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The Oklahoma Health Workforce: Highlights from the Health Workforce Profile

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State Health Workforce Profiles
Highlights
Oklahoma

Printer-friendly Oklahoma Highlights (PDF - 41 KB)

  • There were nearly 138,000 people employed in the health sector in Oklahoma in 2000, 9.5% of Oklahoma‘s total workforce.
  • Health services employment in Oklahoma grew 39% between 1988 and 2000, while the state’s population grew by only 9%, resulting in a net per capita growth of 27% in health services sector employment, higher than the national rate of 21%.
  • The total population of Oklahoma is projected to grow 14% between 2000 and 2020, while the population 65 and over is projected to grow 67% between 2000 and 2020.
  • In 1999, Oklahoma had higher rates of deaths due to heart disease, cancer and firearms than the nation as a whole.
  • In 2000, Oklahoma was slightly above the national rate in the number of hospital beds per 100,000 population.

Highlights of the findings about the health workforce in Oklahoma are presented below.
Medicine

  • There were nearly 5,400 active patient care physicians in Oklahoma in 2000. With 156 physicians per 100,000 population, Oklahoma was well below the national ratio of 198 physicians per 100,000. Oklahoma ranked 45th among states in physicians per capita.
  • Oklahoma had 66 active primary care physicians per 100,000 population in 2000, lower than the rate of 69 per 100,000 for the entire country.
  • Medical schools in Oklahoma graduated 221 new physicians in 1999-00. Oklahoma ranked 24th among the 46 states with medical schools in number of medical school graduates. On a per capita basis, Oklahoma graduated 6.5 new physicians per 100,000 population, comparable to the national rate of 6.4. Oklahoma ranked 19th among the 46 states with medical schools in medical school graduates per capita.
  • There were 516 physician assistants practicing in Oklahoma in 2000. This was equal to 14.9 physician assistants per 100,000 population, slightly above the national rate of 14.4.

Nursing

  • There were over 27,000 licensed registered nurses (RNs) in Oklahoma in 2000; more than 21,900 were employed in nursing. There were 634.1 RNs per 100,000 population in Oklahoma in 2000, less than the national rate of 780.2.
  • In 2000, Oklahoma ranked 3rd among the states in the per capita employment of Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurses (LPNs), with 389.6 LPNs per 100,000 population as compared to the national rate of 240.8 per 100,000. Oklahoma ranked 20th in the number of LPNs employed in 2000 with 13,460 workers.
  • Oklahoma had 604 nurse practitioners in 2000. This was equal to 17.5 nurse practitioners per 100,000 population, less than the national rate of 33.7. Oklahoma had one of the lowest ratios of nurse practitioners per capita in the nation.
  • With 40 certified nurse midwives in 2000, Oklahoma had 1.2 certified nurse midwife per 100,000 population, well below the national rate of 2.9. Oklahoma ranked 43rd among states in certified nurse midwives per capita.
  • With 251 certified registered nurse anesthetists in 2003, Oklahoma had 7.3 nurse anesthetists per 100,000 population, less than the national rate of 9.3.

Dentistry, Pharmacy and Mental Health

  • There were 1,535 dentists, 1,250 dental hygienists, and 3,030 dental assistants practicing in Oklahoma in 2000. There were 44.4 dentists per 100,000 population in Oklahoma in 2000, well below the national rate of 63.6. The per capita ratio of dental hygienists was also lower than the national rate.
  • The number of dentists in Oklahoma increased 11% between 1991 and 2000 while the state’s population grew 9%. The result was a 2% increase in dentists per capita compared to a 16% increase nationwide.
  • There were 2,610 pharmacists and 2,920 pharmacy technicians and aides practicing in Oklahoma in 2000. Oklahoma had 75.6 pharmacists and 84.5 pharmacy technicians and aides per 100,000 population in 2000, which ranked them 26th and 28th, respectively, among the 50 states.
  • There were 232 psychiatrists, 800 psychologists, and 8,810 social workers in Oklahoma in 2000. This was equal to 6.9 psychiatrists, 23.2 psychologists, and 255 social workers per 100,000 population. Oklahoma ranked 42nd among states in psychiatrists per capita, 42n d among states in psychologists per capita, and 3rd among states in social workers per capita.

Aides

  • There were 6,040 home health aides and 22,120 nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants working in Oklahoma in 2000.