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Burnout lingers but the ranks of Oregon health care workers are growing

Numbers of nurses and others are growing but local education programs can't keep up with new job openings, per a state report
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An ambulance pulls into the entrance driveway for Oregon Health & Science University's emergency department on Wed., Oct. 27, 2021. | OHSU/CHRISTINE TORRES HICKS
January 14, 2025
This article will be updated.

Oregon lawmakers effort to boost spending on behavioral health programs appears to be having results with the number of workers growing in that sector, according to a new state report.

Specifically, the number of behavioral health providers working stood at 1.25 per 1,000 Oregonians last year, a jump from 1.15 the year before when jobs are tallied as equivalent to full-time workers.

Still, Oregon ranked 47th out of 51 jurisdictions in terms of whether the state is fulfilling the demand for mental health services, according to the report.

Also, while the number of licensed registered nurses keeps growing in the state, only about three-quarters of them were working as nurses in 2024, said the report, which was prepared by Oregon State University researchers for the Oregon Health Authority.

One possible reason, burnout. The study cited a national survey of physicians that found a slight improvement in burnout rates and job satisfaction between 2022 and 2023. “Despite the burnout rate dropping from its record-high during the pandemic, the extent of the problem remains a reality that demands attention,” according to the report.

Meanwhile, about a quarter of all Oregonians live in areas where there's a shortage of dental care, and more than half of Oregon dentists choose not to treat low-income people enrolled in the state's version of Medicaid.

 

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