Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Recruitment and retention of health professionals
Rural-Urban Comparisons of Nursing Staff Turnover among Skilled Nursing Facilities
Results of a study assessing facility-level turnover rates for nursing personnel across levels of rurality and by region, using data from 14,986 facilities. Features statistics on turnover rates in 2022, with breakdowns by total nursing staff and registered nurses only, and by rural or urban areas. Also includes a county-level map showing average nursing staff turnover rates.
Author(s): Michael D. Wirth, Nick Yell, Peiyin Hung, Elizabeth Crouch
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
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Results of a study assessing facility-level turnover rates for nursing personnel across levels of rurality and by region, using data from 14,986 facilities. Features statistics on turnover rates in 2022, with breakdowns by total nursing staff and registered nurses only, and by rural or urban areas. Also includes a county-level map showing average nursing staff turnover rates.
Author(s): Michael D. Wirth, Nick Yell, Peiyin Hung, Elizabeth Crouch
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: University of South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
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"You Can't Do Anything by Yourself": Recruiting and Retaining Mental Health Professionals in Rural America
Discusses the challenges in recruiting and retaining mental health professionals in rural areas, as well as strategies and approaches to address the need. Features a Michigan mental health center CEO and state behavioral health organizations in Nebraska and South Carolina. Also includes insights from 3RNET, which focuses nationally on rural health recruitment and retention.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Discusses the challenges in recruiting and retaining mental health professionals in rural areas, as well as strategies and approaches to address the need. Features a Michigan mental health center CEO and state behavioral health organizations in Nebraska and South Carolina. Also includes insights from 3RNET, which focuses nationally on rural health recruitment and retention.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Washington's Rural Oral Health Workforce
Highlights challenges in access to oral healthcare in rural Washington, workforce shortages, and geographic disparities. Emphasizes the need for strategies to support recruitment, retention, and training of oral health professionals in underserved areas. Features demographics and statistics on oral health professionals, with breakdowns by rural and nonrural areas, and Washington maps showing distribution of various oral health professionals, with shadings indicating rural and nonrural counties.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Highlights challenges in access to oral healthcare in rural Washington, workforce shortages, and geographic disparities. Emphasizes the need for strategies to support recruitment, retention, and training of oral health professionals in underserved areas. Features demographics and statistics on oral health professionals, with breakdowns by rural and nonrural areas, and Washington maps showing distribution of various oral health professionals, with shadings indicating rural and nonrural counties.
Date: 08/2025
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Disappearing Doctors: The Reshaping of Rural Healthcare and Its Impact on Rural Physician Recruitment
Blog post examining the shift in the number of independent physicians and practices in rural areas, and the decline in overall number of physicians practicing in these areas. Describes the rise in corporate and hospital employment and offers suggestions for recruitment strategies.
Author(s): Helen Falkner
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Jackson Physician Search
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Blog post examining the shift in the number of independent physicians and practices in rural areas, and the decline in overall number of physicians practicing in these areas. Describes the rise in corporate and hospital employment and offers suggestions for recruitment strategies.
Author(s): Helen Falkner
Date: 07/2025
Sponsoring organization: Jackson Physician Search
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Recruitment and Retention of Rural Health Professionals in Minnesota
Discusses barriers and facilitators to rural health recruitment and retention. Analyzes interview and focus group data from rural health professionals in Minnesota related to themes such as scope of practice, patient and community connections, access to housing and child care, loan forgiveness programs, and more.
Author(s): Hannah MacDougall, Selam Woldegerima, Carrie Henning-Smith, Teri Fritsma, Andrew P.J. Olson
Citation: Health Services Research, 60(3), e14453
Date: 06/2025
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Discusses barriers and facilitators to rural health recruitment and retention. Analyzes interview and focus group data from rural health professionals in Minnesota related to themes such as scope of practice, patient and community connections, access to housing and child care, loan forgiveness programs, and more.
Author(s): Hannah MacDougall, Selam Woldegerima, Carrie Henning-Smith, Teri Fritsma, Andrew P.J. Olson
Citation: Health Services Research, 60(3), e14453
Date: 06/2025
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The Workforce Outcomes of Physicians Completing Residency Training in North Carolina in 2017, 2018, and 2019
Analyzes the number and percent of residency and fellowship program graduates who completed training in 2017, 2018, and 2019 who were in practice in North Carolina and in rural areas 5 years after residency or fellowship graduation. Also examines the number and percent of physicians who completed residency training in North Carolina who were in practice in North Carolina 5 years after training for 7 high need specialties.
