Healthcare & Medical Jobs in Portland, OR

Four health systems, OHSU, Providence, Legacy and Kaiser, rank among the five largest employers in the Portland region, and Marquam Hill alone holds three hospitals. The guides below cover every healthcare and medical role in Portland, who is hiring, what it pays and how to get licensed.

Why Healthcare & Medical Work Is Different in Portland

Health care is the part of the Portland economy that keeps hiring. The metro added 5,200 health care and social assistance jobs in the year to August 2026 while total employment fell by 12,200 and Intel and Nike cut staff on the west side. OHSU is the region's largest employer with more than 22,000 people across Marquam Hill, the South Waterfront and OHSU Health Hillsboro Medical Center, and the hospitals are spread across every part of the city: Providence Portland on NE Glisan, Providence St. Vincent on SW Barnes Road, Legacy Emanuel and Randall Children's in North Portland, Legacy Good Samaritan in Northwest, Adventist Health Portland on SE Market Street, the Portland VA and Shriners Children's on Marquam Hill, and Kaiser Sunnyside in Clackamas. The suburbs add Legacy Mount Hood in Gresham, Legacy Meridian Park in Tualatin, Kaiser Westside in Hillsboro and Providence Willamette Falls in Oregon City.

Three things make healthcare work here different from the rest of Oregon and the country. First, Oregon's hospital staffing law, HB 2697, writes nurse and CNA ratios into statute, including one nurse to four medical-surgical patients since July 2026. Second, much of the workforce is unionized: the Oregon Nurses Association represents nurses at OHSU and Providence, Kaiser staff bargain through OFNHP and SEIU Local 49, and Legacy's Emanuel, Randall and Good Samaritan nurses voted to unionize in 2025, so pay follows posted step scales. Third, the job market crosses the Columbia River. PeaceHealth Southwest and Legacy Salmon Creek in Vancouver hire under Washington rules, and Washington is in the Nurse Licensure Compact while Oregon is not.

Top Healthcare & Medical Employers in Portland

These are the largest healthcare employers in the Portland metro:

• OHSU - Oregon's academic health center, with OHSU Hospital and Doernbecher Children's on Marquam Hill, the Center for Health & Healing on the South Waterfront and OHSU Health Hillsboro Medical Center.
• Providence - runs Providence Portland Medical Center, Providence St. Vincent, Providence Milwaukie Hospital and Willamette Falls Medical Center in Oregon City.
• Legacy Health - operates Emanuel, Randall Children's, Good Samaritan, Mount Hood, Meridian Park, Salmon Creek and the Unity Center for Behavioral Health.
• Kaiser Permanente - hires for Sunnyside Medical Center in Clackamas, Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro and a network of Portland-area medical offices.
• VA Portland Health Care System - the Portland VA Medical Center on Marquam Hill plus a Vancouver campus and outpatient clinics serving more than 95,000 veterans.
• PeaceHealth - PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver and its home health service hire nurses and support staff on the Washington side.
• Shriners Children's Portland - the pediatric specialty hospital on Marquam Hill hires registered nurses for its outpatient clinic.

Healthcare & Medical Career Paths in Portland

• Nursing - Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse, Certified Nursing Assistant and Patient Care Technician. The largest track, centered on the hospitals, skilled nursing and home health.
• Clinic and office - Medical Assistant, Medical Receptionist, Medical Biller and Coder and Dental Assistant. Short certificates lead into the clinics run by OHSU, Kaiser, Legacy and Providence.
• Technical and therapy - Phlebotomist, Medical Laboratory Technician, Pharmacy Technician, Radiologic Technologist, Surgical Technologist, Respiratory Therapist, Physical Therapy Assistant, EMT and Paramedic, and Behavioral Health Technician. Each has its own program and, often, its own Oregon license.
• Industry overview - the Healthcare guide maps the whole sector, its employers and pay in one place.

How to Start a Healthcare & Medical Career in Portland

• Registered Nurse license - issued by the Oregon State Board of Nursing after an approved degree and the NCLEX-RN. Associate degrees at PCC Sylvania, Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham and Clackamas Community College's Harmony campus; bachelor's degrees at OHSU, the University of Portland and Linfield's NE 132nd Avenue campus.
• Licensed Practical Nurse license - also from the Oregon State Board of Nursing, after a practical nursing program such as Concorde Career College on NE Irving Street or Sumner College at Cascade Station.
• Certified Nursing Assistant - certified by the Oregon State Board of Nursing; since July 2025 Oregon has a single CNA certification in place of CNA 1 and CNA 2. Training at PCC's CLIMB Center and other board-approved programs.
• Pharmacy Technician license - issued by the Oregon Board of Pharmacy, as a Pharmacy Technician or, with national certification, a Certified Oregon Pharmacy Technician.
• EMT and Paramedic license - issued by the Oregon Health Authority EMS Program; PCC's Cascade campus runs the state's largest EMS program.
• Medical assistant and phlebotomy certificates - PCC and Clackamas Community College train both, and Mt. Hood Community College trains medical assistants; Oregon does not license medical assistants.

Nursing, CNA, pharmacy technician, EMS, radiography and respiratory therapy credentials are legally required in Oregon; a medical assistant certificate is employer preference rather than a state license.

Healthcare & Medical Salaries in Portland

• Entry - healthcare support jobs such as nursing assistant and medical assistant average about $24.75 an hour in the Portland metro, and none can pay below the $16.80 Portland-metro minimum wage.
• Mid - licensed practical nurses earn about $29 to $43 an hour in local postings.
• Senior - registered nurses earn about $47 to $92 an hour on Portland scales, and healthcare practitioners and technical workers average about $65.71 an hour.

These are estimates from Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 averages for the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro and Portland employers' own postings. Union contracts at OHSU, Providence and Kaiser set step pay and night and weekend differentials, and the Portland VA pays on the federal scale. In Portland postings, hospital RN and LPN ranges top out higher than clinic and county ranges at the same license level.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the biggest healthcare employers in Portland?

OHSU, Providence, Legacy Health and Kaiser Permanente are four of the five largest employers in the Portland region. The Portland VA, Adventist Health Portland, Shriners Children's and PeaceHealth in Vancouver add thousands more healthcare jobs.

Is healthcare hiring growing in Portland?

Yes. The Oregon Employment Department reports the metro added 5,200 health care and social assistance jobs in the year to August 2026, even as total employment fell.

Which healthcare jobs can I start without a degree?

Nursing assistant, medical assistant, phlebotomist and pharmacy technician jobs usually need a short certificate rather than a degree. PCC trains for all four, and Mt. Hood and Clackamas community colleges offer several of them.

Can I use a nursing license from another state in Portland?

Not on its own. Oregon has not joined the Nurse Licensure Compact, so nurses need an Oregon license from the Oregon State Board of Nursing. Washington is in the compact, which matters if you work in Vancouver.

Are Portland healthcare jobs unionized?

Many are. Nurses at OHSU and Providence are represented by the Oregon Nurses Association, and Kaiser staff are represented by OFNHP and SEIU Local 49. Ask about the bargaining unit and step placement when you get an offer.

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