Addressing Structural Vulnerabilities in Healthcare for Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Workers

The notion of structural vulnerability addresses the challenges of caring for individual patients within the large context of power hierarchies, institutional barriers and economic inequalities. Rooted in teh concept of social determinants of health, understanding structural vulnerablities allows medical students and clinicians to more clearly and critically confront the social structures that make people sick. Migrant and seasonal agricultural workers operate within the cross-section of a number of structural vulnerabilities. In order to effectively meet the healthcare needs of migrant and seasonal agricultural workers, clinicians must have an understanding of the overlapping social, economic and political challenges facing this population. In this webinar we will examine the structural vulnerabilities of migrant and seasonal agricultural workers through the lens of immunization distarities, opioid misuse, and pain management. The faculty will present a series of case studies to illustrate the real-world impact of structural vulnerabilities on this population. Faculty will also introduce practical tools and information about structural vulnerabilities which can be incorporated into medial education to meet key domains as outlined in teh AAMC Competency-Based Learning and Assessment project.