WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

Current Projects

Aging of the Rural Generalist Physician Workforce: Will Some Locations Be More Affected than Others?
This study will identify rural locations with high proportions of generalist physicians nearing retirement age.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Physicians, Workforce

Community College's Contributions to the Education of Allied Health Professionals in Rural Areas of the U.S.
This study will identify rural-serving community colleges across the U.S. and their 5-year graduation trends for specific allied health professions, examine the spectrum of how rural allied health professions education currently is being allocated and delivered, and explore how community economic status and estimated regional allied health workforce demand is associated with the availability of rural community college allied health education programs.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Allied health professionals, Workforce

Dentist Supply, Access to Dental Care, and Oral Health among Rural and Urban Residents: A National Study
This study will determine whether shortages of dentists in rural areas of the U.S. are associated with impaired access to dental care and a higher prevalence of dental disease.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Dental health, Workforce

Do Rural Patients with Early Stage Prostate Cancer Gain Access to All Treatment Choices?
This research will use cancer registry data from 10 states to examine the degree to which rural residents diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer access the full range of surveillance, surgical, and radiation treatment options. Study findings will inform cancer centers, advocacy groups, rural program planners, and policymakers about services and programs needed to ensure that rural prostate cancer patients can choose from among all treatment options.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Health services

Factors Associated with Rural-Residing Registered Nurses' Choices to Work in Urban Locations and Larger Rural Cities
While larger numbers of registered nurses (RNs) are living in rural areas, research from the WWAMI RHRC shows that since 1980, a growing percentage are commuting from rural residences to work within urban and larger rural cities. This study will explore factors that may be associated with RNs' decisions to commute away from their rural areas of residence to work in less rural areas.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Mid-level practitioners, Nurses, Workforce

General and Specialist Surgeon Supply and Inpatient Procedural Content: A National Rural-Urban Study
This study will examine the degree to which access to inpatient surgical care in rural areas is affected by the diminishing workforce of general surgeons. Using inpatient surgical procedure data, we will examine the availability and content of general surgical procedures in rural and urban hospitals nationally as a function of surgeon supply.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic: Workforce

Have Rural Perinatal Health Outcomes Changed Over the Past Two Decades?
This study will determine whether rural-urban disparities in late prenatal care initiation and post-neonatal mortality found in the mid 1980s have persisted, narrowed, or increased.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Children, Health disparities, Women

Health Information Technology (HIT) Workforce Needs in Rural America
Health care increasingly relies on effective health information technology (HIT) to capture and exchange key patient information, and requires a trained workforce to implement this technology. To understand the specific needs and constraints of rural health systems to employ an effective HIT workforce, this study will survey rural primary care clinics across the country to determine their current and projected level of HIT adoption and demand for workers with HIT skills.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Health information technology, Workforce

Influence of State Policies and Practices on J-1 Visa Waiver Physicians Service in Rural Areas
This study will collect information from all states regarding their efforts to track IMG practice after their Conrad 30 program waiver obligations are satisfied, quantify long-term retention for states with available data, and assess how state policies shape IMG practice and long-term retention.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: International Medical Graduates (IMGs), J-1 Visa Waiver, Physicians, Workforce

International Medical Graduates on J-1 and H-1B Visas: Understanding Trends in their Contributions to Health Care Delivery for Rural Underserved Populations
This study will identify trends and data needs regarding the contributions of international medical graduates' on J-1 and H-1B visas (IMGs) to rural health care delivery. A workgroup of IMG research and policy stakeholders will be established to help identify IMG supply data trends, needs, and pressing policy issues, lay the groundwork for potential areas of study, data integration and data collection, as well as strengthen the policy-relevance of our work.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic: International Medical Graduates (IMGs)

Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services Workforce in Rural and Urban Areas
This study will describe the distribution of the pre-hospital emergency medical services (EMS) workforce across rural and urban areas using data from a 2008 survey of EMS agencies in nine states. Results will be used to inform policies for ensuring that rural populations have timely access to high quality pre-hospital emergency care.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS), Workforce

Rural-Urban Nurse Practitioner Distribution and the Influence of Physician and Physician Assistant Supply
Issue: While nurse-practitioners (NPs) may play an important role in alleviating persistent workforce shortages in rural areas, little is known about their rural-urban distribution and even less is known about how rural NP distribution is affected by physician and physician assistant (PA) supply in these locations. This study will explore rural-urban differences in NP, physician and PA supply using licensure data from 13 states.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Nurses, Physicians, Workforce

The Current Contribution of Physicians, Advanced Practice Nurses, and Physician Assistants to the Rural Primary Care Workforce
This two-year, multi-state study is examining the practices of rural physicians, nurse practitioners (NPs), and physician assistants (PAs) regarding their primary care visit productivity and scope of practice. Through surveys, this study will examine the contributions of physicians, NPs, and PAs by state, degree of practice rurality, practice characteristics, and primary care HPSA status in order to provide information on a range of rural primary care workforce needs.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Mid-level practitioners, Nurses, Physicians, Workforce

Use of Recommended Radiation Therapy in the Rural U.S.
This study will use cancer registry data from 10 U.S. states to examine which rural cancer patients are receiving recommended radiation therapy, and what factors influence receipt of recommended treatment. Identifying gaps in radiation therapy will inform cancer centers, rural program planners, and policy makers in rural cancer service locations and cancer support program development.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Health services

WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) Rural Health Workforce Monograph: Guide for State Legislators Regarding Rural Workforce Information and Issues
This project will compile and present state-level information about the rural health workforce in the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) region, including data on various health care disciplines. The resulting monograph will illustrate issues such as the shortage of different types of health care providers in various kinds of rural locations.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Dental health, Nurses, Physicians, Workforce

