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Oregon RN Certification and Schools - OR

By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: February 19th, 2010

Assessing patient health problems, educating patients on how to treat and manage their diseases and disabilities, and developing and implementing nursing care plans.  These are just some of the duties that a registered nurse may be asked to perform on a daily basis.  In the state of Oregon, the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) reports that 29,980 registered nurses are currently employed throughout the state.  In addition, the BLS reports an extremely favorable rating for job growth and projects a job growth of 22% over the next ten years, much faster than the national average for all occupations.

In Oregon, there has been over the past few years, difficulty in finding enough nurses to fill all of the jobs.  Oregon, as a state, has been very proactive in identifying and addressing this issue.  The Oregon Center for Nursing has been at the forefront, addressing this issue since 2001.  Because of this, Oregon has consistently remained a positive climate for the practice of nursing.

RN Education in Oregon

Registered Nurses in the state of Oregon must graduate from one of the state approved nursing education programs offered by Oregon RN schools in order to apply for licensure.  There are two different types of educational programs in the state of Oregon, an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree.  While both degrees lead to the ability to sit for the examination required for licensure, an associate’s degree can typically be completed in two years, while a bachelor’s degree is typically completed in four years.  The associate degree programs are typically offered by community colleges or junior colleges, while the bachelor degree programs are typically offered at four year colleges or universities.

Registered nurses study content such as chemistry, biology, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, nutrition, and psychology, in addition to the nursing-content specific courses.  In addition, the educational process incorporates both classroom and clinical education.  During this process, the students should be exposed to patients across the spectrum of ages and ailments, in a variety of medical disciplines.

Through campus or online programs, aspiring Registered Nurses in Portland, Salem, Eugene and Gresham, Oregon may be able to prepare themselves for the possibility of employment in some of the largest hospitals and healthcare facilities in the state including the Providence Saint Vincent Medical Center, Oregon Health & Science University Hospital, Sacred Heart Medical Center and Salem Hospital.