Rural Healthcare Workforce – Models and Innovations

These stories feature model programs and successful rural projects that can serve as a source of ideas and provide lessons others have learned. Some of the projects or programs may no longer be active. Read about the criteria and evidence-base for programs included.

Other Project Examples

Military Medics and Corpsmen Program
Updated/reviewed September 2023

• Need: To help veterans transition into civilian healthcare careers.
• Intervention: MMAC and healthcare employers in urban and rural Virginia provide employment and education opportunities to veterans seeking civilian medical credentials.
• Results: MMAC has been able to assist over 636 veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses find healthcare employment.

Implementation of a Nursing Veterans' Initiative to Transform Education (INVITE)
Updated/reviewed August 2023

• Need: To support rural veterans pursuing a career in nursing.
• Intervention: The INVITE program improved the curriculum and reworked admission requirements to better support veteran students' experiences in the College of St. Scholastica undergraduate nursing program.
• Results: The number of veterans pursuing nursing has more than doubled since program implementation, and all students have reported an increased interest in serving rural communities.

Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) Rural Fellowship
Added August 2023

• Need: To increase recruitment and retention of health professionals in rural western North Carolina.
• Intervention: The Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) Rural Fellowship offers mentorship, education, research support, and community-building opportunities for local providers in their first year of practice.
• Results: Of the 30 fellows who have completed the program since 2017, 97% are still practicing in rural areas; 87% are still practicing in rural western North Carolina.

SCDMH Emergency Department Telepsychiatry Consultation Program
Updated/reviewed February 2023

• Need: The shortage of mental health professionals in rural South Carolina resulted in an influx of patients admitted to emergency departments who were in need of psychiatric care.
• Intervention: South Carolina Department of Mental Health (SCDMH) partnered with The Duke Endowment to create the SCDMH Emergency Department Telepsychiatry Program. Rural emergency departments can now reach a psychiatrist to assess a patient via telehealth.
• Results: The program has improved access, affordability, and provided quality care for rural providers and patients with mental illness.

Mississippi Rural Health Fellowship Certification
Updated/reviewed January 2023

• Need: A way to recognize Mississippi healthcare professionals and medical students for their rural-specific experience and expertise.
• Intervention: The Mississippi Rural Health Association created a certification that recognizes rural health experience and also fosters a greater understanding of rural-specific policies, regulations, and needs in the healthcare field.
• Results: Fellowship recipients receive statewide recognition for the time and dedication they have put into improving rural health in Mississippi.

ASPIN's Certified Recovery Specialist Program
Updated/reviewed September 2022

• Need: Improved approach in addressing the behavioral health and primary care disparities of Indiana's underserved rural counties.
• Intervention: A network was established that trained community health workers (CHWs) to be certified health insurance enrollment navigators and provide mental health services.
• Results: This year, ASPIN trained 230 CHWs, cross-trained 70 behavioral health case managers as CHWs, and 35 individuals in the Indiana Navigator Pre-certification Education.

Frontier Area Rural Mental Health Camp and Mentorship Program (FARM CAMP)
Updated/reviewed September 2022

• Need: To reduce the shortage of behavioral health professionals in rural Nebraska.
• Intervention: A week-long camp teaches high school students in rural and tribal communities about different career options in behavioral health and provides mentorship after the camp ends.
• Results: In 2022, 10 high school students participated in the camp, and a former camper returned to present on their work in a psychology lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.