保留6个月的时间更长，可能会对卫生劳动力的可持续性产生重大影响。
To date, the results of my research have been most relevant to Sustainable Development Goals5号: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, and数字8：促进所有人的持续，包容和可持续的经济增长，充分和富有成效的就业和体面的工作。在我的博士研究中，我探索注册护士（RNS）和AHP的退休决策。这结果这项研究强调了结构支持对护理人员的重要性，这是实现性别平等的关键因素（目标5.4）。还有broad representation从几以女性为主的健康职业n my analysis, these findings contribute to support for policy changes that enhance the quality of jobs (for all workers) in the health care sector (target 8.5). The majority of Canadian RNs and AHPs retire well before the age of 65, and retaining them for even an average of 6 months longer could have significant impacts on the sustainability of the health workforce.
从那时起，我将注意力集中在RD劳动力上，这是女性的绝大多数。我已经完成了三项研究，一identifying reasons for variations in job turnover within clinical settings, a second (in press) exploring RDs’ capacity for and interest in innovation, and a third (submitted) exploring the experience and motivation of RDs working concurrently in health care and as independent sales consultants for network marketing companies. The results of these studies have highlighted how undervalued RDs feel and how few growth opportunities they encounter in their professional work. Such experiences in the health workforce are likely shared across the allied health professions as there are many similarities in the characteristics of employment for AHPs and many allied health professions are female-dominated. Were health administrators to take actions based on my research findings, such as by supporting and providing opportunities for personal growth and development in the workplace and/or by rewarding individual AHP successes, they would be contributing to women’s full and effective participation in the health workforce (target 5.5) and their full and productive employment (target 8.5). The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated existing shortages of health professionals, including AHPs, particularly in rural and underserved areas; taking action to support the retention of health professionals, such as by effectively addressing SDGs 5 and 8, enhances the sustainability of health services.
这re are several challenges I have encountered in building my research program. First, because work in health human resources straddles “work” and “health” research, it can be considered too human resource-oriented for funders of health research and too health-oriented for funders of human resources research. I continue to gain skills in grant-writing and to seek out mentors to help me frame my work optimally for funding opportunities. Second, the COVID-19 pandemic has limited the capacity for research activities within health care settings. As a result, it has been difficult to pursue plans for on-site interventional research that may provide empirical evidence to support practices identified in survey and qualitative research as facilitating improved AHP job retention, innovativeness, job satisfaction, and career satisfaction. This summer, I look forward to conducting a study exploring the process and rationale supporting RD redeployment during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.
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