Organization is trying to help healers amid Oregon nursing shortage

PORTLAND, Ore. (Aging Untold)— Oregon faces a nursing crisis that experts say stems not from a lack of licensed nurses, but from workplace conditions that drive healthcare workers away from frontline positions. The U.S. will see nearly 200,000 job openings for registered nurses each year until 2032, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Higher nurse-to-patient ratios can increase the likelihood of errors and decrease patient satisfaction, researchers at Ohio University found. Oregon has more licensed nurses than ever before, but 30% of new nurses leave their first jobs within their first year out of nursing school, according to the Oregon Center for Nursing. “My belief is that in Oregon, we don’t actually have a nursing shortage. What we have is a vacancy crisis, and that’s because of persistent, unhealthy work environment, increased stress, increased workplace violence,” Christy Simila, director of professional practice at the Oregon Nurses Association, said. N