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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health workforce

The Aging of the Primary Care Physician Workforce: Are Rural Locations Vulnerable?
Describes the rural areas of the U.S. where impending retirement threatens access to primary care, and offers potential solutions to the problem. Includes a map showing the percent of near-retirement primary care providers in nonmetropolitan areas by state.
Date: 06/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Satisfaction with Practice and Decision to Relocate: An Examination of Rural Physicians
Examines physician satisfaction with various aspects of practice and its association with decisions to continue or discontinue practicing in a rural location.
Author(s): Marc Berk, Jack Feldman, Claudia Schur, Jyoti Gupta
Date: 05/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
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The Crisis in Rural Dentistry
Discusses the need for intensified recruitment efforts to increase dental access and improve oral health in rural areas. Includes data on the supply of generalist dentists in rural areas. Proposes potential solutions that may increase the rural oral health care workforce.
Author(s): Mark P. Doescher, Gina A. Keppel, Susan M. Skillman, Roger A. Rosenblatt
Date: 04/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Threats to the Future Supply of Rural Registered Nurses
Explains how the shortages of registered nurses (RNs) in rural areas may grow as the "baby boom" generation retires and as RNs commute to larger towns and urban areas for work. Presents potential solutions to this foreseen shortage problem.
Date: 04/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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The Crisis in Rural General Surgery
Describes issues rural general surgeons face and why maintaining their supply is important in meeting the needs of the aging rural population.
Date: 04/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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The Crisis in Rural Primary Care
Describes issues facing primary healthcare in rural America including: a declining number of students choosing this career path, low compensation rates, rising malpractice premiums, professional isolation, limited time off, and the scarcity of jobs for spouses.
Date: 04/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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The 2009 Report to the Secretary: Rural Health and Human Services Issues
Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on issues related to rural America. Examines three key topics: workforce and community development, creating viable patient-centered medical homes, and serving at-risk children.
Date: 04/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Demographic, Education, and Practice Characteristics of Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners in Washington State: Results of a 2008 Survey
Describes the background and practice characteristics of advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs) who live and practice in rural and urban Washington state in 2009.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Susan M. Skillman, C. Holly A. Andrilla, Louise Kaplan, Marie-Annette Brown
Date: 04/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Specialty and Geographic Distribution of the Physician Workforce: What Influences Medical Student & Resident Choices?
Identifies factors that influence medical student and resident choices regarding medical specialties and location of practice. Specifically examining student and resident choices surrounding primary care specialties and serving rural and underserved populations. Discusses student debt and the impact of loan repayment and scholarship programs on practice setting choice.
Date: 03/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Graham Center
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The Key Role of Sole Community Pharmacists in Their Local Healthcare Delivery Systems
Presents findings from a 2008 survey of 401 community pharmacists that are the only retail provider in their community to document their extended relationships with other healthcare providers, as well as the healthcare services they offer.
Author(s): Andrea Radford, Indira Richardson, Michelle Mason, Stephen Rutledge
Date: 03/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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