Rural Healthcare Workforce – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Healthcare Workforce.
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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Clinician Distribution and Type in Rural and Urban Areas of the National Health Services Corps
A research letter that examines long-term trends of National Health Services Corp (NHSC) physician and non-physician clinician distribution in rural versus urban areas. Utilizes the 2000-2020 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) NHSC Field Strength database to examine the percentage of NHSC primary care, mental health, and dental health clinicians practicing in rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Olesya Baker, Marcela Horvitz-Lennon, Hao Yu
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(11)
Date: 11/2024
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A research letter that examines long-term trends of National Health Services Corp (NHSC) physician and non-physician clinician distribution in rural versus urban areas. Utilizes the 2000-2020 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) NHSC Field Strength database to examine the percentage of NHSC primary care, mental health, and dental health clinicians practicing in rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Olesya Baker, Marcela Horvitz-Lennon, Hao Yu
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(11)
Date: 11/2024
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Supply and Geographic Distribution of Geriatric Physicians and Geriatric Nurse Practitioners
Results of a study to explore trends in the supply of geriatric physicians (GMDs) and geriatric nurse practitioners (GNPs) from 2010 to 2020, and disparities between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties. Features county-level maps showing geographic trends in older adults, GMDs, and GNPs among U.S. counties in 2010 and 2020, and statistics with breakdowns by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties.
Author(s): Ying Xue, Lusine Poghosyan, Qinyun Lin
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(11), e2444659
Date: 11/2024
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Results of a study to explore trends in the supply of geriatric physicians (GMDs) and geriatric nurse practitioners (GNPs) from 2010 to 2020, and disparities between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties. Features county-level maps showing geographic trends in older adults, GMDs, and GNPs among U.S. counties in 2010 and 2020, and statistics with breakdowns by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties.
Author(s): Ying Xue, Lusine Poghosyan, Qinyun Lin
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 7(11), e2444659
Date: 11/2024
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Physician Workforce: Projections, 2022-2037
Offers workforce projections for physician specialties, using data from the Health Resources and Service Administration's Health Workforce Simulation Model. Features statistics on projected supply of and demand for physicians in 2027, 2032, and 2037, projected adequacy of various physician specialties in 2037, and projected adequacy of physicians in metro and nonmetro areas in 2037.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: Bureau of Health Workforce
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Offers workforce projections for physician specialties, using data from the Health Resources and Service Administration's Health Workforce Simulation Model. Features statistics on projected supply of and demand for physicians in 2027, 2032, and 2037, projected adequacy of various physician specialties in 2037, and projected adequacy of physicians in metro and nonmetro areas in 2037.
Date: 11/2024
Sponsoring organization: Bureau of Health Workforce
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Trends in the Health Workforce Supply in the Rural U.S.
Describes trends in the supply and distribution of clinicians in primary care, behavioral health, and obstetrical care, as well as dentists, surgeons, community health workers, and home health aides. Examines the availability of workforce data for professions important for rural communities, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using various health workforce data sources for rural health research. Features statistics with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density.
Author(s): C. Holly A. Andrilla, Sara C. Woolcock, Lisa A. Garberson, et al.
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Describes trends in the supply and distribution of clinicians in primary care, behavioral health, and obstetrical care, as well as dentists, surgeons, community health workers, and home health aides. Examines the availability of workforce data for professions important for rural communities, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using various health workforce data sources for rural health research. Features statistics with breakdowns by 5 levels of population density.
Author(s): C. Holly A. Andrilla, Sara C. Woolcock, Lisa A. Garberson, et al.
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Health Care Workforce: Key Issues, Challenges, and the Path Forward
Provides an overview of the supply and distribution of physicians, nurses, direct care workers, behavioral health workers, and oral healthcare providers. Describes persistent challenges related to the healthcare workforce, including supply and distribution of healthcare workers, especially in rural communities; burnout; compensation; and administrative burden. Identifies opportunities to address these challenges and efforts supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to address these issues.
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Provides an overview of the supply and distribution of physicians, nurses, direct care workers, behavioral health workers, and oral healthcare providers. Describes persistent challenges related to the healthcare workforce, including supply and distribution of healthcare workers, especially in rural communities; burnout; compensation; and administrative burden. Identifies opportunities to address these challenges and efforts supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to address these issues.
Date: 10/2024
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Training Satisfaction and Future Employment Consideration Among Physician and Nursing Trainees at Rural Veterans Affairs Facilities in the United States During COVID-19: A Time-Series Before and After Study
Presents a study on the perceptions of trainee clinicians in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on the satisfaction they feel towards their training and future employment in rural and urban facilities and compares their answers before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Bases finding on a survey of physicians and nurses in rural and urban areas receiving training in a VA facility and compares responses from August, 2018 to July, 2021.
Author(s): Heather Northcraft, Tiffany Radcliff, Anne Reid Griffin, et al.
Citation: Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions, 21, 25
Date: 09/2024
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Presents a study on the perceptions of trainee clinicians in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on the satisfaction they feel towards their training and future employment in rural and urban facilities and compares their answers before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Bases finding on a survey of physicians and nurses in rural and urban areas receiving training in a VA facility and compares responses from August, 2018 to July, 2021.
Author(s): Heather Northcraft, Tiffany Radcliff, Anne Reid Griffin, et al.
Citation: Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions, 21, 25
Date: 09/2024
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