Investigators: Anna Dodson, BSPH; Nathan Nelson-Maney, BS; Thomas C. Ricketts, MPH, PhD; Jill Forcina PhD, RN, CNE, CNL, OCN Objectives: To develop guidelines for training and information on accessing training resources to “surge” healthcare workforce professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. These documents are called “Playbooks” and are meant to provide health care systems,… Read more »

Investigators: Esita Patel, PhD, Erin Fraher, PhD, MPP Background. The nurse practitioner (NP) workforce is rapidly growing and providing an increasing proportion of care.1,2 Conservative estimates suggest that, on average, 1 in 10 NPs leave their employment setting annually, and each episode of turnover represents not only a loss of human capital, but also a… Read more »

Investigators: Erin Fraher, PhD, MPP Colleen Tapen, MPH, MBA, Haley Simons, Emily Hawes, PharmD, BCPS, CPP Background. Historically, physicians who attend medical school outside the United States (US) or Canada have been required to complete a US residency to practice. However, an increasing number of states are allowing foreign-trained physicians to pursue alternative pathways to… Read more »

Investigators: Brianna Lombardi, PhD, MSW, Evan Galloway, MPS, Brooke Lombardi, PhD, MSW, Erin Fraher, PhD, MPP Background. As the United States (US) faces worsening workforce shortages and a persistent maldistribution of health care workers, foreign-born and foreign-trained health professionals may comprise an increasingly important labor source. About one in four (24.7%) physicians practicing in the… Read more »

Investigators: Erin Fraher, PhD, MPP, Evan Galloway, MPS, Brianna Lombardi, PhD, MSW Background. Federal efforts to reform Medicare-funded graduate medical education (GME) have not yielded any significant changes, spurring states to explore alternative ways to produce the physician workforce they need to meet population health needs. In our work on Medicaid GME,1 state stakeholders consistently… Read more »

Investigators: Donald E. Pathman, MD MPH; G. Mark Holmes, PhD; Samuel Berchuck, BS; James W. Terry, Jr., BA Executive Summary/Key Findings Although physician workforce planning approaches the need for physicians of each specialty individually, in fact many services are provided by physicians of several specialties. Further, there is some evidence that physicians adjust the scope and… Read more »

Comparison of Specialty Distribution of Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants in North Carolina, 1997-2013 Investigators: Perri Morgan, PhD, PA-C, Anna Johnson, PhD, MSPH, Erin Fraher, PhD, MPP Background: As healthcare demand in the United States is expected to grow, increased use of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) is seen as a partial solution to potential… Read more »

Investigators: Erin Fraher, PhD, MPP; Rachel Machta, BS; Jacqueline Halladay, MD, MPH Abstract: Secretary Burwell recently announced that by 2018, 50% of Medicare payments will be tied to value through alternative payment and care delivery models. What will this shift to value-based payment models mean for the workforce? This paper synthesizes the existing body of evidence on the workforce implications of new models of care. We identify:… Read more »

Investigators: Thomas C. Ricketts, PhD, MPH Background: Federal and state policies try to influence physician location choices using a combination of programmatic or extrinsic factors (e.g. bonus payments, subsidized loans) and personal or intrinsic factors (e.g. promoting volunteerism, orienting trainees to underserved populations and selecting motivated students) to encourage physicians to practice in communities where the population… Read more »

Investigators: Christine M. Everett, PhD, MPH, PA‐C; Brandi Leach, MS; Perri Morgan, PhD, PA‐C Background: Team-based care involving physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) is one recommended strategy for improving access, quality, and cost of care in the patient-centered medical home (PCMH). The fact that PA/NPs can, and do, perform a variety of roles on… Read more »

Investigators: Janet K. Freburger, PT, PhD, Dongmei Li, MS, Anna Johnson, PhD, Erin Fraher, PhD Objectives: Little is known about the use of therapists in the acute to post-acute transition for patients discharged home following stroke. The objectives of this study were: 1) to describe the use of physical and occupational therapists in the acute and post-acute… Read more »

Investigators: Erin Fraher, PhD, MPP; Tom Ricketts, PhD, MPH; Ryan Kandrack, PhD This study developed and refined a methodology that states can use to evaluate the return on investment for public funds spent on Graduate Medical Education (GME). Armed with data about the outcomes of GME funds invested—in terms of yield of physicians in needed… Read more »

Investigators: Cheryl B. Jones, PhD, RN, FAAN Mark Toles, PhD, RN, George J. Knafl, PhD, Anna S. Beeber, PhD, RN Background: A more diverse registered nurse (RN) workforce is needed to provide healthcare in North Carolina (NC) and nationally. Studies describing licensed practical nurse (LPN) career transitions to RNs are lacking. This study explored the feasibility of… Read more »

Investigators: Brianna M. Lombardi, MSW, Lisa de Saxe Zerden, MSW, PhD, Erica L. Richman, MSW, PhD Background: Social workers’ training and knowledge of psychosocial risk factors, behavioral health screening, assessment and intervention, and focus on the adaption of services to be culturally inclusive makes the profession uniquely positioned to assist in the treatment of the “whole person”… Read more »

Investigators: Anna Song Beeber, PhD, RN; Cheryl Jones, PhD, RN, FAAN; Carrie Palmer DNP, RN, ANP-BC; Julee Waldrop DNP, PNP-BC; Mary Lynn PhD, RN Objective: The role of the DNP outside of academic settings has not been explored and the value that DNP-prepared nurses bring to their practice settings is largely unknown. This study aimed to survey… Read more »