Author(s): Evan Galloway, Brianna Lombardi, Erin P. Fraher
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Analyzes the number and percent of residency and fellowship program graduates who completed training in 2017, 2018, and 2019 who were in practice in North Carolina and in rural areas 5 years after residency or fellowship graduation. Also examines the number and percent of physicians who completed residency training in North Carolina who were in practice in North Carolina 5 years after training for 7 high need specialties.
Author(s): Evan Galloway, Brianna Lombardi, Erin P. Fraher
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
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Washington State's Anesthesia Workforce
Provides an overview of the anesthesia care workforce in Washington State as well as a literature review related to anesthesia workforce quality and gaps. Focuses on training, career pathways, scope of practice, licensure, and employment data. Examines county-level and rural versus urban data on healthcare sites, services, and healthcare professionals providing anesthesia care. Includes workforce analyses of a variety of healthcare professionals working in anesthesia, such as nurses, oral healthcare workers, physicians, and physician assistants.
Additional links: Anesthesiologist Assistants Occupational Brief, Anesthesiologists Occupational Brief, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists Occupational Brief, Dental Anesthesia Assistants Occupational Brief, Dentists Occupational Brief, Physician Assistants Occupational Brief
Author(s): Paula M. Kett, Kyla F. Woodward, Samantha W. Pollack, et al.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Provides an overview of the anesthesia care workforce in Washington State as well as a literature review related to anesthesia workforce quality and gaps. Focuses on training, career pathways, scope of practice, licensure, and employment data. Examines county-level and rural versus urban data on healthcare sites, services, and healthcare professionals providing anesthesia care. Includes workforce analyses of a variety of healthcare professionals working in anesthesia, such as nurses, oral healthcare workers, physicians, and physician assistants.
Additional links: Anesthesiologist Assistants Occupational Brief, Anesthesiologists Occupational Brief, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists Occupational Brief, Dental Anesthesia Assistants Occupational Brief, Dentists Occupational Brief, Physician Assistants Occupational Brief
Author(s): Paula M. Kett, Kyla F. Woodward, Samantha W. Pollack, et al.
Date: 06/2025
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Workforce Studies
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3RNET Annual Report 2023-2024
Includes information on accomplishments from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024. Features statistics on referrals, placements, job postings, and technical assistance.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: 3RNET
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Includes information on accomplishments from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024. Features statistics on referrals, placements, job postings, and technical assistance.
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: 3RNET
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Current Approaches to Rural Health Workforce Challenges Need Improvement
Describes rural health disparities using data from New York's provider recruitment efforts. Features statistics on the percentage of New York-trained physicians in the states with the highest rural populations, and workforce recruitment program outcomes with breakdowns by medical specialty and urban or rural location.
Author(s): Gaetano Forte
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Association of American Medical Colleges
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Describes rural health disparities using data from New York's provider recruitment efforts. Features statistics on the percentage of New York-trained physicians in the states with the highest rural populations, and workforce recruitment program outcomes with breakdowns by medical specialty and urban or rural location.
Author(s): Gaetano Forte
Date: 05/2025
Sponsoring organization: Association of American Medical Colleges
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Inadequate EMS in Rural Wisconsin: Strategies to Improve Reliability
Examines emergency medical services (EMS) in rural Wisconsin and provides a comparative analysis of EMS across rural counties and in other states. Focuses on policy interventions, recruitment and retention, training barriers, EMS infrastructure, financial constraints, and more. Includes data from an EMS reliability survey and interview feedback from EMS professionals.
Additional links: Brief
Author(s): Francis Amedoadzi, Anthony Carreno, Sammy Rothman, Lisa Severini, Gatiosso Traore
Date: 05/2025
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Examines emergency medical services (EMS) in rural Wisconsin and provides a comparative analysis of EMS across rural counties and in other states. Focuses on policy interventions, recruitment and retention, training barriers, EMS infrastructure, financial constraints, and more. Includes data from an EMS reliability survey and interview feedback from EMS professionals.
Additional links: Brief
Author(s): Francis Amedoadzi, Anthony Carreno, Sammy Rothman, Lisa Severini, Gatiosso Traore
Date: 05/2025
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