Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health occupations

Rural Emergency Hospital Conversion: Critical Factors for EMS Support
Policy position paper focused on emergency medical services (EMS) in communities with hospitals converting to Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) status. Outlines barriers to EMS delivery in rural areas including funding, workforce, and community engagement and support. Includes policy recommendations.
Author(s): Julie Bosak, Jed Hansen
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
view details
Mental Health in Rural Areas
Policy position paper focused on mental health in rural areas. Discusses barriers and policy recommendations regarding the availability, access, and acceptability of mental health care in rural communities.
Author(s): Brenda Mack, Heather Whetsell, Janessa M. Graves
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
view details
Palliative Care for Rural Growth and Wellbeing: Identifying Perceived Barriers and Facilitators in Access to Palliative Care in Rural Indiana, USA
Presents findings from interviews with 15 palliative care providers regarding access to palliative care in rural Indiana. Identifies barriers to and facilitators of palliative care access in rural Indiana.
Author(s): Nasreen Lalani, Yun Cai
Citation: BMC Palliative Care, 21(1), 25
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
view details
How Actual Practice of Emergency Medical Services Personnel Aligns with the Recommended National Scope of Practice in Rural Versus Urban Areas of the U.S.
Results of a study examining the extent to which EMS professionals perform skills that correspond to their credential levels, and determining whether there are variations in adherence to guidelines between agencies serving rural or urban populations and agencies with unpaid versus paid staffing models. Examines credentials for emergency medical responders, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), advanced EMTs, and paramedics, and uses data from EMS encounters in 2018 from 1,056 EMS agencies nationally. Features statistics on various procedures and predictors of performing a procedure within the scope of practice model, with breakdowns by 4 levels of population density.
Author(s): Davis G. Patterson, Benjamin A. Stubbs, Nikiah G. Nudell
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
view details
From Idea to Reality: Federal Funding Supports Quapaw Nation's Community Paramedicine Program
Describes how the Quapaw Nation used federal COVID-related funding to launch a community paramedicine program. Explains how the program is serving local residents and meeting community needs.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage
Recording of February 10, 2022 testimony before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, offering recommendations for strategies to alleviate anticipated shortages in the healthcare workforce, including in rural areas. Features testimonies by representatives of the National Nurse Practitioner Residency and Fellowship Training Consortium, Xavier University of Louisiana, the National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement, and the Heritage Foundation.
Additional links: C. Reynold Verret Testimony, Margaret Flinter Testimony, Norma Quinones Testimony, Rachel Greszler Testimony
Date: 02/2022
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
view details
How States Can Expand Health Care Access in Rural Communities
Discusses policy options states could use to increase access to care and the supply of healthcare providers in rural areas. Covers financial assistance programs for medical and dental education; malpractice reform; scope of practice changes for advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants, and dental health aide therapists; telemedicine parity; and mobile clinics.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for American Progress
view details
Pandemic Increases Pressure on Rural Hospitals & Communities: Vulnerability, Health Inequity and Staffing Crisis Amplified in Pandemic's Third Year
Examines the stability of the rural healthcare safety net. Discusses disparities between rural and urban communities and communities with hospitals vulnerable to closure. Describes the benefits of COVID-19 relief funding on rural hospitals and how scheduled reimbursement cuts and staffing shortages could impact hospitals' financial stability. Also discusses how staffing shortages impact access to obstetrics and chemotherapy care in rural areas.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
view details
Insights on Educating the Rural Nursing Workforce with Jan Probst
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Dr. Jan Probst, who shares insights on the rural nursing workforce. Shares findings from her research and also covers recent issues impacting the education of the rural nursing workforce, including COVID-19.
Date: 02/2022
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Using Machine Learning to Identify Factors Associated with Practice Location of the Healthcare Workforce
Results of a study applying machine learning techniques to identify factors predicting the decision of physicians, nurses, dentists, and pharmacists to practice in a rural area. Uses data sets collected by the Utah Medical Education Council in 2014, 2016, and 2017. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural and non-rural location.
Author(s): Jerry Bounsanga, Martin S. Lipsky, Eric S. Hon, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 22(1), 7050
Date: 02/2022
Type: Document
view details