Workplace violence (WPV) against healthcare workers is a longstanding challenge that impacts the well-being of workers and patients. State legislative efforts to address WPV against healthcare workers have accelerated in recent years, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. This article provides a comprehensive review of WPV-related enacted legislation in healthcare settings across all 50 states over…
The shortage of nursing faculty is a key barrier to addressing the broader nursing shortage, as many graduate-prepared nurses lack formal training in education and are often hired based on clinical or research expertise rather than teaching experience. Without structured preparation or mentoring, new faculty frequently struggle to adapt to academic roles and leave at…
The nation faces a persistent shortage and maldistribution of primary care physicians (PCPs). A better understanding of PCP career typologies could help policy makers target interventions toward certain subgroups, rather than using a “one-size fits all” approach to improving PCP supply and distribution across settings and in rural areas. This article discusses findings from a…
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted long-standing trends in the US nursing workforce. After years of steady growth, the number of registered nurses (RNs) in the workforce declined in 2021 but rebounded in 2022 and 2023. Faced with RN shortages, financial strain, and rising patient acuity, hospital leaders adopted alternative staffing models during the pandemic. These models…
Community health workers are an important workforce for health care systems to achieve health equity and reduce health disparities in vulnerable communities. However, because CHWs are a non-licensed workforce who work across system settings with various job titles, it is difficult to estimate and characterize this workforce. This article discusses the estimated size and state…
Issues of workplace violence in health care have garnered increasing attention due to its impact on health care worker’s well-being and retention. Information on whether and how workplace violence rates vary between health care facilities and occupations is limited, particularly regarding growth over time. This article investigates trends in workplace violence for a variety of…
The expansion of integrated behavioral health (IBH) in primary care is crucial to addressing the growing behavioral health crisis in the US. Evidence shows that patients are more likely to receive behavioral health diagnosis and treatment in primary care than in specialty mental health settings. COVID-19 disrupted primary care delivery, necessitating modifications to IBH. Social…
Behavioral health needs are on the rise in the United States, significantly influencing health care utilization, costs, and outcomes. Social workers offer diverse services across health, behavioral health, and community settings. Although this variety enhances care delivery, it also makes health workforce analyses more complex. This article describes the various estimates provided by 5 national…
The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the delivery of primary care, including a rapid transition to telehealth. While this shift provided critical access to services, not all patients have the capacity to optimally utilize telehealth, raising concerns for health equity during and after the pandemic. This article discusses the challenges of providing primary care services to vulnerable…
Total Medicaid funds invested in graduate medical education (GME) increased from $3.78 billion in 2009 to $7.39 billion in 2022. States have considerable flexibility in designing Medicaid GME payments to address population health needs. This article assesses states’ inclination for using Medicaid funds for GME, the structure of state Medicaid payments, the composition and charge…
