Introduction. In modern economic conditions, labor plays an important role in production. In recent years, labor specialization has increased in the healthcare sector, which has led to an increase in the importance of various specialists, including nurses, laboratory assistants, technicians, technologists, engineers, economists, managers and financiers. The manufactured product in healthcare determines the nature of labor, and despite the development of technology, human labor remains an important element in this industry. Optimization of human resource management is a key strategy for the development of healthcare. Target. Conducting an analysis of the staffing of nurses in the Orenburg region. Materials and methods. The study used data from form No. 30 "Information on a medical organization" for the period from 2018 to 2022. The data of the Federal State Statistics Service for the Orenburg Region and constituent entities of the Russian Federation were used. The processing was carried out in the Statistica 10.0 program and Excel with descriptive statistics and cluster analysis methods. Results and discussion. In the period 2018-2022, the number of mid-level medical personnel in the Russian Federation decreased by 2.6-7.2%, increasing only in the Central and North Caucasian districts. In the Volga District, the decrease was 7.0%, and the number of nurses per 10 thousand people decreased by 4.8%. Hierarchical clustering showed that the Orenburg Region has the best indicators for the provision of nurses, exceeding the average values in the Russian Federation by 16.0%, while the staffing of medical organizations is 11.1% of the nursing staff shortage. In the districts of the region, the staffing is higher by 1.6%, but the overall level is declining. The implementation of a pilot project to optimize the work of nurses revealed problems such as resistance to change and lack of skills. The project was planned to be expanded to all regions by 2024. Despite the importance of the role of nurses in the healthcare system, their impact on hospital performance indicators (average length of stay in a bed and bed turnover) remains underestimated, with a correlation with the number of nurses and doctors of 12%-13%. Regression analysis confirmed the statistical significance of the relationship, but Rosstat data indicate a reduction in workers in healthcare. Conclusion. An analysis of the staffing of mid-level medical personnel in the Orenburg region from 2018 to 2022 shows positive results, despite a slight drop in indicators. Which are the result of the work of the regional Ministry of Health within the framework of the federal project «Provision of medical organizations with qualified personnel».