Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health workforce
Monitoring the Workforce Outcomes of North Carolina Medical School Graduates: Retention In-State and in High Need Geographic Areas and Specialties
Summarizes workforce outcomes for physicians who graduate from North Carolina medical schools, including whether they practice in North Carolina, in rural areas, in high-need specialties, and in North Carolina safety net settings 5 years after graduation. Features statistics on 2020 North Carolina medical school graduates, with breakdowns by practice specialty and rural location.
Author(s): Evan Galloway, Erin Fraher, Nathan Tarr, Hugh H. Tilson Jr.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organizations: North Carolina Area Health Education Center Program, The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Summarizes workforce outcomes for physicians who graduate from North Carolina medical schools, including whether they practice in North Carolina, in rural areas, in high-need specialties, and in North Carolina safety net settings 5 years after graduation. Features statistics on 2020 North Carolina medical school graduates, with breakdowns by practice specialty and rural location.
Author(s): Evan Galloway, Erin Fraher, Nathan Tarr, Hugh H. Tilson Jr.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organizations: North Carolina Area Health Education Center Program, The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC) Program: Annual Data Report, 2024
Reports on the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program's AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC) Program, which focuses on increasing the size and skills of the HIV clinical workforce, improving HIV care outcomes, and decreasing HIV transmission. Provides AETC Program data for the years 2019-2024 on participants' rural/suburban/urban employment settings and training events focused on rural populations.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau
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Reports on the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program's AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC) Program, which focuses on increasing the size and skills of the HIV clinical workforce, improving HIV care outcomes, and decreasing HIV transmission. Provides AETC Program data for the years 2019-2024 on participants' rural/suburban/urban employment settings and training events focused on rural populations.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau
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Washington's Health Workforce Sentinel Network Findings Brief: Rural Health Workforce, Spring 2026
Reports on rural health workforce challenges in Washington State using survey response data from healthcare employers. Highlights topics including workforce recruitment and retention, facility-level needs and challenges, workforce pathway and early-career education strategies, and AI use.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organizations: The Health Workforce Sentinel Network, UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Reports on rural health workforce challenges in Washington State using survey response data from healthcare employers. Highlights topics including workforce recruitment and retention, facility-level needs and challenges, workforce pathway and early-career education strategies, and AI use.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organizations: The Health Workforce Sentinel Network, UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Workplace Indicators and Well-Being among Oral Health Professionals in HRSA-Funded Health Centres
Discusses survey results on the associations between 16 drivers of well-being in the workplace and job satisfaction, burnout, engagement, and retention for 2,671 dental assistants, dental hygienists, and dentists. Highlights specific drivers by provider type and includes a rural and urban comparison of the study population. Notes findings related to dentists in rural facilities.
Author(s): Jinman Pang, Simona Surdu, Sage Shirey, Jean Moore
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 4(8)
Date: 08/2026
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Discusses survey results on the associations between 16 drivers of well-being in the workplace and job satisfaction, burnout, engagement, and retention for 2,671 dental assistants, dental hygienists, and dentists. Highlights specific drivers by provider type and includes a rural and urban comparison of the study population. Notes findings related to dentists in rural facilities.
Author(s): Jinman Pang, Simona Surdu, Sage Shirey, Jean Moore
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 4(8)
Date: 08/2026
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Choosing a Falls Prevention Program That Works for Your Community
Describes how to match a falls prevention program to community needs. Highlights evidence-based programs approved by the Administration for Community Living (ACL). Discusses rural considerations regarding training demands and delivery methods.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Council on Aging
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Describes how to match a falls prevention program to community needs. Highlights evidence-based programs approved by the Administration for Community Living (ACL). Discusses rural considerations regarding training demands and delivery methods.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: National Council on Aging
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Analyzing Trends of Medicare-Participating Nurse Practitioners and Physician Associates in the United States From 2017 to 2025
Results of a study describing how the geographic distribution of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician associates (PAs) has changed. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural and urban areas and state-level maps showing increases or decreases in the numbers of NPs and PAs from 2017 to 2025.
