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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Recruitment and retention of health professionals

South Carolina's Rural Health Action Plan
Describes South Carolina's plan to improve rural health outcomes, including 5 areas of focus, 15 recommendations, and 50+ action steps, intended to spur progress over the following 3-5 years. Focus areas include access to care, community assets leadership and engagement (CALE), economic development, education, and housing.
Additional links: Brief
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Office of Rural Health
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Newly Licensed RN Retention: Hospital and Nurse Characteristics
Study of retention rates for newly licensed RNs (NLRNs) within 1 year of hire in Illinois, North Carolina, and Ohio. Analyzes retention data based on hospital characteristics including rural and urban location, hospital size, type of ownership, Magnet status, and university affiliation. Discusses implications of characteristics data and NLRN retention trends.
Author(s): Mary A. Blegen, Nancy Spector, Mary R. Lynn, Jane Barnsteiner, Beth T. Ulrich
Citation: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 47(10), 508-514
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
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Veterans Health Administration: Better Data and Evaluation Could Help Improve Physician Staffing, Recruitment, and Retention Strategies
Reviews the Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) recruitment and retention strategies, specifically for VHA physicians working in the five areas identified as mission-critical: primary care, mental health, gastroenterology, orthopedic surgery, and emergency medicine. Presents information on how many VHA physicians provide care, the extent VHA measures physician workload and productivity, and how current recruitment and retention strategies are evaluated. Addresses rural shortages and makes recommendations for improving VHA workforce development and planning based on interviews with VHA officials and a review of VHA documentation.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Minnesota: Filling the Mental Health Pipeline
Discusses the mental health workforce in Minnesota including the educational pipeline, the licensed and unlicensed workforce, regional issues related to recruitment, and policy implications. Includes data about degrees completed, licenses gained after graduation, and population-to-provider ratios of the mental health workforce in Minnesota by rural or isolated, small town or small rural, micropolitan or large rural, and metropolitan.
Author(s): Alessia Leibert, Teri Fritsma
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
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Indian Health Service Programs – A Retention Analysis: Final Report
Examines retention of Indian Health Service Scholarship and Loan Repayment Program participants after their service, whether it varies by provider type, facility characteristics, and more. Compares retention for IHS programs to National Health Service Corps (NHSC) program retention.
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, The Lewin Group, Inc.
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Innovations in Rural Health System Development: Federally Qualified Health Center Initiatives
Reports on Maine's Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Discusses strategies for workforce recruitment and retention, serving high-need patient populations, addressing critical community needs, and providing services that address the social determinants of health. Provides various examples of programs from across the state.
Author(s): Sara Kahn-Troster, Amanda Burgess, Andrew Coburn
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Catherine Cutler Institute, Maine Health Access Foundation
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Mobility of US Rural Primary Care Physicians During 2000-2014
Presents results from a study aimed at understanding which rural physicians are most likely to move, and which factors most likely contribute to that decision. Uses data from the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile between 2000 and 2014, and shows the likelihood of mobility based on gender, age, birthplace, long work commute, county unemployment rate, Rural-Urban Continuum Code (RUCC), and numerous other indicators.
Author(s): Matthew R. McGrail, Peter M. Wingrove, Stephen M. Petterson, Andrew W. Bazemore
Citation: Annals of Family Medicine, 15(4), 322-328
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
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Determinants of the 5-Year Retention and Rural Location of Family Physicians: Results from the Iowa Family Medicine Training Network
Analysis of data from 8 residency programs associated with the Carver College of Medicine. Includes statistics with breakdowns by decade of graduation, place of residency, 5-year retention rate, and rural location.
Author(s): Gregory Nelson, Thomas S. Gruca
Citation: Family Medicine, 49(6), 473-476
Date: 06/2017
Type: Document
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Integrating Community Health Workers into Complex Care Teams: Key Considerations
Examines effective strategies for integrating community health workers (CHWs) into complex care teams. Discusses factors to consider, such as recruiting and hiring, training and career progression, team integration, support and retention, and more. Includes a brief description of characteristics that are particularly important for CHWs working in rural areas.
Author(s): Jim Lloyd, Caitlin Thomas-Henkel
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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And How Long Will You Be Staying, Doctor?
Relates the personal experiences of the author, a physician practicing in rural New Mexico, on the overarching theme of high provider turnover in rural communities. Linked audio interview with the author highlights the challenges facing patients and physicians in rural areas of the U.S. Requires free account registration for full access.
Additional links: Audio Interview with the Author
Author(s): Heather Kovich
Citation: New England Journal of Medicine, 376(14), 1307-1309
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
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