Despite a growing body of research on the evolving roles of medical assistants, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, there is currently a lack of knowledge regarding different team configurations in primary care practices. This article utilizes data from the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) examination application to explore what types…
In order for the current health workforce to meet the increasing demand brought about by the pandemic, health care delivery organizations, educators, and government leaders will need to work together to adapt regulations to expand workforce capacity. Strategies such as expanding scopes of practice, developing cross-state licensure programs, and increasing telehealth services are essential. This…
Increasing awareness of the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) has prompted health systems to implement strategies to screen for and address patient SDOH. With the increased awareness comes the question of what workforce is needed to implement SDOH screening and related interventions? To answer, this research must be conducted for which healthcare workers screen for…
Community Health Centers (CHCs) are critical to our nation’s ability to respond to COVID‐19 in rural and underserved communities. Rural residents are at increased risk of poor outcomes due to age and health status, and there are substantially fewer healthcare resources available in rural areas, meaning that once the virus becomes more widespread in these…
The use of office-based opioid treatment (OBOT) programs has increased in recent years and requires integrated teams of professionals with different kinds of expertise working together. These care teams present opportunities for interprofessional training. This article describes a study that conducted interviews with health professionals on OBOT teams to examine the provider composition of these…
Medical assistants (MAs) are a flexible and low-cost resource for primary care practices and their roles are swiftly transforming. This article surveyed MAs and family physicians for evidence of role confusion between MAs and physicians, physician resistance to delegate tasks to properly trained MAs, or MA reluctance to pursue training to take on new roles….
Safety net practices are important for providing care to patients in underserved areas. The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted these programs and their clinicians with previous studies having predicted that many clinicians are likely to leave their jobs as a result of the pandemic. More research is therefore needed to better understand the specific impacts…
Despite efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid expansion has increased access to primary care, as well as the availability of behavioral health services, including treatment for both mental health and substance use disorders. However, increasing the availability of health and behavioral health services requires an increase in providers. Several federal programs support training…
In the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, health care decision-makers in North Carolina needed information about the available health workforce in order to conduct workforce surge planning and to anticipate concerns about professional or geographic workforce shortages. This article describes how data was used in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in North…
Safety net practices are important for providing care to patients in underserved areas. The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted these programs and their clinicians with previous studies having predicted that many clinicians are likely to leave their jobs as a result of the pandemic. More research is therefore needed to better understand the specific impacts…
