OCN
Publications
Archive

Evidence That Speaks to Oregon’s Policy, Leadership, and Strategy Needs

Welcome to the OCN Publications Archive—a centralized repository featuring research briefings, workforce reports, and policy insights tailored for Oregon’s nursing leadership landscape. Explore this library for timely, strategically relevant analysis designed to inform decisions, fuel advocacy, and elevate system-wide partnerships.

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From Burnout to Belonging: Nurse-Designed Approaches to Workforce Well-Being in Oregon

What happens when nurses design the solutions to their own workplace stress? Across Oregon, 18 nurse-led initiatives did just that, reshaping care environments and reframing well-being from the inside out….

2025-October
Report

Oregon Healthcare Workforce Index: Understanding Nursing in the Broader Healthcare Labor Market

Nursing shortages don’t happen in isolation as they reflect deeper workforce dynamics. This index reveals how interconnected roles like medical assistants, respiratory therapists, and advanced practitioners impact Oregon’s nursing workforce….

2024-December
Brief

BRIEF: Oregon’s Nurse Vacancy Crisis

Oregon’s nursing workforce is growing, yet critical care roles remain unfilled. Traditional shortage narratives fail to capture deeper retention challenges affecting direct care. This brief reframes the problem and outlines…

2024-April
Report

How Much Do Oregon’s Registered Nurses Earn? 2023 Oregon Wage Study

Compensation insights from more than 1,800 Oregon nurses uncover striking wage disparities by setting, role, and geography. From public health to hospital work, the findings offer a deep dive into…

2023-September
Report

Barriers to Nursing Workforce Retention and Attraction in Rural Areas

In Oregon’s rural communities, complex socioeconomic barriers continue to hinder nursing workforce stability. This qualitative study explores the real-world challenges healthcare employers face in retaining and attracting nurses across community-based…

2022-December
Report

Comparison of the Perception of Clinical Instruction: In-Facility, Face-to-Face Simulation, and Virtual Simulation Experiences in Oregon’s Nursing Programs

Simulation-based instruction has become a key tool in Oregon’s nursing education, especially during pandemic-era disruptions. This study explores how students and faculty perceive in-facility, face-to-face, and virtual simulation methods. Findings…

2022-November
Report

The Future of Oregon’s Nursing Workforce: Analysis and Recommendations

Oregon’s nursing workforce is shaped by more than staffing numbers. This collaborative study was commissioned to uncover what’s driving instability—and what to do about it. Grounded in data and statewide…

2022-July
Brief

BRIEF: The Connection Between Local Nurse Recruitment Efforts and Social Determinants of Health

Growing concern about nursing maldistribution has shifted focus toward community-driven solutions. This brief explores how nurse workforce size and practice settings correlate with public health indicators in Oregon. It offers…

2022-April
Report

Filling the Gap: An Examination of Oregon Registered Nurses Licensed Through Endorsement

Oregon’s growing nurse demand increasingly depends on nurses licensed through endorsement. This report explores where these nurses practice and how that impacts healthcare access. Insights reveal how rural and non-hospital…

2022-March
Report

Issues Facing the Post-Pandemic Nursing Workforce in Oregon – Lasting Pandemic Impacts

Oregon’s nursing workforce is still grappling with lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, from license disruptions to emergency staffing shifts. This report explores how short-term policy responses and long-term workforce…

2021-October
Report

A New View on Nurse Turnover: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Shocked the System

High nurse turnover rates were already a concern before COVID-19, but the pandemic introduced an unprecedented disruption to workforce stability. This publication explores how pandemic-related shocks altered nurses’ perceptions of…

2021-April
Report

Issues Facing the Post-Pandemic Nursing Workforce in Oregon – Stress and Emotional Health

Emotional fatigue and burnout continue to shape Oregon’s nursing workforce in the aftermath of COVID-19. This publication explores how stress, safety concerns, and organizational responses have impacted nurses’ well-being. With…

2020-September
Report

Not Working Well: Clinical Placement for Nursing Students in an Era of Pandemic

Faced with the urgency of a global health crisis, nursing education programs and healthcare agencies in Oregon scrambled to adapt clinical placement strategies. This publication captures the resulting stress, innovation,…

2020-September
Report

Issues Facing the Post-Pandemic Nursing Workforce in Oregon

COVID-19 intensified Oregon’s existing nursing workforce challenges, disrupting education pipelines and stressing care delivery systems. This report explores how these shifts affect nurse training, licensure trends, and frontline well-being. Nurse…

