Workforce
Completed Projects
Analysis of Factors that Affect the Acceptance of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) into Medical School Training Programs
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Bureau of Health Professions
Topics:
American Indians and Alaska Natives,
Physicians,
Workforce
This study surveys those American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students who applied to the University of Washington School of Medicine over two years to identify the supports and barriers they experienced in the application process, the path they have taken if rejected from medical school, and how their medical school rejection (if rejected) may have affected their plans to enter a health profession.
Analysis of Options for Criteria to Determine Underservice
Research center:
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic:
Workforce
Analysis of Options for Revisions to the Criteria for Designation for Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) and Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs)
Research center:
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic:
Workforce
Assessing the Contribution of National Health Service Corps Alumni to Underserved Rural Communities and Minorities
Research center:
South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC)
Topics:
Economic development,
Physicians,
Workforce
Changes in the Supply, Distribution, Workload and Reimbursement Patterns of Pharmacists in Rural Areas
Research center:
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Pharmacy and prescription drugs,
Workforce
This study will examine the supply, distribution, workload, and reimbursement patterns of pharmacists in rural areas. The study will also examine pharmacy licensure data in rural vs. urban areas to study trends in pharmacy ownership patterns.
Characteristics of Rural RNs in the U.S.: Analysis of the 2000 National Sample Survey of RNs
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Bureau of Health Professions
Topics:
Nurses,
Workforce
This study used data from HRSA's 2000 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses (NSSRN) to compare rural and urban RNs' demographic characteristics, educational backgrounds and employment characteristics.
Chartbook of Family Practice Graduate Medical Education Programs in Rural America
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Physicians,
Workforce
Little is known about the volume, location, and types of rural training for family physicians. This project will produce a chartbook that makes previously unreported information about family physician residency directors more fully available to medical educators and other policymakers.
Community Health Worker Certification Process in Texas: Implications for Practice and Policy
Research center:
Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Health policy,
Hispanics,
Legislation and regulation,
Workforce
Demographics, Education and Practice Characteristics of Nurse Practitioners in Washington
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Bureau of Health Professions
Topics:
Mid-level practitioners,
Nurses,
Workforce
This 2003 survey of nurse practitioners in Washington State examines how many have been educated in-state, how many work full vs. part-time, the extent to which they provide care to underserved and rural populations, their use of newly acquired expanded drug authority, and other characteristics of their clinical practices.
Determinants of Quality of Care in Rural Communities: How Does The Health Care Infrastructure Affect Quality of Care in Rural America?
Research center:
Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Health services,
Quality,
Workforce
Development of a New Methodology for Dental Health Professional Shortage Area Designation
Research center:
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Funders:
Health Research Services Administration (HRSA),
National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
Topics:
Dental health,
Workforce
This project will develop a methodology for designating dental health professional shortage areas within the United States.
Distribution and Retention of General Surgeons in Rural Areas of the U.S.
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Health services,
Physicians,
Workforce
Establishing a Fair Payment for Rural Physicians
Research center:
Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Health policy,
Physicians,
Workforce
This project will analyze differences in physician payment as a function of practice location and simulate policy choices that change the current payment formula.
Evaluation of Alternative New Health Professional Shortage Area Designation Criteria
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC)
Topic:
Workforce
Evaluation of Washington State Shortage Designations
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic:
Workforce
Evolving Practice of Rural Primary Care Physicians
Research center:
Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
Topics:
Physicians,
Workforce
Factors that Promote the Recruitment of American Indians and Alaska Natives into (AI/ANs) Medicine
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Bureau of Health Professions
Topics:
American Indians and Alaska Natives,
Physicians,
Workforce
This study identifies factors that promote the recruitment and retention of AI/ANs into medicine through interviews with AI/AN medical students enrolled at the University of Washington.
Historical Trends in Physician Assistant Education and their Contribution to Primary Health Care for Rural and Underserved Populations in the U.S.
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Bureau of Health Professions
Topics:
Legislation and regulation,
Mid-level practitioners,
Workforce
This study describes the historical development of the physician assistant (PA) profession since 1967, with special emphasis on the demography of the PA population, the PA regulatory environment, the evolution of specialty roles, the emergence of practice location patterns, and the contribution by PAs to primary care for rural and underserved populations.
