Current Hiring Issues in 2026

Hiring the right staff has become significantly more challenging for doctor offices and medical practices over the past few years. Many providers we work with are struggling to fill positions that used to be relatively straightforward, especially medical front desk, medical assistants, billers, scribes, and back-office support roles.

While a quick AI response might still blame the pandemic or unemployment benefits, those are no longer the primary drivers. Today’s hiring difficulties in healthcare stem from a tight labor market, an aging workforce, rising patient volumes, increasing administrative burdens, and high candidate expectations around flexibility and work-life balance.

The result? Longer time-to-fill, more unqualified applications, higher turnover, and increased stress on existing clinical and administrative teams. Many practices are seeing physicians and providers spending valuable time on non-clinical tasks because support positions remain open.

Here’s what’s really happening in medical offices right now, and more importantly, what you as a provider or practice manager can do about it.

Employer Expectation

Look beyond years of experience

As medical providers, you have every right to set high standards for your team. However, the #1 request we still hear from practices is: “We need someone with experience in our exact specialty or in healthcare.”

While clinical or specialty-specific experience can be helpful, it is not always the best predictor of success in many roles. In fact, bad experience (poor habits, negative attitudes, or resistance to your practice’s workflow) can be far worse than no experience at all.

Candidates with the right attitude, strong work ethic, attention to detail, and willingness to learn often become your most loyal, grateful, and long-term team members. They adapt quickly and stay longer because they appreciate the opportunity.