'Assessing Community Health Center (CHC) assets and capabilities for recruiting physicians: the CHC Community Apgar Questionnaire' To resolve shortages of workforce at the local level, evaluation and planning is needed that is specific to the local level and integrated at higher levels, along with training capabilities. The CHC Community Apgar Questionnaire is just such a tool to help with evaluation and planning. Rural and Remote Health Journal, Dec 2012

'Nourishing networks: an interprofessional learning model and its application to the Australian rural health workforce' For rural health clinicians to participate in continuing professional development it is necessary to transcend conventional educational methods - or so say these authors. They present a different approach to interprofessional learning that is both flexible and adaptable. Rural and Remote Health Journal, Oct 2012

'The influence of motivation in recruitment and retention of rural and remote allied health professionals: a literature review' In order to understand the complexity of rural and remote allied health professions' recruitment and retention, this international review assessed positive and negative motivating factors intrinsic to the work. The result is accessible, evidence-based advice for rural health organisations wanting to recruit and keep its allied health staff. Rural and Remote Health Journal, July 2012

'Issues affecting therapist workforce and service delivery in the disability sector in rural and remote New South Wales, Australia: perspectives of policy-makers, managers and senior therapists ' Are workforce factors also access barriers to rural disability therapist services in NSW, Australia? After wide consultation, these authors present the evidence. Rural and Remote Health Journal, June 2012

'Characteristics of physicians, their migration patterns and distance: a longitudinal study in Hiroshima, Japan' How do small towns concentrate upon the candidates most likely to migrate to a rural practice? Studies of physicians and physician characteristics indicate different probability of migration when considering origin, gender, age, training, and proximity measures. The right candidate could be closer than you think. Rural and Remote Health Journal, May 2012

'Does the insufficient supply of physicians worsen their urban-rural distribution? A Hiroshima-Nagasaki comparison' A rapid increase in physicians does not necessarily correct a urban-rural maldistribution; however, would an insufficient supply of physicians worsen an existing rural inequity? This study answers the question by applying spacial competition models to the situation of Japan. Regardless of location, if you have an interest in rural physician workforce strategies do not miss this article. Rural and Remote Helath Journal, April 2012

Sykepleier og sambygding. -En studie om det å bo og arbeide i samme lokalsamfunn. Masteroppgave i helsevitenskap i Tromsø, av sykepleier i Bjarkøy, Sissel Pedersen Fenes.

'What impedes working in rural areas? A study of aspiring doctors in the National Capital Region, India' In India, as in many countries and all world regions, rural health services are disadvantaged by a shortage of graduate health staff. This small study into the rural health attitudes and work intentions of Indian medical students begins to build the evidence required for change. Rural and Remote Health Journal, March 2012

'A decade of Australian Rural Clinical School graduates - where are they and why?' Is the decade-plus Australian Rural Clinical Schools (RCS) initiative addressing the rural medical workforce shortage? One RCS has monitored its impact on graduates for as long as 9 years. Its latest survey concerns career location and speciality choice, as well offering a perspective on the reality of career choices and life decisions as a graduate in the medical workforce. Rural and Remote Health Journal, March 2012

''Any body is better than nobody?' Ethical questions around recruiting and/or retaining health professionals in rural areas'. Health human resource shortages are a common topic of discussion in clinical and policy arenas. This article offers new insights about the ethical dimensions of recruitment and retention of health care professionals for rural communities. Rural and Remote Health Journal, Dec 2011

'Factors that motivate young pharmacists to work in rural communities in the Ukraine' In the Ukraine, scarce rural pharmacists are vital primary healthcare providers in an ailing health system. This unique study applied theories of motivation to the practice intentions of pharmacy undergraduates, adding the Ukraine view to the international rural workforce literature. Rural and Remote Helath Journal, Nov 2011

'Idaho Rural Family Physician Workforce Study: the Community Apgar Questionnaire'
Babies with good Apgar scores are not in need of resuscitation. The Community Apgar may also indicate small communities that are likely to do well with viable workforce.
Rural and Remote Health Journal, July 2011

'The rural hospital doctors workforce in New Zealand' Will the sustainability of New Zealand's rural hospitals be improved by the new (2009) vocational scope of practice in rural hospital medicine? This study establishes the current NZ rural hospital medical workforce as an indispensible baseline for future health service planning.
Rural and Remote Helath Journal, April 2011

'Mandatory rural service for health care workers in Thailand Much has been published in our journal about national strategies to address the worldwide shortage of rural healthcare workers, especially the scarcity of rural physicians. This first report from Thailand reveals an array of (often successful) long-standing and responsive rural health workforce strategies. Rural and Remote Health Journal, Febr 2011

Attraction and retention of qualified health workers to rural areas in Nigeria: a case study of four LGAs in Ogun State, Nigeria This study from Ogun State, Nigeria, touches on a number of familiar rural workforce themes - the 'brain drain' from developing countries; the depletion of remaining health workers in favour of urban positions; rural residents' access barriers despite a high burden of disease... The fresh approach of these authors, including a focus on those who chose to work rurally and those who were transferred, helps identify what attracts rural workers in this part of the world - and then what retains them. Rural and Remote Health Journal, Febr 2011