In What Types of Communities Do Rural Women Physicians Practice?
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Physicians,
Women,
Workforce
Information Technology Engineering Support for Health Resources and Services Administration Data Systems/Geospatial Data Warehouse, GIS Technologies, GEMS Support and General Office of Information Technology Systems Support
Research center:
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Health policy,
Technology,
Workforce
International Medical Graduates: Changes in Characteristics Over Time
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Bureau of Health Professions
Topics:
International Medical Graduates (IMGs),
Workforce
This study describes changes over time in international medical graduate’s (IMG’s) country of education, demographics, type of practice, specialty, and propensity to practice in needy locations from 1981 to 2001.
Is Rural Residency Training of Family Physicians an Endangered Species? An Interim Follow-up to the 1999 National BBA Study
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
International Medical Graduates (IMGs),
Physicians,
Workforce
This study examined the proportion of rural-based family medicine residencies that have ceased operations since 2000, the residency-match experiences of the surviving programs, the proportion of U.S. medical school graduates and international medical graduates, major issues confronting these rural residencies, and likely impacts of these changes on the preparation of future family physicians for rural America.
J-1 Visa Project
Research center:
Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Health policy,
International Medical Graduates (IMGs),
J-1 Visa Waiver,
Workforce
Long Term Trends in Characteristics of the Rural Nurse Workforce: A National Health Workforce Study
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Mid-level practitioners,
Nurses,
Workforce
This national study characterizes changes in the demographic, education and practice characteristics of registered nurses (RNs) in rural and urban areas from 1980 to 2004. This study provides important information for projecting future trends in rural RN supply.
National Changes in Physician Supply
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
International Medical Graduates (IMGs),
Physicians,
Workforce
This project describes the supply of allopathic and osteopathic physicians in rural and urban areas of the US. Study results will provide a current picture of rural physician supply and its variation by state and by region.
National Rural General Surgeon Project
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Health services,
Physicians,
Workforce
Occupational Mix Differences Across PPS Hospitals: Analysis of Hospital Occupation Mix Survey Data and Implications for Rural Hospital Payments
Research center:
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Hospitals and clinics,
Medicare Prospective Payment System (PPS),
Workforce
This study addresses the occupation-mix adjustment that has recently been added to the computation of the area wage index used to adjust Medicare prospective rates for all institutional health care providers. The study will review the policy objectives as well as the mechanics of the adjustment, and then analyze the data from the most recent occupation-mix survey to obtain a better understanding of occupation mix differences across labor markets and hospital types.
Pacific Basin Health Workforce and Training Project
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funders:
Bureau of Health Professions,
Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC)
Topic:
Workforce
Pacific Island Continuing Clinical Eduation Program (PICCEP)
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funders:
Bureau of Health Professions,
Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC)
Topics:
Dental health,
Physicians,
Workforce
Physician Residency Rural Training Baseline Study
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Physicians,
Workforce
Retail Pharmacies in Washington: Results of a 2003 Workforce Demand Survey
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Bureau of Health Professions
Topics:
Pharmacy and prescription drugs,
Workforce
This study surveyed retail pharmacies in Washington to estimate the demand for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and administrative/clerical staff in rural and urban areas of the state.
Role of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses in Addressing Mental Health Workforce Shortages
Research center:
Maine Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Mental health,
Nurses,
Workforce
Rural Access and State Loan Repayment for Dentists
Research center:
ORHP-funded Individual Grantees
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Dental health,
Workforce
This project will identify and evaluate the effectiveness of state loan repayment programs for dentists on improving access to rural health care. This study will establish baseline information about these programs that can be used by states to design and tailor similar programs for rural access.
Rural Dentistry: Availability, Practice, and Access
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Dental health,
Workforce
Rural Emergency Department Staffing: Implications for the Quality of Emergency Care Provided in Rural Areas
Research center:
Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Emergency medical services (EMS),
Hospitals and clinics,
Quality,
Workforce
This project will describe emergency department (ED) staffing patterns in rural hospitals; determine how the certification, training, and experience of ED physicians and other providers in different ED staffing models vary; and assess the implications of rural ED staffing for the quality of emergency care in rural areas, continuity of care, and rural EDs’ role as safety net providers.
