Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Student Perceptions of Rural Health: Gaining Interest in Rural Health Care

The number of rural health care providers is insufficient to meet the nation's needs, since it is difficult to attract and retain providers (Chamberlain, 2011; Ross, 2013). Rural residents experience multiple health disparities including economic constraints, cultural and educational differences, and isolation, which restrict a healthy life (Winters & Lee, 2013). Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are a safe and cost-effective strategy to minimize the provider shortage and increase rural access (Larson et al., 2016; Vleet & Paradise, 2015). This project sought to determine Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) student perceptions of rural health and cultivate interest in practicing in rural Oregon communities. The subjects were APRN students from a Pacific Northwest University. A 25-question survey with a three-minute video describing the benefits of rural practice was sent to subjects. There was a 22% (n=20) response rate, 34% (n=13) from FNP and 26% (n=6) from PMHNP specialties. Eighty-five percent (n=17) had considered employment in rural health. The most influential factors for choosing rural health careers were loan forgiveness/repayment, location, and lifestyle. Limitations included a low sample size, self-selection bias, and constricted timeline. Promoting rural health through the introduction of the positive aspects of rural living, maintaining adequate distribution of loan forgiveness/repayment awards, and fostering interest through educational programs may influence a greater number of APRN students to pursue rural health careers. NP delivered health care is efficient, has high overall quality of care, and is at lower cost per visit (Larson et al., 2016). NPs should be utilized for rural health care needs and influenced through incentives by legislature and policy.