Healthcare Workforce Starting Points

Find out how to use RHIhub to learn about and address issues related to the healthcare workforce.

Introduction to Health Workforce Issues and Data

The Rural Healthcare Workforce topic guide provides an overview of the broad issues impacting the rural health workforce, including supply and demand, distribution of the workforce, shortage designations, and more. The guide is informed by expert reviewers, along with publications, websites, news, organizations, and more from a wide range of federal agencies, national organizations, and other reputable sources.

Many other RHIhub Topic Guides focus on particular health concerns, such as Oral Health or Mental Health, and include information focused on the related workforce.

The Rural Data Explorer includes county-level workforce data. Select Health Workforce in the "Select Indicator" menu for options. RHIhub also produces rural health workforce maps and charts.

Information for Healthcare Facilities Recruiting Workforce

The Recruitment and Retention for Rural Health Facilities topic guide discusses strategies and approaches that can be used to attract and keep healthcare providers in rural communities.

The Scholarships, Loans, and Loan Repayment for Rural Health Professions topic guide includes Healthcare Facilities Recruiting Providers: How to Become an NHSC Site, a brief overview of requirements and next steps for that program.

The J-1 Visa Waiver topic guide focuses on hiring International Medical Graduates who have done their medical training under the J-1 visa exchange visitor program.

How to Develop a Workforce Program

Rural Health Models and Innovations features health workforce projects, that have been undertaken in rural communities, with information on the services provided, audiences served, results, and lessons learned.

The Rural Monitor features a wide range of health workforce approaches undertaken in rural communities, with articles focused on specific programs, features that look at workforce issues from multiple angles, and interviews with insights from rural health experts.

The Evidence-Based Toolkits for Rural Community Health provide step-by-step guidance on how to build rural community health programs. Many of these toolkits include a workforce component for the type of program being described. Two of the toolkits, the Community Health Workers Toolkit and Community Paramedicine Toolkit, focus entirely on specific workforce approaches.

For additional information on these types of workforce programs, see the Community Health Workers in Rural Settings and Community Paramedicine topic guides.

Educating the Rural Health Workforce

The Education and Training of the Rural Healthcare Workforce topic guide introduces a range of strategies to help educate the rural health workforce, along with funding options to help support that education.

The Online Library’s Funding and Opportunities section includes programs for health professions faculty, health workforce education and training, interprofessional training, health workforce pipeline programs, and more.

For additional information on how educators and faculty can use RHIhub to support their work, see the Educator Starting Points.

Financial Aid for Students and Health Professionals

The Scholarships, Loans, and Loan Repayment for Rural Health Professions provides detailed information to help students and health professionals interested in working in rural health understand their options. It also includes targeted information:

Resource and Referral Service

RHIhub can help you find additional information on a wide variety of topics related to the rural health workforce. Contact info@ruralhealthinfo.org for customized assistance. This service is staffed Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Central.