Rural Emergency Medical Services: Workforce and Medical Direction
Research center:
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Emergency medical services (EMS),
Workforce
This two year study will examine the status of medical direction for rural EMS systems and the nature of the challenges and impediments to obtaining adequate medical direction in rural areas across the country. In addition, the study will address issues surrounding the recruitment and retention of paid and volunteer staff for rural EMS systems.
Rural Health Center Expansion and Recruitment Survey
Research centers:
South Carolina Rural Health Research Center,
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs),
Rural Health Clinics (RHCs),
Workforce
This collaborative project between WWAMI and the South Carolina Rural Health Research Centers examined and described the current staffing needs of rural health centers (HC), ascertained the staffing, recruitment, and retention issues that HC CEOs regard as most critical; distinguish edhow issues differ between CEOs contemplating development of expansion sites versus those who are not; and described how these findings correlate with the literature and current national supply projections for the categories of health professions needed by the HCs.
Rural Population and Providers: Mapping the 2000 Census
Research center:
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Rural statistics and demographics,
Workforce
Rural-Urban Physician Payment Differences Across the Nation: Methodological Changes
Research center:
Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Health policy,
Medicare,
Physicians,
Workforce
This project will simulate the effects of changes to the methodologies used to calculate the three geographic practice cost indices (GPCIs) currently used to adjust physician payment across the 89 Medicare payment areas in the U.S. and territories. Changes to the payment formula will be analyzed to determine potential impact on payment across areas and revenues for rural physician practices.
Sources and Distribution of International Medical Graduates (IMGs)
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Bureau of Health Professions
Topics:
International Medical Graduates (IMGs),
Workforce
International medical graduates (IMGs - physicians educated in medical schools other than in the U.S. and Canada) account for nearly 25% of the nation’s practicing physicians, and provide considerable amounts of care in rural areas. The University of Washington Center for Health Workforce Studies has conducted a series of studies about the sources and distribution of IMGs in the U.S.
Southeast Regional Center for Health Workforce Studies
Research center:
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Funder:
Bureau of Health Professions
Topics:
Allied health professionals,
Dental health,
Nurses,
Pharmacy and prescription drugs,
Physicians,
Workforce
The Center conducts research and analysis with the goal of improving access to an appropriate and effective health workforce in the Southeast and North Carolina. The Center draws on the resources of the Chapel Hill Campus with its five health professions schools as well as the 16-campus University of North Carolina system to respond to the information and analysis needs of health workforce policymakers in the state, the region, and the nation. The Center also collects and maintains data describing the need for and supply of health professionals, and makes these data available for research and policy analysis purposes.
State of Rural Health Provider Organizations and Health Professional Shortages
Research center:
Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Allied health professionals,
Home health,
Nurses,
Workforce
This study addresses the convergence of health professions shortages and financial limitations among rural hospitals and rural home health providers. Successful strategies or best practices implemented in rural areas to address the shortages will be identified.
State Rural Health Workforce Monograph
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Physicians,
Workforce
The Rural/Urban Practice Location Patterns of Women Medical School Graduates
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Physicians,
Women,
Workforce
While women are becoming an increasingly large percentage of the graduates of medical schools, they are much less likely to locate their practices in rural towns. This study involved a survey including questions about where the residents preferred to locate and how much they thought they would be practicing in the future.
Trends in Physician Location in Rural Towns in the U.S., 1980-95
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
Topics:
Physicians,
Workforce
Volunteer Labor and the Organizational Structure of Rural Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Providers
Research center:
Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Emergency medical services (EMS),
Workforce
Which Training Programs Produce Rural Physicians? A National Health Workforce Study
Research center:
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder:
Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics:
Physicians,
Workforce
This national study is using comprehensive, longitudinal data on medical schools and residency location to determine the extent to which the nation's medical schools and residency programs vary in their production of rural physicians by specialty.
Related Topics
These related topics also list completed projects:
