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Rural Health Information Hub

Telehealth Models to Improve Workforce Development

The rural healthcare workforce is composed of professionals and paraprofessionals who deliver healthcare services to people living in rural areas. These include physicians; advanced practice clinicians, such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners; registered nurses; nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides; and medical assistants, among other personnel. Barriers, including shortages of healthcare professionals, transportation challenges, and financial constraints, can prevent rural communities from developing and retaining a skilled workforce. Many programs have developed evidence-based and promising models to improve workforce development in rural communities.

This toolkit describes two telehealth models for improving workforce development: