Rural Healthcare Workforce – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Healthcare Workforce.
The Rural Healthcare Landscape Survey: A Behavioral Health Needs Assessment
Analyzes survey data from 437 behavioral health professionals to identify areas of opportunity for support and increasing access to behavioral healthcare providers and patients in rural areas. Data analyzed include survey participant demographics, rurality of clients and providers, amount of provider consultations, and professional well-being. Discusses areas of future research related to provider training, distribution of providers, burnout, and provider demographics.
Author(s): Douglas Knutson, Mary Louise Cashel, Cindy Juntunen, et al.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Health, Education, and Rural Empowerment Lab at Oklahoma State University
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Analyzes survey data from 437 behavioral health professionals to identify areas of opportunity for support and increasing access to behavioral healthcare providers and patients in rural areas. Data analyzed include survey participant demographics, rurality of clients and providers, amount of provider consultations, and professional well-being. Discusses areas of future research related to provider training, distribution of providers, burnout, and provider demographics.
Author(s): Douglas Knutson, Mary Louise Cashel, Cindy Juntunen, et al.
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: Health, Education, and Rural Empowerment Lab at Oklahoma State University
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Rural Primary Care Workforce: A State-Level Analysis
Provides fact sheets on the rural primary care workforce for select states in 2025. Includes maps and tables providing county-level data and rural-urban comparisons of provider to population ratios for family physicians, general internists, general pediatricians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.
Author(s): S.C. Woolcock, C.H.A. Andrilla, L.A. Garberson, J.M. Graves
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Provides fact sheets on the rural primary care workforce for select states in 2025. Includes maps and tables providing county-level data and rural-urban comparisons of provider to population ratios for family physicians, general internists, general pediatricians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.
Author(s): S.C. Woolcock, C.H.A. Andrilla, L.A. Garberson, J.M. Graves
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Rural Behavioral Health Workforce: A State-Level Analysis
Provides fact sheets on the rural behavioral health workforce for select states in 2025. Includes maps and tables providing county-level data and rural-urban comparisons of provider to population ratios for psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, social workers, and counselors.
Author(s): S.C. Woolcock, C.H.A. Andrilla, L.A. Garberson, J.M. Graves
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Provides fact sheets on the rural behavioral health workforce for select states in 2025. Includes maps and tables providing county-level data and rural-urban comparisons of provider to population ratios for psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, social workers, and counselors.
Author(s): S.C. Woolcock, C.H.A. Andrilla, L.A. Garberson, J.M. Graves
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Rural Obstetrical Care Workforce: A State-Level Analysis
Provides fact sheets on the rural obstetrical care workforce for select states in 2025. Includes maps and tables providing county-level data and rural-urban comparisons of provider to population ratios for obstetricians, advanced practice midwives, and midwives.
Author(s): S.C. Woolcock, C.H.A. Andrilla, L.A. Garberson, J.M. Graves
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Provides fact sheets on the rural obstetrical care workforce for select states in 2025. Includes maps and tables providing county-level data and rural-urban comparisons of provider to population ratios for obstetricians, advanced practice midwives, and midwives.
Author(s): S.C. Woolcock, C.H.A. Andrilla, L.A. Garberson, J.M. Graves
Date: 2025
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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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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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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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.
Additional links: Read Online
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.
Additional links: Read Online
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.
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.
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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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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