Recruitment of rural health care providers: a regional recruiter strategy

: Context: Access to care in rural areas is a major problem. Despite more than 20% of the US population residing in these areas, only 9% of physicians practice there. Extensive research has documented multiple issues that affect where physicians decide to locate and maintain practices. Creative stra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of rural health 2003-01, Vol.19 (S5), p.340-346
Main Authors: Felix, H, Shepherd, J, Stewart, M.K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arkansas
Arkansas Southern Rural Access Program
case studies
funding
Health Manpower
Health Services Accessibility
health status
hiring
Humans
Medically Underserved Area
Organizational Case Studies
Personnel Loyalty
Personnel Selection - economics
Personnel Selection - methods
physicians
Physicians, Family - supply & distribution
Professional Practice Location
rural health care
Rural Health Services - manpower
rural population
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Summary:: Context: Access to care in rural areas is a major problem. Despite more than 20% of the US population residing in these areas, only 9% of physicians practice there. Extensive research has documented multiple issues that affect where physicians decide to locate and maintain practices. Creative strategies have been used to influence these recruitment and retention decisions. An emerging strategy, borne out of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Southern Rural Access Program (SRAP), effectively uses a targeted regional approach to assist rural communities and health care facilities in assessing health care needs and recruiting primary care providers Purpose: This article examines the issues surrounding recruitment and retention of primary care providers to rural areas and describes the experiences of the regional recruitment strategy in several states and in particular in the Mississippi Delta region of Arkansas Methods: A case study approach is used to examine the targeted regional recruiter strategy in the Mississippi Delta region of Arkansas Findings: The regional recruiter strategy, which combines traditional recruitment efforts with community development activities, has been successful in recruiting health care providers to rural communities. The cost‐effective strategy can be easily replicated in other rural states Conclusions: Community factors affect provider decisions on practice locations. Addressing community factors in recruitment efforts through community development activities may increase their success
ISSN:0890-765X
1748-0361
DOI:10.1111/j.1748-0361.2003.tb00650.x