Workforce Wednesday | Florida Association of Health Science Educators

A recent survey found that 59% of healthcare workers across all age groups expect to seek a new role within the next year. Among Generation Z healthcare workers, that number rises to approximately 70%.

Those figures deserve our attention, but they should not be read simply as evidence that younger employees lack commitment. The survey points to a more complicated concern. Many healthcare professionals are looking for greater opportunities to learn, advance, and build stable careers. Although employees may want longevity, they also need to see that remaining with an organization will move them forward.

This raises an important question for health science educators and healthcare employers: How do we prepare new professionals to remain with an organization long enough to develop expertise, earn trust, assume greater responsibility, and see where that commitment may take them?

The Educator’s Role

Health science education is often focused on the immediate goal of workforce entry. Students must master technical skills, meet credentialing requirements, and demonstrate the professionalism needed to secure their first position. That preparation remains essential, but the conversation should extend beyond initial employment.

Students also need an honest understanding of how careers develop. Advancement may begin with becoming dependable in an entry-level role, seeking feedback, learning from experienced colleagues, and taking ownership of continued growth. Leadership does not always begin with a title. It may first appear through consistency, initiative, collaboration, and a willingness to support others.

Educators can help students recognize these early opportunities and understand that professional credibility is built over time. Strong clinical and employer partnerships also allow students to see examples of employees who have grown within an organization.

The Employer’s Role

Longevity cannot be treated as the employee’s responsibility alone. Healthcare organizations must give people meaningful reasons to stay.

New professionals are more likely to envision a future with an employer when they receive useful feedback, supportive mentorship, recognition for their contributions, and a clear understanding of how they can advance. Access to continued education, specialty training, expanded responsibilities, and leadership development can turn an entry-level position into the beginning of a career.

Retention begins long before an employee considers leaving. It develops through everyday experiences that show whether growth is encouraged, effort is recognized, and people are valued.

Building the Workforce Together

Preparing someone for a first healthcare job is important. Connecting that person with a workplace where a lasting career can take shape requires education and industry to work together.

Educators can prepare students to enter the workforce with realistic expectations, resilience, and a long-term view of professional growth. Employers can create environments where commitment leads somewhere. When both sides contribute, healthcare professionals are better positioned to stay, grow, and eventually guide those who follow them.

For FAHSE members, this is an opportunity to deepen conversations with students and industry partners. What are we teaching students about building a career rather than simply finding a job? What are employers doing to help new professionals imagine a future within their organizations? The answers may shape the strength and stability of Florida’s healthcare workforce.

Read the survey coverage: https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/majority-us-gen-z-healthcare-workers-eye-new-jobs-within-year-survey-shows-2026-09-16/