The Hardest Clinical Jobs to Fill, Ranked

Fifty-nine percent of healthcare executives said physician specialists are the most difficult clinical job to fill, according to a Covista report.

“Covista Care Capacity Monitor” polled 167 healthcare executives and 1,347 healthcare clinicians across disciplines and geographies between Nov. 4 and Nov. 21, 2025. Questions focused on the state of staff shortages and staffing issues across healthcare. All respondents were currently working in a healthcare organization that provides patient care. Clinicians were only included in the study sample if they reported spending 50% or more of their time each week on direct patient care.

Here are the clinician roles that respondents said have been significantly challenging to fill:

Physician specialist: 59%

Primary care physician: 49%

Certified registered nurse anesthetist: 47%

Behavioral or mental health clinicians or therapist: 44%

Allied health provider: 38%

Behavioral or mental health staff: 31%

Licensed practical nurse: 14%

Nurse practitioner or physician assistant: 13%

Here are the clinicians “very” or “somewhat likely” to leave in the next 12 months:

Primary care physicians: 17%

Physician specialists: 15%

Registered nurse: 14%

Behavioral or mental health clinician: 10%

Nurse practitioner or physicians assistant: 7%

Allied health provider: 4%