Covista Care Capacity
Monitor

America's healthcare system enters 2026 substantially understaffed, with workforce gaps expected to deepen. From hospitals and clinics to doctors' offices and urgent care centers, healthcare professionals say staffing shortages negatively affect their ability to provide high-quality care.

As the staffing gap grows, patient care suffers

With roughly 8.4 million open healthcare jobs nationwide each year—more than two job openings for every unemployed healthcare worker—73% of healthcare executives and 76% of clinicians say staffing shortages compromise the quality of care they can provide.

The challenge exists everywhere—but it's particularly acute for the roles hardest to fill: physician specialists, primary care physicians and technician roles, some of the most critical to patient care. Rural communities with fewer than 1 million residents and underserved communities face the greatest impact, where continuity of care and access are already fragile. And 83% of healthcare executives believe it will get worse: They say there isn't enough talent to meet demand in the next five years.

The Covista Care Capacity Monitor details the scale and urgency of the problem.

Patient care quality is negatively affected

76% of clinicians and 73% of healthcare executives say staffing shortages negatively affect their ability to provide high-quality care.

AI can support—but not replace—skilled clinicians

76% of healthcare executives say AI has a positive impact on care quality. But when it comes to staffing, 65% say AI can help at least somewhat while 31% don't believe it will help solve the shortage much, if at all.

Healthcare staffing shortages hit rural and less urban communities hardest

85% of healthcare executives from rural and less urban communities say they can't find enough local talent—nearly twice the 45% reported in metro areas. Some states face extreme shortages, including nearly 20 monthly vacancies per job seeker in New Hampshire and more than 18 in North Dakota.

Talent partnerships top the list of effective staffing strategies

Nearly 70% of healthcare executives rate talent partnerships as somewhat to very effective for meeting workforce needs. Yet only 22% are significantly investing in pipeline partnerships.

For-profit or non-profit status makes no difference

About 85% of healthcare executives who had an opinion on the topic say that a degree from a for-profit or non-profit institution makes no difference in hiring decisions.

The Covista Care Capacity Monitor

We surveyed healthcare executives and clinicians—fielded by Gallup—on how the staffing shortage affects patient care. Based on the data, we believe this is a patient care crisis, not just a staffing issue.

State of healthcare staffing by geography

Staffing shortages affect healthcare providers across the country. But the problem is particularly acute in some geographies and among certain medical disciplines. This interactive map can help you compare your market to others around the country. (Media or others who use this data should cite Covista Care Capacity Monitor, 2026 as the source).

Dataset

Workforce Supply & Demand

Vacancies 8,423,769

Non-metro vacancies 1,339,788

Change in vacancies 40.00

Workers 14,992,478

Job seekers 305,716

Unemployment rate 1.70%

Unemployment rate gap -1.20%

Vacancies per job seeker 2.30

Vacancies per non-metro job seeker 2.30

Workforce Transitions

Average tenure 6.70

Share of workforce <1 year tenure 24.20%

Share of workforce retiring 1.70%

Healthcare graduates 994,689

Vacancies per healthcare graduate 8.50

Compensation

Median posted salary $85,561

Median salary of current workers $58,000

Salary gap $27,561

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Occupational workforce breakdown

Explore which medical disciplines are in greatest demand. Workforce data illustrates how certain positions—from MRI technicians and Nurse Anesthetists to Radiation Therapists and Cardiovascular technicians—are particularly difficult to fill. Use the tables below to review the data.

Physicians
Occupation	Vacancies	Vacancies per job seeker	Total workers	Employment Rate	Median income
Physicians, all other	201,116	2.20	1,019,767	90.40	$230,000
Surgeons, all other	24,413	14.00	64,427	90.50	$484,000
Psychiatrists	48,643		12,972	86.20
Podiatrists	3,487				$140,000
Family medicine physicians	112,395
Obstetricians and gynecologists	52,406
Emergency medicine physicians	33,686
General internal medicine physicians	35,189
Radiologists	32,321
Cardiologists	32,272
Anesthesiologists	29,386
Pediatricians, general	33,330
Neurologists	27,694
Orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric	19,552
Dermatologists	11,141
Physicians, pathologists	7,277
Pediatric surgeons	7,055
Ophthalmologists, except pediatric	4,631

Advanced practice & nursing roles
Occupation	Vacancies	Vacancies per job seeker	Total workers	Employment Rate	Median income
Registered nurses	2,645,339	4.00	3,716,672	86.50	$77,000
Nurse practitioners	205,979	5.90	342,127	93.10	$116,000
Physician assistants	66,247	3.30	183,219	94.20	$120,000
Nurse anesthetists	37,103	8.20	51,538	90.50	$210,000
Nurse midwives	2,545

Other healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners
Occupation	Vacancies	Vacancies per job seeker	Total workers	Employment Rate	Median income
Physical therapists	334,161	10.70	319,541	89.60	$80,000
Speech-language pathologists	194,071	6.10	227,791	88.20	$67,000
Occupational therapists	151,108	4.80	165,270	88.80	$72,000
Respiratory therapists	116,166	7.90	138,844	89.30	$70,000
Pharmacists	99,866	1.80	391,161	88.20	$123,000
Dietitians and nutritionists	92,618	2.90	113,160	84.80	$60,000
Recreational therapists	24,741	29.50	15,959	84.90	$47,000
Radiation therapists	21,716	26.80	15,364	87.90	$80,000
Optometrists	16,942	26.30	52,089	88.40	$128,000
Audiologists	9,753	2.20	22,045	90.40	$91,000
Therapists, all other	7,210	0.10	277,907	91.70	$54,000
Healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners, all other	6,582	0.60	14,147	76.70	$28,800
Exercise physiologists	7,082

