Frequent
Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing
ResearchThe Maternity Care Nurse Workforce in Rural U.S. Hospitals
Section snippets
Methods
We used a quantitative and qualitative analysis of cross-sectional survey data to describe characteristics of the rural maternity care nursing workforce and identify key challenges and opportunities related to rural maternity care nurse staffing.
Nurse Staffing and Hospital Characteristics
Among rural hospitals with fewer than 300 births annually, more than three quarters of maternity care units shared nurses across other areas of the hospital (see Figure 1). Among rural hospitals with birth volumes of 300 or more annually, 69.4% had dedicated nurses in maternity care units, as did more than one fifth (21.8%) of small-volume (<300 births) hospitals. Differences in shared versus dedicated nurse staffing were significant at p < .001 within birth-volume categories.
Discussion
We found that regardless of birth volume (< 300 vs. ≥300 annual births), a variety of nurse staffing models are used in rural U.S. hospitals; however, small-volume hospitals were more likely than large-volume hospitals to use a shared nurse staffing model. This indicates that rural maternity care unit leaders find a variety of ways to fill their staffing needs, and nursing experiences differ from hospital to hospital. We also found variation in clinician type and procedure use based on birth
Acknowledgment
Supported by the Office of Rural Health Policy, PHS grant number 5U1CRH03717. The authors thank Kristin DeArruda Wharton for her helpful feedback.
Carrie Henning-Smith, PhD, MSW, MPH, is a research associate in the Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, Minneapolis, MN.
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Carrie Henning-Smith, PhD, MSW, MPH, is a research associate in the Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, Minneapolis, MN.
Jennifer Almanza, BAN, RN, PHN, is a doctor of nursing practice student in the School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
Katy B. Kozhimannil, PhD, MPA, is an associate professor and Director of Research in the Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, Minneapolis, MN.
The authors report no conflicts of interest or relevant financial relationships.