Topics Centers Researchers Other Resources Search		WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Current Projects Aging of the Rural Generalist Physician Workforce: Will Some Locations Be More Affected than Others? This study will identify rural locations with high proportions of generalist physicians nearing retirement age. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Physicians, Workforce Community College's Contributions to the Education of Allied Health Professionals in Rural Areas of the U.S. This study will identify rural-serving community colleges across the U.S. and their 5-year graduation trends for specific allied health professions, examine the spectrum of how rural allied health professions education currently is being allocated and delivered, and explore how community economic status and estimated regional allied health workforce demand is associated with the availability of rural community college allied health education programs. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Allied health professionals, Workforce Dentist Supply, Access to Dental Care, and Oral Health among Rural and Urban Residents: A National Study This study will determine whether shortages of dentists in rural areas of the U.S. are associated with impaired access to dental care and a higher prevalence of dental disease. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Dental health, Workforce Do Rural Patients with Early Stage Prostate Cancer Gain Access to All Treatment Choices? This research will use cancer registry data from 10 states to examine the degree to which rural residents diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer access the full range of surveillance, surgical, and radiation treatment options. Study findings will inform cancer centers, advocacy groups, rural program planners, and policymakers about services and programs needed to ensure that rural prostate cancer patients can choose from among all treatment options. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Health services Factors Associated with Rural-Residing Registered Nurses' Choices to Work in Urban Locations and Larger Rural Cities While larger numbers of registered nurses (RNs) are living in rural areas, research from the WWAMI RHRC shows that since 1980, a growing percentage are commuting from rural residences to work within urban and larger rural cities. This study will explore factors that may be associated with RNs' decisions to commute away from their rural areas of residence to work in less rural areas. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Mid-level practitioners, Nurses, Workforce General and Specialist Surgeon Supply and Inpatient Procedural Content: A National Rural-Urban Study This study will examine the degree to which access to inpatient surgical care in rural areas is affected by the diminishing workforce of general surgeons. Using inpatient surgical procedure data, we will examine the availability and content of general surgical procedures in rural and urban hospitals nationally as a function of surgeon supply. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topic: Workforce Have Rural Perinatal Health Outcomes Changed Over the Past Two Decades? This study will determine whether rural-urban disparities in late prenatal care initiation and post-neonatal mortality found in the mid 1980s have persisted, narrowed, or increased. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Children, Health disparities, Women Health Information Technology (HIT) Workforce Needs in Rural America Health care increasingly relies on effective health information technology (HIT) to capture and exchange key patient information, and requires a trained workforce to implement this technology. To understand the specific needs and constraints of rural health systems to employ an effective HIT workforce, this study will survey rural primary care clinics across the country to determine their current and projected level of HIT adoption and demand for workers with HIT skills. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Health information technology, Workforce Influence of State Policies and Practices on J-1 Visa Waiver Physicians Service in Rural Areas This study will collect information from all states regarding their efforts to track IMG practice after their Conrad 30 program waiver obligations are satisfied, quantify long-term retention for states with available data, and assess how state policies shape IMG practice and long-term retention. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: International Medical Graduates (IMGs), J-1 Visa Waiver, Physicians, Workforce International Medical Graduates on J-1 and H-1B Visas: Understanding Trends in their Contributions to Health Care Delivery for Rural Underserved Populations This study will identify trends and data needs regarding the contributions of international medical graduates' on J-1 and H-1B visas (IMGs) to rural health care delivery. A workgroup of IMG research and policy stakeholders will be established to help identify IMG supply data trends, needs, and pressing policy issues, lay the groundwork for potential areas of study, data integration and data collection, as well as strengthen the policy-relevance of our work. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topic: International Medical Graduates (IMGs) Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services Workforce in Rural and Urban Areas This study will describe the distribution of the pre-hospital emergency medical services (EMS) workforce across rural and urban areas using data from a 2008 survey of EMS agencies in nine states. Results will be used to inform policies for ensuring that rural populations have timely access to high quality pre-hospital emergency care. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS), Workforce Rural-Urban Nurse Practitioner Distribution and the Influence of Physician and Physician Assistant Supply Issue: While nurse-practitioners (NPs) may play an important role in alleviating persistent workforce shortages in rural areas, little is known about their rural-urban distribution and even less is known about how rural NP distribution is affected by physician and physician assistant (PA) supply in these locations. This study will explore rural-urban differences in NP, physician and PA supply using licensure data from 13 states. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Nurses, Physicians, Workforce The Current Contribution of Physicians, Advanced Practice Nurses, and Physician Assistants to the Rural Primary Care Workforce This two-year, multi-state study is examining the practices of rural physicians, nurse practitioners (NPs), and physician assistants (PAs) regarding their primary care visit productivity and scope of practice. Through surveys, this study will examine the contributions of physicians, NPs, and PAs by state, degree of practice rurality, practice characteristics, and primary care HPSA status in order to provide information on a range of rural primary care workforce needs. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Mid-level practitioners, Nurses, Physicians, Workforce Use of Recommended Radiation Therapy in the Rural U.S. This study will use cancer registry data from 10 U.S. states to examine which rural cancer patients are receiving recommended radiation therapy, and what factors influence receipt of recommended treatment. Identifying gaps in radiation therapy will inform cancer centers, rural program planners, and policy makers in rural cancer service locations and cancer support program development. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Health services WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) Rural Health Workforce Monograph: Guide for State Legislators Regarding Rural Workforce Information and Issues This project will compile and present state-level information about the rural health workforce in the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) region, including data on various health care disciplines. The resulting monograph will illustrate issues such as the shortage of different types of health care providers in various kinds of rural locations. Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Dental health, Nurses, Physicians, Workforce