How can general practitioners establish 'place attachment' in Australia's Northern Territory? Adjustment trumps adaptation The retention of GPs in remote parts of Australia is an urgent workforce issue, and the Northern Territory is a case in point: it has the highest GP turnover and few 'home grown' practitioners; the sense of adventure that promotes NT recruitment works against retention. In the context of too many short-stay GPs, these authors applied the theory of 'place attachment' to the highly mobile NT medical workforce. Although their sample was small, this article offers a fresh look at a constant issue - and provides an intriguing model for remote area retention that could apply across disciplines. Rural and Remote Health Journal , Nov 2010
 

Comment on: Attracting and retaining doctors in rural Nepal (see below)
 

Attracting and retaining doctors in rural Nepal In common with many of its South Asian neighbours, Nepal's rural population suffer from a maldistribution of the medical workforce. What strategies from the international literature could be applied to this small kingdom - and others like it? Rural and Remote Health Journal, Sept 2010

Sustaining and growing the rural nursing and midwifery workforce: Understanding the issues and isolating directions for the future Nurses and midwives represent the largest group of health professionals in the Australian health care system. In rural environments nurses and midwives make up a greater proportion of the health workforce than in urban settings, which makes their role in service provision even more significant. The role and scope of these nurses and midwives’ practice is by necessity more generalist than specialist, which results in disciplinary strengths and weaknesses. As generalist health professionals they work in diverse settings such as public hospitals, multi-purpose services, community health, aged care and in non-government and private for profit and no-profit organisations including general practices. Their scope of practice covers prevention, intervention and rehabilitation and is lifespan inclusive. Rural nurses and midwives are older than their metropolitan based counterparts, work part-time and traditionally have limited access to professional development often due to ineffective locum relief programs. Workplace inflexibility, access to acceptable housing and partner employment are factors cited as inhibitors to growing this workforces. The future of the rural nursing and midwifery workforce will only be secured if Government invests to a greater degree in both education and training and the development of a nationally agreed remuneration scale that allows for part-time work. Journal of the Royal College of Nursing Australia, Sept 2010

'A national view of rural health workforce issues in the USA'
America has entered a 20 year period of rapid increases in the older and oldest and increased access to care for those previously left behind. The likely yield is a record demand for primary and other health care, particularly in primary-care dependent rural areas, despite medical association reports emphasizing the need for more subspecialty and hospital workforce. This timely grassroots study should remind US policy-makers of health workforce priorities in rural areas (and most other US populations) for basic nursing and primary care workforce. The surveyed rural hospital CEOs bring a unique perspective to a now critical issue: the challenges of rural workforce - its varieties, recruitment, retention, shortages and solutions. RUral and Remote Helath Journal, July 2010
 

Retention policies for allied health professionals in rural areas: a survey of private practitioners Public or private, the grass always appears greener on the other side - the Australian rural healthcare system wouldn't survive without both. This article gives an insight into some of the issues and perceptions of rural allied health professionals working in private practice.Rural and Remote Health Journal, May 2010

Effective physician retention strategies in Norway’s northernmost county

Almost twice as many medical interns as expected now take their first fully licensed job in the north of Norway. The post-training retention of primary care physicians after 5 years currently stands at 65%.
Postgraduate medical training can be conducted in remote areas in a manner that ensures professional development, counteracts professional isolation, and allows trainees and their families to grow roots in rural communities. Rural practice satisfies modern principles of adult learning (problem-based and attached to real-life situations) and offers excellent training conditions.
Karin Straume & Daniel MP Shaw. WHO Bulletin, may 2010

Future potential country doctor: the perspectives of German GPs

Financial incentives are regarded as not sufficient to attract enough young physicians to open practices in rural areas. Future action will be required at the personal, professional and regional/structural levels. The origin of medical students (urban or rural) should be considered a relevant predicting factor for recruitment. Rural and Remote Health Journal, May 2010
 

“Latte rural": the tangible and intangible factors important in the choice of a rural practice by recent GP graduates  The selection of a rural practice location is known to be influenced by professional, personal and family, community and economic factors. Generation X and Y doctors are known to have a different perception regarding workload, lifestyle and the support required to practise. The aim of this study was to explore, from a Generation X perspective, factors deemed important by general practice graduates in selecting a rural practice at completion of their training. The study also aimed to identify the process general practice graduates use to identify a potential rural practice, and when they commence this process. Rural and Remote Health journal, April 2010
 

'Improving health workforce recruitment and retention in rural and remote regions of Nigeria' How can Nigeria's critical shortage of rural and remote health personnel be addressed? After years as a public health physician in Africa's most populous nation, this author offers a personal perspective on strategies for change. Rural and Remote Health Journal, Febr 2010

Helsepersonell som trives i distrikt, hva er viktig for dem?
En kvalitatv studie av ulike helsepersonellgrupper i British Columbia i Canada har forsøkt å identifisere spesielle personlige verdier, egenskaper og trekk ved de som blir over lengre tid i områder langt fra de store sentrene. De fant stor variasjon og at det som var viktig i en fase av livet endrer seg med erfaring og nye livsfaser. Rural and Remote Health Journal, Oct 2009

Hvilke faktorer får leger til å velge seg bort fra primærhelsetjenesten i Nord-Norge. Masteroppgave av allmennleger Anne Grete Olsen, Hammerfest, 1998