Workforce

Current Projects

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

Community College's Contributions to the Education of Allied Health Professionals in Rural Areas of the U.S.
Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Allied health professionals, Workforce
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.

Dentist Supply, Access to Dental Care, and Oral Health among Rural and Urban Residents: A National Study
Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Dental health, Workforce
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.

Factors Associated with Rural-Residing Registered Nurses' Choices to Work in Urban Locations and Larger Rural Cities
Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Mid-level practitioners, Nurses, Workforce
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.

General and Specialist Surgeon Supply and Inpatient Procedural Content: A National Rural-Urban Study
Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic: Workforce
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.

Health Information Technology (HIT) Workforce Needs in Rural America
Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Health information technology, Workforce
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.

Influence of State Policies and Practices on J-1 Visa Waiver Physicians Service in Rural Areas
Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: International Medical Graduates (IMGs), J-1 Visa Waiver, Physicians, Workforce
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.

Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services Workforce in Rural and Urban Areas
Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS), Workforce
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.

Rural-Urban Nurse Practitioner Distribution and the Influence of Physician and Physician Assistant Supply
Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Nurses, Physicians, Workforce
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.

The Current Contribution of Physicians, Advanced Practice Nurses, and Physician Assistants to the Rural Primary Care Workforce
Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Mid-level practitioners, Nurses, Physicians, 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.

WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) Rural Health Workforce Monograph: Guide for State Legislators Regarding Rural Workforce Information and Issues
Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Dental health, Nurses, Physicians, Workforce
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.

Topics Centers Researchers Other Resources Search		Workforce Current Projects Aging of the Rural Generalist Physician Workforce: Will Some Locations Be More Affected than Others? Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Physicians, Workforce This study will identify rural locations with high proportions of generalist physicians nearing retirement age. Community College's Contributions to the Education of Allied Health Professionals in Rural Areas of the U.S. Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Allied health professionals, Workforce 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. Dentist Supply, Access to Dental Care, and Oral Health among Rural and Urban Residents: A National Study Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Dental health, Workforce 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. Factors Associated with Rural-Residing Registered Nurses' Choices to Work in Urban Locations and Larger Rural Cities Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Mid-level practitioners, Nurses, Workforce 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. General and Specialist Surgeon Supply and Inpatient Procedural Content: A National Rural-Urban Study Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topic: Workforce 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. Health Information Technology (HIT) Workforce Needs in Rural America Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Health information technology, Workforce 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. Influence of State Policies and Practices on J-1 Visa Waiver Physicians Service in Rural Areas Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: International Medical Graduates (IMGs), J-1 Visa Waiver, Physicians, Workforce 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. Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services Workforce in Rural and Urban Areas Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Emergency medical services (EMS), Workforce 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. Rural-Urban Nurse Practitioner Distribution and the Influence of Physician and Physician Assistant Supply Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Nurses, Physicians, Workforce 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. The Current Contribution of Physicians, Advanced Practice Nurses, and Physician Assistants to the Rural Primary Care Workforce Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Mid-level practitioners, Nurses, Physicians, 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. WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) Rural Health Workforce Monograph: Guide for State Legislators Regarding Rural Workforce Information and Issues Research center : WWAMI Rural Health Research Center Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) Topics: Dental health, Nurses, Physicians, Workforce 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. Related Topics These related topics also list current projects: Allied health professionals (1 item) International Medical Graduates (IMGs) (2 items) Mid-level practitioners (2 items) Nurses (4 items) Physicians (7 items)

Workforce

Current Projects

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