Rural Healthcare Workforce – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Healthcare Workforce.
Building a Workforce to Develop and Sustain Interprofessional Primary Care Teams
Report discusses strategies for developing and sustaining an interprofessional primary care workforce. Features considerations for rural communities and healthcare systems. Makes recommendations for government agencies and key stakeholders for supporting an interprofessional, team-based primary care workforce.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Deborah J. Cohen, Kameron Matthews, Marc Meisnere, et al.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Report discusses strategies for developing and sustaining an interprofessional primary care workforce. Features considerations for rural communities and healthcare systems. Makes recommendations for government agencies and key stakeholders for supporting an interprofessional, team-based primary care workforce.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Deborah J. Cohen, Kameron Matthews, Marc Meisnere, et al.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Rural Areas Face Steep Decline in Independent Physicians and Practices
Examines the decline in numbers of independent physicians and physician-owned medical practices in rural areas and a growing shift toward hospital and corporate employment and practice ownership. Features statistics with breakdowns by state in the years from 2019 through 2024.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Physicians Advocacy Institute
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Examines the decline in numbers of independent physicians and physician-owned medical practices in rural areas and a growing shift toward hospital and corporate employment and practice ownership. Features statistics with breakdowns by state in the years from 2019 through 2024.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Physicians Advocacy Institute
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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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Preventing Violence Against Rural Health Care Workers
Policy brief discussing violence against healthcare workers and unique factors that may influence underreporting of such violence in rural areas. Offers policy recommendations to prevent healthcare worker violence in rural healthcare settings and communities and reduce barriers to reporting.
Author(s): Carrie Howard, Aaron Kramer, Devon Noonan
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Policy brief discussing violence against healthcare workers and unique factors that may influence underreporting of such violence in rural areas. Offers policy recommendations to prevent healthcare worker violence in rural healthcare settings and communities and reduce barriers to reporting.
Author(s): Carrie Howard, Aaron Kramer, Devon Noonan
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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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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The State of Rural Provider Compensation in 2024: Rural Provider & Advanced Practice Provider Compensation Survey Results
Results of a survey of over 2,841 rural providers, conducted in January and February of 2024 to provide insight into rural healthcare organizations and promote evidence-based, informed decisions when considering physician and advanced practice provider compensation. Features statistics with breakdowns by type of provider, specialty area, region, and more. Must provide email to access report.
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organizations: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, National Rural Health Association, Stroudwater Associates
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Results of a survey of over 2,841 rural providers, conducted in January and February of 2024 to provide insight into rural healthcare organizations and promote evidence-based, informed decisions when considering physician and advanced practice provider compensation. Features statistics with breakdowns by type of provider, specialty area, region, and more. Must provide email to access report.
Date: 12/2024
Sponsoring organizations: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, National Rural Health Association, Stroudwater Associates
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Effects of Rural Hospital Closures on Nurse Staffing Levels and Health Care Utilization at Nearby Hospitals
Analyzes healthcare utilization and nurse staffing levels when nearby rural hospitals close. Utilizes 2014-2019 American Hospital Association Survey data to examine vocational nurse/licensed practical nurse (LPN), registered nurse (RN), and advanced practice nurse (APN) staffing levels as well as inpatient and outpatient surgical operations and emergency department (ED) visits within 4 years of a hospital closure.
Author(s): Jing Dong, Siying Liu, Asefeh Faraz Covelli, Guido Cataife
Citation: Health Economics, 33(12), 2687-2707
Date: 12/2024
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Analyzes healthcare utilization and nurse staffing levels when nearby rural hospitals close. Utilizes 2014-2019 American Hospital Association Survey data to examine vocational nurse/licensed practical nurse (LPN), registered nurse (RN), and advanced practice nurse (APN) staffing levels as well as inpatient and outpatient surgical operations and emergency department (ED) visits within 4 years of a hospital closure.
Author(s): Jing Dong, Siying Liu, Asefeh Faraz Covelli, Guido Cataife
Citation: Health Economics, 33(12), 2687-2707
Date: 12/2024
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State of the Behavioral Health Workforce, 2024
Offers demographic and occupational data on the behavioral health workforce including current and projected shortages. Data sources include both 2022 and 2023. Offers comparisons of shortages between rural and urban counties. Discusses challenges driving workforce shortages.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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Offers demographic and occupational data on the behavioral health workforce including current and projected shortages. Data sources include both 2022 and 2023. Offers comparisons of shortages between rural and urban counties. Discusses challenges driving workforce shortages.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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State of the U.S. Maternal Health Workforce, 2024
Offers demographic and occupational data on the maternal health workforce. Data sources include various years between 2021 and 2023. Includes current and projected comparisons of the workforce with the female population of childbearing age. Table 7 includes distribution of maternal health physicians compared with the population of women of childbearing age for large metropolitan, medium metropolitan, small metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas in 2022.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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Offers demographic and occupational data on the maternal health workforce. Data sources include various years between 2021 and 2023. Includes current and projected comparisons of the workforce with the female population of childbearing age. Table 7 includes distribution of maternal health physicians compared with the population of women of childbearing age for large metropolitan, medium metropolitan, small metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas in 2022.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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State of the Primary Care Workforce, 2024
Offers data on the current state and projected estimates of the future supply of physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants offering primary care. Includes demographics as well as current and projected shortages with comparison and metropolitan and nonmetropolitan projections. Discusses challenges impacting the workforce and the impact of primary care on population health. Includes state by state data on the primary care physician workforce.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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Offers data on the current state and projected estimates of the future supply of physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants offering primary care. Includes demographics as well as current and projected shortages with comparison and metropolitan and nonmetropolitan projections. Discusses challenges impacting the workforce and the impact of primary care on population health. Includes state by state data on the primary care physician workforce.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
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Last Updated: 8/28/2025