BRIEF: Oregon’s Nurse Vacancy Crisis

Oregon has more licensed nurses than ever before, but high vacancy rates persist in long-term care, community health, and rural settings. Many newly licensed nurses arrive from out of state, yet a significant number are leaving bedside roles due to dissatisfaction, burnout, or alternative job opportunities. The gap between license numbers and practicing direct care nurses reveals a hidden workforce instability.

The brief challenges the “nursing shortage” label, emphasizing that workforce loss is not due to insufficient training pipelines alone. Instead, unhealthy work environments and lack of retention infrastructure create a “leaky bucket” effect—where even as new nurses enter, many exit. This churn is particularly harmful to continuity of care and staff morale.

To address this, the Oregon Center for Nursing recommends policy solutions aimed at workforce sustainability. Key strategies include enacting legislation to improve workplace safety, incentivizing employer-led transition programs like nurse residencies, and shifting language and focus from shortages to long-term retention and care accessibility.