Behavioral health professionals
Occupation	Vacancies	Vacancies per job seeker	Total workers	Employment Rate	Median income
Psychiatric technicians	33,980	0.30	168,199	88.30	$34,000
Psychiatric aides	36,543

Allied health & clinical support roles
Occupation	Vacancies	Vacancies per job seeker	Total workers	Employment Rate	Median income
Home health and personal care aides	550,191	1.10	592,789	77.20	$23,000
Nursing assistants	228,069	0.30	1,376,223	80.90	$32,000
Medical assistants	222,716	0.70	682,444	83.10	$35,400
Physical therapist assistants	87,095	1.60	134,489	82.20	$45,000
Phlebotomists	80,492	1.30	131,793	84.20	$35,000
Occupational therapy assistants	35,769	1.50	44,529	83.80	$42,000
Healthcare support workers, all other	29,560	0.30	210,432	85.00	$42,000
Orderlies	15,648	0.40	62,003	78.40	$35,000
Medical transcriptionists	11,625	0.40	47,947	63.80	$22,000
Pharmacy aides	2,355	0.20	35,381	85.50	$30,000
Medical equipment preparers	28,526
Occupational therapy aides	15,954
Physical therapist aides	9,477

Health technologists and technicians
Occupation	Vacancies	Vacancies per job seeker	Total workers	Employment Rate	Median income
Health technologists and technicians, all other	328,988	3.00	288,550	86.90	$50,000
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses	326,089	1.20	591,639	82.00	$48,000
Radiologic technologists and technicians	293,841	7.10	254,174	88.00	$65,000
Pharmacy technicians	183,396	1.20	430,531	85.10	$36,000
Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians	145,164	1.60	332,677	82.90	$52,000
Magnetic resonance imaging technologists	143,267	10.70	54,816	92.00	$81,200
Cardiovascular technologists and technicians	123,813	26.00	50,850	89.10	$62,000
Surgical technologists	80,840	1.70	123,595	89.40	$54,000
Diagnostic medical sonographers	75,178	4.00	116,565	88.70	$75,000
Medical records specialists	57,076	1.00	195,545	86.50	$45,000
Nuclear medicine technologists	22,010	5.60	38,767	92.70	$100,000
Emergency medical technicians	18,789	0.40	153,302	86.10	$37,000
Opticians, dispensing	17,542	0.60	77,060	83.60	$42,000
Paramedics	17,087	0.50	136,392	89.50	$68,000
Dietetic technicians	7,913	0.10	84,359	80.50	$24,000
Ophthalmic medical technicians	21,432
Hearing aid specialists	3,839
Medical dosimetrists	2,297
Orthotists and prosthetists	1,692

Healthcare quality compromised

Unable to staff at capacity, healthcare executives and clinicians cut patient visits, reduce service hours and close open beds.

84%

of executives believe staffing shortages slightly to significantly diminish their capacity to serve patients

76%

of clinicians believe staffing shortages negatively affect care quality

83%

of healthcare executives worry there is not enough talent to meet demand in the next five years

AI is a valuable tool, but not a singular solution

AI is reshaping healthcare—driving efficiency, enhancing diagnostics and creating new ways to support patient care. Clinicians and executives view AI as central to the future of healthcare, especially as a tool to help streamline administrative tasks, which can free up more time to spend with patients.

Clinicians and leaders see potential

65% Executives, 45% Clinicians, think AI could solve staffing shortages at least somewhat

Executives making investments

41% of executives are moderately or significantly investing in AI/technology as a workforce solution

Clinicians have other priorities

74% of clinicians say achieving adequate staffing should be the top priority Only 34% of clinicians believe executives should prioritize technology—such as AI—to deliver care, ranking below childcare support and gym memberships

Medical professional in green scrubs speaking to person in wheelchair

Impact acute in rural areas

Staffing gaps in rural and less urban areas have greater impact on care

In rural communities with fewer than 1 million residents, staffing shortages are more likely to significantly affect care delivery. Clinicians in rural and less urban areas report greater negative impacts on care quality and organizations in these communities are more likely to experience reduced capacity, including fewer appointments, limited services and constrained access to care.

Hiring is harder outside large metro areas

Healthcare leaders in rural and less urban areas face greater difficulty recruiting clinicians due to limited local talent pools and increased competition: 85% cite local talent shortages as a major barrier—nearly double the rate of large metro organizations—making persistent vacancies harder to fill across critical roles.

What the data shows

These findings highlight how workforce shortages disproportionately affect communities outside large metro areas and diminish care access.

85%

of leaders outside large metro areas say local talent shortages are a major hiring barrier (vs. 45% in large metro areas)

80%

of clinicians in rural and less urban areas say staffing shortages negatively impact care quality

2.3

monthly vacancies exist per unemployed worker in rural and less urban areas, compared to 1.7 monthly vacancies in large metro areas

Talent partnerships top the list of effective staffing strategies but are underutilized

Nearly 70% of healthcare executives say partnerships with education providers are somewhat to very effective workforce strategy in helping their organization meet its workforce needs—even slightly more effective than hiring and retention bonuses, upskilling existing staff and using staffing agencies. However, only half of the executives polled say their organization is significantly or moderately investing in partnerships with education providers.

How effective have pipeline partnerships with education providers been in helping your organization meet its workforce needs?

To what extent, if at all, is your organization investing financially in pipeline partnerships with education providers?

Non-profit and for-profit educations viewed similarly

Healthcare executives see little to no significant difference between clinicians who attended for-profit schools and those who went the non-profit route. 90% of clinicians say the type of institution they attended had no impact on whether they got a job.

When hiring for the following roles, is one type of degree valued more than the other, or not? (Among executive leaders)