Rural Healthcare Workforce – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Healthcare Workforce.
Interstate Occupational Licensure Arrangements to Expand Access to Behavioral Health Services
Policy brief describing state-based provisions to expand behavioral health services through interstate licensure arrangements for providers. Discusses potential impact on provision of behavioral health services, including telehealth, with a focus on how expanded services might enhance access for rural residents. Features state-level maps showing where legislation has been enacted or introduced, as of November 2024.
Author(s): Natalia V. Oster, C. Holly A. Andrilla, Davis G. Patterson, Lisa A. Garberson, Janessa M. Graves
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Policy brief describing state-based provisions to expand behavioral health services through interstate licensure arrangements for providers. Discusses potential impact on provision of behavioral health services, including telehealth, with a focus on how expanded services might enhance access for rural residents. Features state-level maps showing where legislation has been enacted or introduced, as of November 2024.
Author(s): Natalia V. Oster, C. Holly A. Andrilla, Davis G. Patterson, Lisa A. Garberson, Janessa M. Graves
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Health Professional Shortage Areas: Mental Health
Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan mental health HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan mental health HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan mental health HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan mental health HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Health Professional Shortage Areas: Dental Care
Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan dental care HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan dental care HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan dental care HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan dental care HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Health Professional Shortage Areas: Primary Care
Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan primary care HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan primary care HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Printable map that shows nonmetropolitan and micropolitan primary care HPSAs on one color scale and metropolitan primary care HPSAs on another. Data source: data.HRSA.gov
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Nursing at an Inflection Point: Creating Systems of Care that Support and Value the Contributions of Nurses: 20th Annual Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Congress
Presents policy and programmatic recommendations to address valuing the impact of nursing care on patient outcomes, strengthening academic-practice partnerships, removing practice barriers for advanced practice registered nursing, and supporting the infusion of technology of nursing education and practice. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice
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Presents policy and programmatic recommendations to address valuing the impact of nursing care on patient outcomes, strengthening academic-practice partnerships, removing practice barriers for advanced practice registered nursing, and supporting the infusion of technology of nursing education and practice. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice
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Assessing the Feasibility of Creating a National Behavioral Health Workforce Database
Results of a project to determine the feasibility of developing a database of behavioral health providers and practices that offers up-to-date information to support research, policymaking, and public access. Identifies key elements, including demographics, licensure, education, and practice details. Includes information on databases focused on rural health.
Author(s): Frances Jiménez, Nicole Gauthreaux, Courtney Segal, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Results of a project to determine the feasibility of developing a database of behavioral health providers and practices that offers up-to-date information to support research, policymaking, and public access. Identifies key elements, including demographics, licensure, education, and practice details. Includes information on databases focused on rural health.
Author(s): Frances Jiménez, Nicole Gauthreaux, Courtney Segal, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Well-Being Interventions for Rural Health Professionals: A Scoping Review
Explores the literature on rural healthcare workforce interventions aimed at addressing burnout. Highlights selection criteria and compares interventions and outcomes. Aims to identify the potential efficacy of the interventions studied.
Author(s): Skye McKennon, Suzanne Fricke, Dawn DeWitt
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e12909
Date: 01/2025
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Explores the literature on rural healthcare workforce interventions aimed at addressing burnout. Highlights selection criteria and compares interventions and outcomes. Aims to identify the potential efficacy of the interventions studied.
Author(s): Skye McKennon, Suzanne Fricke, Dawn DeWitt
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e12909
Date: 01/2025
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Implementation of the Acute Inpatient Medicine—High Reliability, Learning Environment, and Workforce Development Initiative (AIM-HI) in Rural Veterans Health Administration Hospitals: A Mixed Methods Evaluation Protocol
Details a study on the efficacy of a workforce training and development initiative implemented in several rural Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals. Discusses the High Reliability, Leaning Environment, and Workforce Development Initiative (AIM-HI) and explores outcomes in terms of job satisfaction, burnout, turnover, and retention of rural VHA workforce, among other measures.
Author(s): Heather M. Gilmartin, Brigid Connelly, Marguerite Daus, et al.
Citation: Journal of Hospital Medicine, 20(1), 33-41
Date: 01/2025
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Details a study on the efficacy of a workforce training and development initiative implemented in several rural Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals. Discusses the High Reliability, Leaning Environment, and Workforce Development Initiative (AIM-HI) and explores outcomes in terms of job satisfaction, burnout, turnover, and retention of rural VHA workforce, among other measures.
Author(s): Heather M. Gilmartin, Brigid Connelly, Marguerite Daus, et al.
Citation: Journal of Hospital Medicine, 20(1), 33-41
Date: 01/2025
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Addressing Workforce Challenges Across the Behavioral Health Continuum of Care: Proceedings of a Workshop
Summary of presentations and discussions from a July 2024 public workshop to address workforce needs and challenges related to behavioral healthcare. Includes discussions of telepsychiatry collaborative care to improve rural access and capacity, and recruiting and retaining Native American healthcare providers in behavioral health settings.
Author(s): Board on Health Care Services
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Summary of presentations and discussions from a July 2024 public workshop to address workforce needs and challenges related to behavioral healthcare. Includes discussions of telepsychiatry collaborative care to improve rural access and capacity, and recruiting and retaining Native American healthcare providers in behavioral health settings.
Author(s): Board on Health Care Services
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Physician Engagement in Addressing Health-Related Social Needs and Burnout
Results of a 2022 study exploring physicians' engagement in addressing health-related social needs and its association with burnout. Supplementary material features statistics including geographic location with breakdowns by greater or less than 20% rural patient care.
Additional links: Supplementary Content
Author(s): Masami Tabata-Kelly, Xiaochu Hu, Michael J. Dill, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(12), e2452152
Date: 12/2024
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Results of a 2022 study exploring physicians' engagement in addressing health-related social needs and its association with burnout. Supplementary material features statistics including geographic location with breakdowns by greater or less than 20% rural patient care.
Additional links: Supplementary Content
Author(s): Masami Tabata-Kelly, Xiaochu Hu, Michael J. Dill, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(12), e2452152
Date: 12/2024
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Last Updated: 7/22/2025