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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health workforce

Where Are They? Examining General Surgery Workforce Issues
Describes challenges related to getting adequate data on the rural surgical workforce and what is needed to understand rural shortages.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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The Rural General Surgeon's Partner: Rural Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists
Describes the role that certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) play in rural surgery.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Comprehensive Rural Population Health: Where is the General Surgeon?
Provides an overview of the role that general surgeons play, discusses the importance of surgical access, and describes efforts underway to attract students into the field and to train the rural surgical workforce.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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What Makes Physician Assistant (PA) Training Programs Successful at Training Rural PAs?
Results of a study analyzing characteristics of PA programs producing high proportions of graduates who choose rural practice, using data collected from 173 programs from November 2015 through January 2016. Features statistics with breakdowns by rurally oriented and non-rurally oriented programs and those with high and low rural productivity.
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Veterans Health Administration: Steps Taken to Improve Physician Staffing, Recruitment, and Retention, but Challenges Remain
Highlights a report on the effectiveness of improvements made by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in the areas of staffing, recruitment, and retention. Discusses the successes and shortcomings of the VHA's interventions.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Oregon Washington Health Network and Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center "Tackle Everything" to Improve the Health of Local Community Members
Provides an overview of the collaboration between the Oregon Washington Health Network and the Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center. Discusses programs that include peer counselors to address behavioral health, community education related to heart disease and cancer prevention, and working with local healthcare facilities and medical schools to improve recruitment and retention.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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PAs in Rural Locations Ready to Meet Primary Care Needs
Describes characteristics of physician assistants (PAs) working in rural areas, based on data collected from 9,140 PAs for the 2018 American Academy of PAs Salary Survey. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural or urban location and by various medical specialties.
Author(s): Noel Smith
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Academy of PAs
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Mental Health-related Physician Office Visits by Adults Aged 18 and Over: United States, 2012–2014
Examines adult mental health-related physician office visits by specialty and patient characteristics. Includes information on visits to psychiatrists, primary care physicians, and other physicians in large metropolitan, medium to small metropolitan, and rural areas.
Additional links: Questions for the Lead Author, NCHStats blog
Author(s): Donald Cherry, Michael Albert, Linda F. McCaig
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Prescribing Practices of Rural Physicians Waivered to Prescribe Buprenorphine
Highlights a study on the prescribing practices of rural physicians with buprenorphine waivers, which allowed them to provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid used disorder. Findings are based on surveys of all rural physicians with a Drug Enforcement Administration prescription waiver. Breaks down data by physician specialty, practice type, and waiver type, among other factors.
Author(s): Holly A. Andrilla, Cynthia Coulthard, Davis G. Patterson
Citation: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 54(6) S3, S208-S214
Date: 06/2018
Type: Document
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Washington State Data Snapshot: Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs)
Highlights data and characteristics, such as age, sex, and number of licenses, for licensed practical nurses (LPNs) in rural and urban Washington State.
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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