What “stabilized turnover” means for healthcare workforce retention
Health systems may be seeing fewer exits than during the peak disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the workforce landscape is still defined by pressure. Capacity remains limited, financial and operational constraints persist, and access challenges continue to grow. At the same time, clinicians’ expectations are shifting and the factors that shape commitment are changing.
That is why health care workforce retention has become a leadership imperative, not simply a workforce metric. Retention outcomes shape clinical capacity, operational performance, continuity of care, and the system’s ability to sustain access over time.
The Science of Staying 2026 is the next chapter in a longitudinal research effort that examines the psychology behind clinician retention. Drawing on responses from more than 1,000 licensed, patient-facing clinicians across 300+ health care organizations nationwide, the research includes nurses, advanced practice providers (APPs), and other clinical roles, with a new dedicated physician deep dive added this year. Built on independent polling and predictive analytics, this research identifies what keeps clinicians committed, what causes them to disengage, and what ultimately drives exits.
View the full research on the SullivanCotter website.
Why this research matters for health care workforce retention in 2026
Retention strategy is often treated as an HR or talent initiative. In today’s environment, that framing is too narrow. When clinician commitment weakens, the impact is not isolated to staffing metrics. It shows up in capacity constraints, care continuity, team performance, and the organization’s ability to sustain access.
The findings provide an evidence-based view of what drives clinicians to stay committed, begin considering leaving, or ultimately quit. Leaders can use these insights to refine workforce strategy with precision, focusing on the levers most likely to strengthen retention and protect clinical capacity.
Erica Grant, Partner, Lotis Blue Consulting and Co-Author of The Science of Staying 2026
“Health systems that continue to manage retention as a downstream workforce issue are missing the moment. The data point to a clear mandate: design work that is sustainable, align rewards and growth with reality, and rebuild trust where it has been strained.”
Key findings at a glance
Clinician sentiment in 2026
- 80% intend to stay – Staying decisions are anchored in a work environment that delivers security, belonging, purpose, and sustainability.
- 11% are considering leaving – Early disengagement – or considering leaving – begins when clinicians become overstretched, undervalued, or stagnant.
- 9% reported quitting a health care job in the past year – Quitting decisions occur when work becomes incompatible with clinicians’ values and the motivations that drew them to medicine in the first place.
Early-tenure risk remains high – Even with overall improvement, the first year remains a critical retention window. Early experiences set expectations, shape trust, and influence long-term commitment.
Physician retention insights (new this year) – For the first time, this year’s study includes physicians, revealing that physician commitment is most strongly influenced by trust in clinical discretion, perceived fairness in compensation, and frictionless practice conditions.
What leaders can do with these findings
The Science of Staying is designed to support actionable workforce strategy. Health system leaders can use these findings to focus time and investment on the retention levers most likely to strengthen commitment and reduce avoidable exits, including:
- Redesign the Employee Value Proposition based on evidence and real decision dynamics—not intuition.
- Treat early-tenure retention as a strategic priority, strengthening onboarding, role clarity, and early support structures that shape long-term commitment.
- Improve workforce sustainability and recovery, confronting emotional stress, schedule rigidity, and workload imbalance before they become drivers of exit.
- Modernize growth and reward pathways for mid-career clinicians, especially APPs, to address stagnation and strengthen long-term engagement.
- Build role-specific retention strategies, including enabling top-of-license practice for nurses and APPs and a distinct physician playbook.
Access the full report
The full study is available on SullivanCotter’s website. Explore the findings and use them to refine healthcare workforce retention strategies heading into 2026.
