For the past 14 years, Portland Monthly has celebrated nurse practitioners through our annual Top Nurses guide. Our 2018 list honors some 86 of these outstanding professionals. (Find this year’s top doctors, physician assistants, and complementary medicine providers here.) To create our Top Nurses list, our survey starts by asking area health care providers one simple question: to whom would they trust the care of their own loved ones? We tallied nearly 18,000 votes this year; the following pages represent the top 5 percent of survey vote-getters across 11 practice areas. Congratulations, 2018 honorees. Health should always start right at the top!

Browse the searchable database here.

METHODOLOGY: Using a secure online survey system, Portland Monthly solicited peer nominations from every licensed doctor, physician assistant, and registered nurse in Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties. Participants logged in with their medical license number and nominated up to four names in each medical specialty; we specifically asked to whom they would entrust their own families’ care. After tallying the votes, Portland Monthly compiled a list of the top vote recipients in each specialty. We then confirmed that all nominees are currently certified to practice in their field by their respective medical licensing board and have not been subject to recent disciplinary action in Oregon. Next, we convened an independent, voluntary, and anonymous panel of doctors, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners representing local hospitals and clinics to assess each finalist by their accomplishments, education, patient satisfaction surveys, and other criteria.