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

Alaska Health Care Workforce Profile: Identifying Occupations That Are Hardest to Fill
Highlights the healthcare occupations identified by rural and urban Alaska employers as the most difficult to fill. Intended to inform decisions made by workforce development communities on education and training. Presents healthcare workforce and demographic data compiled from surveys, and includes a comprehensive review of retention data.
Date: 2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Alaska Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce, Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority
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Recruitment and Retention of Mental Health Care Providers in Rural Nebraska: Perceptions of Providers and Administrators
Results from focus groups held in 4 rural regions of Nebraska during 2012 and 2013 to identify possible solutions to the mental health provider shortage in rural and frontier areas.
Author(s): Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, Lynda Madison, Katherine L Watkins, Anh T Nguyen, Li-Wu Chen
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 15(4), 3392
Date: 11/2015
Type: Document
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The Rural Obstetric Workforce in US Hospitals: Challenges and Opportunities
Details a study of the obstetric workforce and access to obstetric services in rural areas. Analyzes the results of a survey of 306 rural hospitals across the U.S. from November 2013 - March 2014. Discusses possible policy and training modifications for rural hospitals based on the study's conclusions.
Author(s): Katy B. Kozhimannil, Michelle M. Casey, Peiyin Hung, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 31(4), 365-372
Date: 10/2015
Type: Document
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Diffusion of Physicians and Access To Primary Care: The Role of Person, Program, and Place
Examines factors which influence physicians' decisions to move into or out of Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and analyzes characteristics that may cause counties to gain or lose HPSA designation, using data from 2006, 2011, and 2013. Includes statistics with breakdowns such as change in physician-to-population ratio in urban, rural HPSA, and rural non-HPSA counties from 2010 to 2012, rates of inter-county and inter-state moves among physicians from 2006 to 2013, and characteristics of physicians by category of move.
Author(s): Thomas C. Ricketts
Date: 10/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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VA Health Care: Oversight Improvements Needed for Nurse Recruitment and Retention Initiatives
Reviews Veterans Health Administration (VHA) initiatives to recruit and retain nurses and the extent to which VHA oversees these initiatives. Discusses nurse recruitment and retention concerns specific to rural areas.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 09/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Determinants of an Urban Origin Student Choosing Rural Practice: A Scoping Review
An analysis of a comprehensive literature review using Medline and PubMed databases focused on key factors that influence medical students from urban areas in Australia, Canada and the USA to choose careers in rural medicine.
Author(s): Douglas Myhre, Sameer Bajaj, Wesley Jackson
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 15(3), 3483
Date: 09/2015
Type: Document
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RHAC Brief: Nurse Practitioners in Rural Minnesota - Results of an Employer Survey
Summarizes the results of a survey conducted by the Minnesota Rural Health Advisory Committee (RHAC) of the state's Rural Health Clinics and Critical Access Hospitals to learn more about the rural nurse practitioner (NP) workforce. Describes NP use by department and discusses recruitment and retention challenges.
Date: 08/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
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Prehospital Emergency Medical Services Personnel in Rural Areas: Results from a Survey in Nine States
Results of a 2008 Centers for Disease Control survey comparing patterns of supply and demand in rural and urban areas for prehospital emergency response personnel and examining involvement of medical directors and availability of medical consultation. Includes statistics on organizations, personnel, and types of medical emergencies, with breakdowns by four population density categories.
Author(s): Davis G. Patterson, Susan M. Skillman, Meredith A. Fordyce
Date: 08/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Analysis of Context Factors in Compulsory and Incentive Strategies for Improving Attraction and Retention of Health Workers in Rural and Remote Areas: A Systematic Review
Identifies and summarizes key factors policymakers should consider when designing and implementing interventions to address shortages of qualified health workers in underserved areas. Includes data from U.S.-based and international studies, and focuses on compulsory rural services programs and financial incentives.
Author(s): Xiaoyun Liu, Lixia Dou, Huan Zhang, Yang Sun, Beibei Yuan
Citation: Human Resources for Health, 13
Date: 07/2015
Type: Document
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Recruitment of Non-U.S. Citizen Physicians to Rural and Underserved Areas through Conrad State 30 J-1 Visa Waiver Programs
Collects and analyzes information from states to recognize national trends in J-1 Visa Waivers and recruitment of international medical graduates to provide care to rural and underserved areas.
Date: 04/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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