Vivian Health's 2025 Workforce Report Uncovers A Growing Divide Between Clinician Expectations and Workplace Reality
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vivian Health, an IAC company (NASDAQ:IAC) and the largest online marketplace for healthcare talent serving more than 2.5 million clinicians, today released its 2025 Healthcare Workforce Report, underscoring persistent challenges facing the U.S. healthcare industry. Now in its fifth year, the annual report exposes an eye-opening disconnect between what healthcare professionals are promised and the realities they face on the job — threatening patient safety, clinician wellbeing, and systemic strain.
A survey of 471 clinicians across the country reveals a troubling cycle in healthcare employment. Many professionals accept new positions based on certain expectations only to discover that workplace conditions differ significantly from what was promised. As a result, 1 in 5 clinicians report ending their contract early, while 1 in 10 withdraw before their start date, which comes at a heavy cost. The survey identifies unsafe or toxic working environments as the leading cause of contract disruptions, with 31% of respondents ending contracts early due to these conditions and 42% withdrawing before their start date after learning of safety issues. Additional contributing factors include a lack of flexible working hours, understaffed shifts, and inadequate PTO.
Key findings include:
- Clinicians are questioning their future in healthcare: 66% have considered leaving healthcare altogether because of workplace conditions — a signal that the staffing crisis is no longer just about numbers, but about morale.
- The understaffing crisis continues: 84% report understaffing challenges, of which 53% say their unit is not adequately staffed, and 43% report being denied paid time off due to short staffing.
- Burnout and dissatisfaction remain widespread: 76% of those surveyed say burnout is the same or worse than last year, and 43% rate their current job at a five out of 10 or lower.
When clinicians are unhappy, everyone suffers—patients, health systems and facilities, and the staffing agencies that bear the costly consequences of turnover, especially when it occurs mid-contract. The report highlights a cascade of negative effects: diminished quality of patient care, increased medical errors, erosion of public trust, higher turnover rates, workforce dysfunction, and elevated levels of depression and anxiety among healthcare workers. In addition, several clinicians described experiencing an "unsafe working environment" where they "felt uncomfortable," noting that this was largely due to a lack of clear workplace policies.
Despite the challenges, the report provides a clear solution: more transparency and more alignment. When clinicians are placed in roles that truly match their preferences, and job information and detailed job descriptions are accurate, this results in better patient care, reduced burnout, faster hiring, stronger relationships, and increased trust between candidates, staffing agencies, and facilities.
"Clinician burnout isn't just an industry challenge—it's a societal one that affects the health and well-being of us all," said Parth Bhakta, CEO at Vivian. "Solving it requires collaboration across the entire healthcare ecosystem. At Vivian, we're dedicated to creating meaningful positive change by fostering innovation, and creating more clarity and collaboration with clinicians, staffing agencies, and facilities to build a stronger, more supported healthcare workforce together."
Vivian is directly addressing these issues through innovations such as its new AI Assistant for recruiting. Powered by more than one million job searches and over 2.7 million job applications annually, this cutting-edge AI-powered approach streamlines the hiring journey for both clinicians and healthcare employers, helping to close the expectation gap and making the matching process much more transparent, aligned, and accurate. By standardizing job data, flagging missing requirements, providing detailed information instantly, and enabling real-time screening, the tool ensures clinicians have a clear picture of each role before they apply. Healthcare staffing agencies using the tool have seen candidate responsiveness and engagement increase 4x when interacting with AI Assistant, and conversion rates improved by 10-15% from candidate application to successful placement.
About Vivian Health
Vivian Health, an IAC company (NASDAQ:IAC), is the largest online marketplace for healthcare talent, transforming how clinicians find jobs and connect with employers. Featuring intelligent matching, transparent salary information, and the widest selection of opportunities—spanning staff roles, per diem shifts, local contracts, and travel positions—more than 2.5 million healthcare professionals turn to Vivian to find their perfect job opportunity.
Built into its platform, Vivian's new AI Assistant enables healthcare systems, travel nurse staffing agencies, and allied health staffing agencies to engage with quality candidates and fill critical roles faster than ever before, and with greater efficiency. Vivian is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in New York City. To learn more, visit vivian.com.
Media Contact
LaunchSquad for Vivian Health
[email protected]
