Health Professions Data System
Health Professions Data System
Sheps Center
The North Carolina Health Professions Data System (HPDS) represents a longstanding collaborative relationship between Sheps Health Workforce NC based in the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research and North Carolina (NC) licensure boards, dating back to 1979. With funding from NC AHEC, the Sheps Health Workforce team collects, cleans, analyzes, and disseminates annual licensure data on demographic, practice, and geographic characteristics of 21 NC health professions. Part of the group’s dissemination efforts include several interactive visualization tools that explore characteristics of professionals across 21 health professions.
About the tool
HPDS uses annual licensure data to visualize the characteristics and supply of professionals across 21 health professions.
HPDS includes the following health professions:
- Certified Nurse Midwife
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
- Chiropractor
- Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Dental Hygienist
- Dentist
- Licensed Practical Nurse
- Nurse Practitioner
- Occupational Therapist
- Occupational Therapy Assistant
- Optometrist
- Pharmacist
- Physical Therapist Assistant
- Physical Therapist
- Physician
- Physician Assistant
- Podiatrist
- Psychological Associate
- Psychologists
- Registered Nurses
- Respiratory Therapists
HPDS includes the following data for most professions:
- Rate per 10,000 population
- Total
- Percent female
- Percent over 65 years or older
- Percent underrepresented minority
- Percent missing race
The map can be manipulated by year with some professions dating back to 2000.
HPDS displays data across the following geographies
- County
- AHEC region
- Medicaid region
Additionally, HPDS allows users to add layers that display:
- Rural squares
- Urbanized areas
- Interstates
Visualization Tools
HPDS includes several interactive visualization tools. Below is a list of the tools with a brief description and an image of the tools.
The primary HPDS tool is a map that visualizes the above-mentioned data on a map of North Carolina.
Sheps also visualizes the age distribution of professions comparing metropolitan and rural counties in North Carolina.
Sheps also visualizes the age distribution for professions over time comparing metropolitan and rural counties in North Carolina.
Sheps also visualizes health professions data by age and sex.
About the data
The North Carolina Health Professions Data System (HPDS) collects and disseminates descriptive data on selected licensed health professionals in North Carolina. With annual files dating back to 1979, the HPDS is the oldest continuous state health workforce data system in the country.
The HPDS is maintained by the Program on Health Workforce Research and Policy at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in collaboration with the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers Program (AHEC), and the state’s independent health professional licensing boards. Ongoing financial support is provided by the NC AHEC Program Office and the Office of the Provost at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Although the NC HPDS maintains the data system, the data remain the property of their respective licensing board.
Data include active, licensed health professionals practicing in North Carolina as of October 31 of each data year. County counts are based on primary practice location. Some providers may practice in additional locations not shown in primary practice location counts.
Citation
North Carolina Health Professions Data System, Program on Health Workforce Research and Policy, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Created November 09, 2024 at https://nchealthworkforce.unc.edu/interactive/supply/.