Developing Future Public Health Leaders Trained in Long-term Care Administration

America's population is rapidly aging. Long-term care leaders have not been considered part of the public health workforce. The enumeration of long-term care into the public health workforce taxonomy has not occurred. This article examines the extent of graduate public health education oriented to long-term care and provides a case study of a successful curriculum at East Carolina University (ECU).

Web sites displaying the curriculum of 135 graduate programs/schools accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) were analyzed for graduate long-term care orientation. A case-study approach was used to describe the integration of long-term care into the Master of Public Health (MPH) Health Policy Administration & Leadership concentration at ECU.

A review of 135 CEPH graduate MPH programs from January to July 2019 found that only 8 institutions offered graduate courses in long-term care administration. Of the 8, ECU Brody School of Medicine Department of Public Health was the only program directly linking coursework to licensure as a long-term care administrator. Program graduates total 30, which include 5 MPH students currently completing their Administrator in Training. At time of graduation, 17 students had obtained North Carolina licensure.

Because of increases in population aging, this requires a public health workforce with skills and training in the care of older adults. Formal recognition of long-term care workers as an integral part of the public health workforce is needed. The Institute of Medicine called for this action more than a decade ago.