2020-July
Report

The Nurse Licensure Compact – a Primer

Debates around the Nurse Licensure Compact continue as states weigh the benefits of streamlined licensing against regulatory concerns. This primer explains the NLC’s mechanisms and outlines the arguments made in…

2020-June
Report

Nursing Maldistribution: The Intersection Between Practice Setting and Years of Nursing Experience

RNs across Oregon are not evenly distributed between care settings, especially when considering years of experience. Nurses with more experience tend to cluster in non-hospital environments, while newer nurses gravitate…

2020-March
Report

Primary Care Workforce Crisis Looming in Oregon: Nurse Practitioners Vital to Filling the Gap, But Not Enough to Go Around

Oregon faces an urgent primary care shortage, with only a fraction of nurse practitioners delivering direct primary care services. Despite favorable practice laws, the state struggles to align NP capacity…

2019-November
Report

Trends in Oregon Nursing Education 2012–18

Nursing education in Oregon is evolving, but not fast enough to meet projected workforce needs. While BSN programs are growing, ADN and LPN pathways show stagnation or decline. This analysis…

2019-June
Report

Shortage or Maldistribution: Shifting the Conversation About Oregon’s Nursing Workforce

Misconceptions about a statewide nursing shortage often overshadow a more pressing issue: maldistribution. This analysis reveals how workforce imbalance affects rural regions and non-hospital settings. OCN’s research encourages targeted action…

2019-March
Report

Nursing Apprenticeships: Examples for Oregon Discussion

Nursing apprenticeships are gaining renewed attention as a strategy to address workforce shortages in healthcare. This discussion paper explores existing models and evaluates their relevance to Oregon’s nursing pipeline. It…

2018-November
Report

The Demand for Nursing Professionals in Oregon – 2018

Employer perspectives across Oregon’s healthcare sectors reveal rising turnover and vacancy rates, especially in long term care. Survey findings uncover how workforce challenges vary dramatically across hospitals, public health, home…

2018-February
Report

2018 Aging Trends in Oregon’s Nursing Workforce

Oregon’s nursing workforce is getting younger, with a growing presence of nurses in their 20s and 30s. While this demographic shift offers promise, it raises urgent questions about experience gaps…

2017-September
Report

Characteristics of the Nursing Workforce in Oregon – 2016

Nurses make up the largest share of Oregon’s healthcare workforce, serving as essential contributors to care access, quality, and cost outcomes. This 2016 profile outlines age, education, gender, and licensure…

2017-January
Report

Oregon Nurse Faculty: Why Are They Leaving?

Oregon’s nursing education system faces a growing challenge: faculty are leaving their positions at concerning rates. This publication explores the key factors behind their departure, including workload, compensation, and institutional…

2016-September
Report

Oregon’s Licensed Practical Nurse Workforce

Licensed practical nurses play a vital role in Oregon’s health care system, yet their distribution and practice settings reveal important workforce dynamics. This report examines education, demographics, and employment patterns…

2016-January
Report

Oregon’s Newly Licensed Nurse Workforce

Newly licensed nurses in Oregon face a challenging entry into the profession as workforce growth lags behind graduation rates. This publication captures how location, degree type, and search strategies impact…

2016-January
Report

The Demand for Nursing Professionals in Oregon

Nursing workforce shortages are mounting across Oregon’s health sectors. Employers report rising turnover and persistent vacancy challenges, particularly in long term care and public health. As demand increases, the findings…

2015-November
Report

Where Are They Now? A retrospective analysis of the current employment status of registered nurses newly licensed to practice in Oregon

Career paths of newly licensed nurses reveal critical trends in Oregon’s workforce. This study traces the employment outcomes of RNs and NPs licensed in 2010 and 2011. The findings highlight…

2015-November
Report

Where Are They Now? A retrospective analysis of churn among registered nurses in Oregon

Nursing churn reveals important insights into the workforce dynamics shaping Oregon’s health care system. This longitudinal analysis follows a cohort of registered nurses to track retention, mobility, and exits from…

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The Oregon Center for Nursing (OCN) publications archive provides open access to reports, briefs, and nursing workforce research that support healthcare planning, policymaking, and academic inquiry. Whether you’re a legislator, healthcare executive, educator, or association leader, OCN’s evidence-based insights help inform decisions that shape Oregon’s nursing workforce. Explore historical and current data, strategic frameworks, and program outcomes — all in service of building a more resilient, equitable, and well-supported nursing profession across the state.