What’s driving clinicians to quit, stay 

Clinician turnover is shaped less by perks and more by the fundamentals of how work feels day to day, according to a report from SullivanCotter and Lotis Blue. 

The report found that decisions to stay or leave are driven primarily by organizational stability (24%) and the care environment (22%), followed by career growth (17%). Schedule and job demands each account for 11%, while compensation and benefits rank far lower overall.

“The 2026 Health Care Workforce Retention Study,” includes data from more than 1,000 clinicians across 300 organizations. In this study, clinicians refers to licensed

patient-facing professionals, including physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses and other clinical roles. The study blends independent polling with predictive analytics to identify what keeps clinicians committed and  what leads them to quit. 

Here’s a breakdown of the factors weighing on decisions to quit or stay:

• Organization (job stability, location): 24%
• Care environment: 22%
• Career and development opportunities: 17%
• Schedule: 11%
• Job demands: 11%
• Leadership and work culture: 7%
• Compensation: 7%
• Benefits: 1%

The factors that increase likelihood of staying:

• High job stability: 76%
• Trusted to use clinical discretion: 68%
• Feel the work is meaningful: 68%
• Like my co-workers: 68%
• Physical demands are manageable: 66%
• Location: 63%
• Pay is satisfactory: 63%
• Like my schedule/shifts: 62%

The factors that increase likelihood of considering leaving:

• Job is emotionally stressful: 64%
• Limited/no development opportunities: 59%
• Limited/no advancement opportunities: 59%
• Poor/no opportunities for raises/bonuses: 58%
• Other benefits (e.g., retirement, commuter) are insufficient: 55%
• Poor organization reputation: 55%

The factors that increase likelihood of quitting:

• Schedule was not flexible: 60%
• Unable to work at the “top of my license”: 57%
• Performance metrics not aligned with high-value work: 55%
• Misalignment between personal and org values: 55%

The factors that drive clinicians to stay or quit by tenure:

Zero to six years: 

1. Clinical discretion
2. Job stability
3. Co-workers
4. Emotional stress
5. Physical demands

Seven to 15 years: 

1. Job stability
2. Location
3. Physical demands
4. Emotional stress
5. Pay level satisfaction

More than 16 years:

1. Meaningful work
2. Co-workers
3. Location
4. Emotional stress
5. Senior leadership