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Rural Health
Research Gateway

Nurses and nurse practitioners

Completed Projects

Listed by project completion date. You can also view these projects alphabetically.

2024

  • Trends in Health Workforce Supply in the Rural U.S.
    Rural communities in the U.S. have struggled to recruit and sustain sufficient health professionals to ensure adequate access to care. This study used multiple sources of data to describe the geographic distribution (rural/urban, regional, and intra-rural) of numerous types of health professionals.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Allied health professionals, Healthcare access, Mental and behavioral health, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Oral health, Physician assistants, Physicians

2021

  • Post-acute Care Trajectories for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
    Utilization and costs of post-acute care for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries have grown rapidly during the last decade. This study examined post-acute care utilization for rural Medicare beneficiaries following acute hospitalization, describing use of home health and skilled nursing care and trajectories of care across settings.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Aging, Allied health professionals, Health services, Home health, Hospitals and clinics, Medicare, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Post-acute care
  • What Is the Geographic Distribution of the Workforce with a DEA Waiver to Prescribe Buprenorphine?
    This project updated statistics on the supply of providers (physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants) with a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) waiver to prescribe buprenorphine and examine supply trends over time and also established baseline numbers of other eligible providers (e.g., midwives, clinical nurse specialists).
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health services, Healthcare access, Mental and behavioral health, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Physicians, Substance use and treatment, Workforce

2020

  • The Supply and Distribution of the Primary Care Health Workforce in Rural America
    This study will describe the supply and distribution of primary care providers in the rural U.S. at national, regional, and state levels using the most recent data available. Primary care health professionals include family physicians, general practitioners, general internists, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Physicians, Workforce
  • Who Provides Mental Health Services to Rural Medicare Beneficiaries?
    Most rural counties do not have a psychiatrist to care for the common conditions of depression or anxiety. This study describes the provider workforce that cares for rural elderly patients with depression/anxiety, including regional and rural-urban variations in mental healthcare provision.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Health services, Medicare, Mental and behavioral health, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Physicians, Substance use and treatment, Workforce

2019

2018

2016

2015

2014

2013

  • Current Contribution of Physicians, Advanced Practice Nurses, and Physician Assistants to the Rural Primary Care Workforce
    This two-year, multi-state study is examining the practices of rural physicians, nurse practitioners (NPs), and physician assistants (PAs) regarding their primary care visit productivity and scope of practice. Through surveys, this study will examine the contributions of physicians, NPs, and PAs by state, degree of practice rurality, practice characteristics, and primary care HPSA status in order to provide information on a range of rural primary care workforce needs.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Physicians, Workforce

2012

  • Factors Associated with Rural-Residing Registered Nurses' Choices to Work in Urban Locations and Larger Rural Cities
    While larger numbers of registered nurses (RNs) are living in rural areas, research from the WWAMI RHRC shows that since 1980, a growing percentage are commuting from rural residences to work within urban and larger rural cities. This study will explore factors that may be associated with RNs' decisions to commute away from their rural areas of residence to work in less rural areas.
    Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Workforce

2003