2026 Trends Among Future Clinicians

Healthcare organizations face growing workforce challenges, making it more important than ever to engage future clinicians early. Understanding what nursing students, allied health students, and medical trainees expect from their clinical experiences can help organizations build stronger recruitment pipelines and improve workforce readiness.

About this Report

The 2026 Trends Among Future Clinicians report explores insights from 8,537 future clinicians across all 50 states, uncovering how clinical rotations influence career decisions, employment opportunities, and perceptions of healthcare organizations. Learn how tailored engagement strategies can help you attract, recruit, and retain the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Key Finding Callouts:

1. 82% of nursing students were never contacted about job opportunities by their rotation site, up from 75% in 2024.
2. 70% of nursing students graduating in early 2026 hadn't secured a job.
3. 8.0 out of 10: how likely allied health students said they'd be to accept a job at the organization where they trained.

What's inside:

1. Why nursing students, allied health students, and medical trainees need different workforce strategies
2. Regional recruitment gaps, measured for the first time this year
3. The preceptor and staff behaviors that most shape how students see your organization
4. The support students say they're missing as they move into practice

Clinical rotations represent one of healthcare organizations' greatest opportunities to connect with future clinicians. Understanding what students value most can help leaders transform training experiences into long-term workforce relationships.

Download the Full 2026 Report Now

Clinical rotations are more than an academic function. They're one of your best recruitment opportunities, and most organizations are missing it. Download the report today to learn more.