Doctor Shortage Threatens Rural Nevada’s Health Care System

Rural counties in Nevada face some of the steepest challenges in the state’s worsening doctor shortage, according to a new report from the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. The Health Workforce in Nevada – 2025 study warns that Nevada would need more than 2,300 additional physicians to reach the national per-capita average. The shortage is felt most acutely outside of Reno and Las Vegas, where long travel times and scarce medical resources already burden residents.

Dr. John Packham with the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine presented the “Health Workforce in Nevada – 2025” report to the Central Nevada Health District at its August meeting. He summarized the overall picture, saying “It’s not a good story in the rurals,” noting the shortage of primary care doctors, dentists, and mental health workers.

The 73-page report is filled with tables, graphs and maps, and details the number of health professionals available in four distinct regions: Carson City, Clark County, Washoe County, and “Rural & Frontier” which includes 14 of Nevada’s 17 counties. It uses the term Health Professional Shortage Area, or HPSA to describe the lack of qualified doctors in a geographic region.

A summary analysis of the report reveals the following:

Health Professional Shortage:

• Primary Care - As a whole, 65% of Nevadans live in a primary care HPSA. In the rural counties, 89% of residents lack access to a primary care doctor.
• Dental Care - 58% of Nevadans live in a dental HPSA, with 82.5% of rural residents lacking access to dental professionals.
• Mental Health - 91% of Nevadans live in a mental health HPSA, with 100% of rural residents facing a shortage of mental health professionals.

Current and Projected Employment:

• Employment in the health care sector expected to increase by 25,248 jobs, or 15% in the next 10 years.
• Nevada needs an additional 10,992 jobs in ambulatory care, 10,660 jobs in hospitals, and 8,273 jobs in nursing and residential care to meet the national average.
• Similarly, Nevada would need an additional 4,865 registered nurses, 2,303 physicians, and 906 pharmacists to meet the national average.
• Health workforce shortages are not limited to occupations requiring advanced education and training. Nevada would need an additional 23,327 home health and personal care aides, an additional 5,092 nursing assistants, and an additional 1,157 medical secretaries and administrative assistants to meet the national average.

Licensure Trends:

• Over the past decade, several health care occupations have seen substantial growth in both the number of licensees, and the rate of licensees per 100,000 population. Noteworthy examples include advanced practitioners of nursing, licensed clinical social workers, and physician assistants.
• Conversely, over the past decade, several health care occupations had modest growth in the number of licensees and relatively flat growth in the rate of licensees per 100,000 population. Examples include clinical psychologists, dental hygienists, and respiratory therapists.
• In general, the population per licensed health care worker is considerably higher in rural counties versus urban areas of the state. For example, there are 24,301 residents per 1 clinical psychologist in rural counties as compared to 2,990 residents per 1 clinical psychologist in Washoe County.

In a speech to Churchill County Republicans in 2023, Governor Joe Lombardo said qualified professionals like doctors and nurses cannot come to Nevada without wading through a year or more of red tape, education, or certifications before beginning work in their field. “It’s no secret,” said Lombardo, “we have a workforce issue in Nevada, and we are one of the worst-rated states for doing business and with occupational licensing.” 

The report concludes by stating the workforce trends of health care workers presented will require state and local leaders to pursue policy measure to increase the supply of health professionals, improve the diversity of the state’s health workforce, and address the geographic maldistribution of health workers in Nevada. 

The report can be found on the UNR School of Medicine’s Office of Statewide Initiatives website at https://med.unr.edu/statewide/programs/nevada-health-workforce-research-center.