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The Rural Monitor
Articles by Topic: Health workforce

Nursing Preparedness: Words from Researchers and Rural Nurses

November 10, 2020
Job preparedness is essential for quality caregiving, professional success, and satisfaction. Three rural registered nurses join a nursing doctoral candidate to share their stories about the path to their profession and their perspective on rural nursing preparedness.

One Health: Bringing Health to Humans, Animals, and the Environment

October 14, 2020
Wondering about animal-to-human diseases? Or human medical conditions related to the environment? Federal experts join health educators to talk about how understanding a One Health approach for human, animal, and environmental health can be helpful for rural healthcare organizations.

Contact Tracing: Training New Workers and Connecting with Rural Residents

September 9, 2020
Contact tracing is an important step in preventing further spread of the coronavirus. Alaska's AHEC program, a center for public health in Washington, and a national public health foundation share their training strategies while an IHS hospital in Arizona discusses its in-person contact tracing initiative.

“It's on Us”: Healthcare's Unique Position in the Response to Human Trafficking

July 29, 2020
Referred to as a form of "modern-day slavery," human trafficking occurs in every state and is not limited by the size of a community. Health services are one of the most common points of access to a lifeline for those actively being trafficked, giving healthcare professionals an advantage to help victims escape. A rural hospital CEO, a SORH director, a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, and a Safe Harbor Regional Navigator share how they combat human trafficking through training and raising awareness.

Advance Care Planning: New Realities in Times of COVID-19

July 15, 2020
Advance care planning — planning for decision-making in times of medical crisis — has always been intended for all people, all ages, with or without a chronic disease. Clinicians talk about the challenges of these conversations now that COVID-19 has nudged planning from the realm of the theoretical future to current reality.

Pennsylvania Hospital Transitions HRSA-Funded Program to Online Services and Addresses COVID-19 Stress

July 1, 2020
Butler Memorial Hospital in Pennsylvania received a HRSA Rural Health Care Services Outreach grant to develop a program for chronic disease patients. Partway through the grant cycle, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The hospital shares how it was able to transition its program services to an online format and develop new initiatives to address stress in the healthcare workforce and the larger community.

Healthcare Professionals' Mental Health Needs: Where Can They Go?

January 29, 2020
Recent research has found that not only are nearly 40% of surveyed physicians burned out, but 40% are also experiencing depression. For many reasons — stigma among them — these professionals are not getting mental health support. Physician health programs, in collaboration with professional societies, are trying to change that by working with state licensure boards and other groups.