Healthcare Skills Training in Rural Areas: Challenges and Solutions

Healthcare facilities in rural areas tend to suffer the most as our healthcare industry sees increasing demands and constant change. This can be for many reasons and not limited to:

• Smaller population sizes 
• Less financial and physical resources 
• Less exposure to changing technologies (that can help increase levels of efficiency) 
• Distance and transportation 
• Workforce shortages 
• Health Insurance Coverage 

And that is just to name a few. But will we start to see a shift in this potentially? 

After COVID, we saw a massive exodus from urban areas as droves of people decided to find more rural areas to settle in. Could this potentially have a positive benefit on our rural healthcare systems? I am hopeful! With increasing population sizes in these rural areas, and healthcare professionals being part of the many individuals who decided to uproot themselves and find a more quiet way of life, I am hopeful that some of these urban healthcare professionals can bring positive change with them to the healthcare environment of their new communities. 

With increasing populations, ideally this will bring increased resources and workforce. With increased resources and workforce, ideally we can see further adaptation to technology, which can help improve efficiency and efficacy. Technology can help expedite the daily processes of many healthcare facilities, reducing the burden on the healthcare and administrative staff. Technology can also increase utilization of telemedicine, which can potentially help with the dilemma of distance and travel for some individuals in rural areas. And technology can also potentially assist in advancing education and training programs for healthcare professionals - keeping them up to speed on the latest most effective and efficient means of care. 

Online training programs like my Phlebotomy Skills 101 Course can help bridge the gap in certain specialized skills, and provide healthcare professionals with a resource that is cost-effective, as well as give them the opportunity to complete it at their own pace and on their own time. 

And even potentially mobile training units could give these more rural areas an opportunity to receive hands on and in-person training. 

I believe we have many options and opportunities to assist our rural healthcare communities and am hopeful for the future.