Physician assistants

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

• 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

• Understanding the Prescribing Practices of Rural Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants with a DEA Waiver to Prescribe Buprenorphine
  This study investigated the extent to which nurse practitioners and physician assistants who practice in rural areas and have a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) waiver to prescribe buprenorphine as an office-based outpatient treatment for opioid use disorder are providing this treatment to their patients.
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Substance use and treatment
  

2018

• Increasing the Supply of Providers with a Drug Enforcement Agency Waiver to Treat Opioid Addiction in Rural America – Possible Effects of Permitting Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners to Prescribe Buprenorphine
  This study investigated the possible effects on rural access to treatment for opioid use disorder if Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) waivers for prescribing buprenorphine as an office-based outpatient treatment for opioid addiction are available to Physician Assistants (PAs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs).
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Legislation and regulation, Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Physicians, Substance use and treatment, Workforce
  
• What Makes Physician Assistant Programs Successful at Training Rural PAs?
  A WWAMI Rural Health Research Center study identified the physician assistant (PA) training programs that have reduced high numbers and high proportions of graduates working in rural areas. The study extended that work through a physician assistant program survey, identifying key characteristics, admission, and training strategies, and missions of successful rural programs.
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Physician assistants, Workforce
  

2016

• What Are the Possible Impacts of Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants on Future Provision of Primary Care in Rural Areas?
  This study will explore how many nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs) and physicians will be required to meet rural health care demand resulting from expanded access to health insurance through implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Physicians, Workforce
  
• Which Physician Assistant Training Programs Produce Rural Physician Assistants? A National Study
  This study will identify the physician assistant (PA) training programs that are most successful at producing graduates who practice in rural areas. The study will focus particularly on PAs who graduated from training in the past ten years.
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Physician assistants, Workforce
  

2014

• What Strategies Are Nurse Practitioner Educational Programs Using to Encourage Rural Practice?
  This study will quantify and describe nurse practitioner (NP) education programs that encourage NPs to practice in rural areas, and identify data sources that could be used in future studies of the effectiveness of these programs.
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Workforce
  

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
  

2008

• Long Term Trends in Characteristics of the Rural Nurse Workforce: A National Health Workforce Study
  This national study characterizes changes in the demographic, education and practice characteristics of registered nurses (RNs) in rural and urban areas from 1980 to 2004. This study provides important information for projecting future trends in rural RN supply.
  Research center: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Nurses and nurse practitioners, Physician assistants, Workforce
  

2001

• Describing the Health Care Infrastructure in Rural Towns
  Research center: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
  Topics: Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Hospitals and clinics, Physician assistants, Physicians, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Rural statistics and demographics