Abstract

The health sector is dynamic with change endemic. But role assignment in the workplace is varying little by little because of the rigidities associated with professional demarcations, the long training times for many health professions and the pace and ability of educational institutions to respond to changes in the health workforce. In their article, Tzountzouris and Gilbert identify a number of issues that could inform educational institutions' response to emerging health human resource needs. This commentary discusses limitations on our thinking, the intertwined relationships between the educational and health sectors and three critical steps to take in health sector human resource planning.