Category: rural healthcare staffing

In early 2025, Congress introduced the Health Care Workforce Innovation Act (H.R. 935)—a bipartisan bill aimed at tackling healthcare workforce shortages in rural and underserved communities. This legislation would fund programs to train allied health professionals like medical assistants, dental techs, community health workers, and pharmacy techs through local partnerships with high schools, community colleges, and nonprofit training programs.

Why does this matter for hospitals and clinics hiring NPs, APPs, and physicians?

Because when rural health systems strengthen their allied health infrastructure, the demand for licensed providers increases in parallel. Simply put: more trained support staff allows clinics to take on more patients—and that means a bigger need for advanced practice providers and physicians to lead those care teams.

What H.R. 935 Does

H.R. 935 proposes federal grants of up to $2.5 million over three years for eligible facilities like Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), rural health clinics, and vocational training programs. The goal is to build healthcare career pathways and pipelines within the communities most affected by staffing shortages.

These grants can fund:

• Pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs
• Classroom and on-site training
• Equipment and materials
• Faculty and program coordination

The focus is on creating community-based models that train and retain talent locally—especially for roles that provide essential support to advanced practice providers and physicians.

Why This Will Increase Hiring Needs for Clinicians

As rural facilities expand their allied health teams, they’ll also be increasing patient capacity and extending services. That growth requires more leadership-level providers—including:

• Nurse Practitioners (NPs)
• Physician Assistants (PAs)
• Family Practice Physicians
• Hospitalists
• Emergency Medicine Providers
• Psychiatrists and Behavioral Health Clinicians

So even though H.R. 935 is aimed at building up support roles, it will drive increased hiring needs for NPs, APPs, and physicians—especially in communities already struggling to fill those roles.

The Rural Staffing Challenge Isn’t Going Away

Despite new funding for allied health training, many rural clinics still face real obstacles when it comes to recruiting licensed medical providers:

• Fewer applicants willing to relocate to remote areas
• Longer hiring timelines
• Burnout and turnover from limited clinical coverage
• High locum costs from frequent short-term gaps

That’s where we come in.

How Momentum Healthcare Staffing Can Help

At Momentum Healthcare Staffing, we specialize in placing APPs, NPs, and physicians in both permanent and temporary roles across the U.S.—with a strong focus on rural communities. As clinics begin to benefit from H.R. 935 funding and expand their care teams, we’re here to help ensure that top-tier providers are in place to lead those teams.

Here’s what we offer:

• Fast, flexible recruitment for urgent or long-term staffing needs
• Expert matching of providers to rural lifestyle, work pace, and mission
• Guaranteed placements with a 90-day replacement policy
• Discounted pricing for your first 10 assignments
• Nationwide reach—we recruit in all states for permanent roles

Whether you’re a clinic preparing to scale up with new training capacity, or a hospital expanding to meet increased patient volume, we help you fill the clinical roles that make that growth sustainable.

Start Building Your Rural Care Team Today

H.R. 935 is one piece of the puzzle. At Momentum Healthcare Staffing, we help you complete it—by recruiting the high-caliber providers that keep rural care strong.

📞 Call us at (877) 558‑3782 or visit https://momentumhcs.com/contact/ to learn how we can help you staff up for the future.

Rural hospitals are the backbone of healthcare in many parts of the U.S. — yet in 2025, staffing challenges continue to deepen. Physician recruitment in rural areas is reaching a crisis point. If your hospital or clinic is struggling to hire physicians or advanced practice providers (APPs), you’re not alone — but there are proven strategies that can help.

The State of Rural Healthcare Staffing in 2025

Rural healthcare shortages are well documented. Since 2010, more than 136 rural hospitals have closed across the U.S. Many others are operating under severe financial stress.
Source: UNC Rural Hospital Closures

In a recent national survey, 69% of rural hospital CEOs identified physician recruitment as their top challenge. Burnout, retirements, and fewer young physicians choosing rural practice are driving this widening gap.
Source: Navigant Rural Hospital CEO Survey

Where Physician Shortages Are Hitting Hardest

Physician shortages are impacting rural areas nationwide, but certain regions face especially critical gaps:

• Southeast: States like Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia are struggling to recruit primary care physicians and specialists for rural counties. Many counties in these states are designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) for primary care.
• Midwest: Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri report increasing shortages in family medicine and internal medicine, especially as older physicians retire.
• Upper Midwest / Plains: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Montana face severe gaps in OB/GYN, general surgery, and emergency medicine coverage.
• Southwest: New Mexico and West Texas rural hospitals are competing for a small pool of bilingual and culturally competent providers to serve rural and Native American populations.
• Appalachia: Regions of Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee face unique barriers in recruiting due to geographic isolation and persistent poverty.

In many of these areas, the gap extends beyond physicians to include nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) — key parts of the modern rural care model.

New Opportunities and Incentives

Fortunately, new programs are emerging to help address these shortages.

The Bipartisan Primary Care and Health Workforce Act, passed by the U.S. Senate in 2024, provides:

• Expanded loan forgiveness for rural-serving providers
• New training programs focused on rural practice
• Increased funding for rural residency programs

Additionally, many states are offering incentives such as:

• Tax credits for rural healthcare workers
• Loan repayment programs
• Support for telehealth infrastructure to supplement on-site care

Solutions for Rural Hiring in 2025

What can rural hospitals do today to stay competitive in this challenging hiring environment?

1. Leverage Guaranteed Placement Programs
   Working with a staffing partner that offers guaranteed placements and 90-day replacement policies reduces risk and ensures continuity of care.
2. Expand the Provider Model
   Many successful rural facilities use team-based models that combine physicians with nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) to extend care capacity.
3. Use Flexible Contracts
   Offering permanent, locum-to-permanent, or flexible arrangements can attract providers who are open to rural practice but value flexibility.
4. Partner with a Dedicated Rural Staffing Agency
   Momentum Healthcare Staffing specializes in helping rural hospitals and clinics recruit:

• Physicians (Primary Care + Specialty)
• Nurse Practitioners (NPs)
• Physician Assistants (PAs)
• Flexible contract options
• Guaranteed placements with a 90-day replacement policy
• Discounted rates on first 10 assignments

Final Thoughts

Rural healthcare leaders are facing historic staffing challenges — but there are solutions. Whether your facility is in the Southeast, Midwest, Plains, Southwest, or Appalachia, Momentum Healthcare Staffing can help you recruit qualified, committed providers to serve your community.

Let’s build your rural care team today.
Contact us: https://momentumhcs.com/contact/