Author(s): Ryan J. Crowley, Jag S. Lally, David M. Kline, Amanda M. Bunting
Citation: Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 38(8), 617-625
Date: 08/2026
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Results of a study describing how the geographic distribution of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician associates (PAs) has changed. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural and urban areas and state-level maps showing increases or decreases in the numbers of NPs and PAs from 2017 to 2025.
Author(s): Ryan J. Crowley, Jag S. Lally, David M. Kline, Amanda M. Bunting
Citation: Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 38(8), 617-625
Date: 08/2026
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Meeting Challenges of Staffing Rural Health Systems: Strategies and Actions in Eight Organizations
Summarizes key findings from conversations with health system leaders regarding workforce strategy and operations challenges. Describes initiatives used in rural healthcare settings to offset clinical, administrative, and technical support staffing constraints; accommodate evolving care needs; and address limitations unique to rural settings.
Author(s): Lauren Lavin, Alva O. Ferdinand, Mark Holmes, et al.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Summarizes key findings from conversations with health system leaders regarding workforce strategy and operations challenges. Describes initiatives used in rural healthcare settings to offset clinical, administrative, and technical support staffing constraints; accommodate evolving care needs; and address limitations unique to rural settings.
Author(s): Lauren Lavin, Alva O. Ferdinand, Mark Holmes, et al.
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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ADDIE-Guided Development and Pilot Feasibility Evaluation of a Prototype VR Training Simulation for Suicide Prevention among Rural U.S. Veterans
Explores the feasibility of using virtual reality (VR) workforce training modules to address the lack of specialty-trained mental health professionals serving rural veterans and to improve suicide prevention efforts. Evaluates participants' engagement in the VR environment, realism of VR scenarios, and perception of usability across different workforce groups, among other measures.
Author(s): Donna L. Schuman , Micki Washburn, Regina T. Praetorius, et al.
Citation: PLoS One, 21(8), e0345819
Date: 08/2026
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Explores the feasibility of using virtual reality (VR) workforce training modules to address the lack of specialty-trained mental health professionals serving rural veterans and to improve suicide prevention efforts. Evaluates participants' engagement in the VR environment, realism of VR scenarios, and perception of usability across different workforce groups, among other measures.
Author(s): Donna L. Schuman , Micki Washburn, Regina T. Praetorius, et al.
Citation: PLoS One, 21(8), e0345819
Date: 08/2026
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Vermont 2024 Physician Census: Statistical Report
Presents detailed profiles of physicians who renewed their licenses as of late 2024 and were providing patient care in Vermont. Features demographics and county-level statistics including primary care physician to population ratios.
Additional links: Methodology Change to Physician Reporting, Summary
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Vermont Department of Health
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Presents detailed profiles of physicians who renewed their licenses as of late 2024 and were providing patient care in Vermont. Features demographics and county-level statistics including primary care physician to population ratios.
Additional links: Methodology Change to Physician Reporting, Summary
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Vermont Department of Health
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Mapping Rural–Urban Disparities in Otolaryngology Access: A Statewide Analysis of Georgia's ENT Workforce
Examines how the supply, distribution, and training characteristics of otolaryngologists in Georgia vary by rural or urban county using Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Georgia Composite Medical Board, and American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery data. Includes data on rural and urban travel burden, subspecialty availability, and more.
Author(s): Shervin Eskandari, William E. Long, Benjamin Aderinwale, et al.
Citation: OTO Open, 10(3), e70286
Date: 08/2026
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Examines how the supply, distribution, and training characteristics of otolaryngologists in Georgia vary by rural or urban county using Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Georgia Composite Medical Board, and American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery data. Includes data on rural and urban travel burden, subspecialty availability, and more.
Author(s): Shervin Eskandari, William E. Long, Benjamin Aderinwale, et al.
Citation: OTO Open, 10(3), e70286
Date: 08/2026
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