AMN Healthcare Survey Reveals Sharp Divide Between Leaders' Organizational Confidence and Industry Outlook for 2026
MWN-AI** Summary
A recent survey by AMN Healthcare reveals a significant disconnect between healthcare executives' confidence in their own organizations and their outlook on the broader healthcare industry for 2026. While nearly 75% of healthcare leaders anticipate their organizations will remain stable or improve by 2026, over half predict a challenging year ahead for the industry as a whole. This disparity underscores a growing confidence gap amid increasing demands for AI leadership, along with ongoing challenges in clinician engagement and succession planning.
The survey, conducted by B.E. Smith, highlights critical areas for healthcare leaders such as recruitment and retention, leadership development, and operational performance. Tessa Misiaszek, president of leadership solutions at AMN Healthcare, emphasized that organizations that focus on investing in adaptable leadership—especially those skilled in leveraging AI—will likely thrive in 2026. Key findings point to the escalating significance of AI leadership roles, with 63% of respondents prioritizing a clear AI strategy and a need for better engagement among clinicians and staff.
While retention concerns appear to be subsiding, mobility remains a pressing issue; 35% of leaders considering a job change aim to leave within the year. Additionally, only 21% feel they are on a promotion track, with many indicating that internal advancement opportunities are limited. The challenges of leadership recruitment persist, as 40% of respondents find attracting quality candidates challenging. Meanwhile, clinician engagement and succession planning remain insufficiently addressed, with fewer than half of organizations having formal succession plans at any leadership level.
This survey offers critical insights into the evolving landscape of healthcare leadership and the pressing need for effective, forward-thinking strategies in the face of industry challenges.
MWN-AI** Analysis
The recent AMN Healthcare survey reveals a stark divergence in outlook among healthcare executives, pointing to strategic implications for investors and industry stakeholders. Nearly 75% of healthcare leaders maintain confidence in their organizations’ resilience and growth by 2026, yet over half foresee a turbulent future for the healthcare sector as a whole. This disparity underscores a critical challenge: while individual organizations may thrive, systemic industry issues could hinder overall performance.
The survey highlights several key trends that warrant attention. Firstly, the rising demand for AI leadership indicates a transformative shift in healthcare operations. Investors should closely monitor companies that are proactive in adopting AI strategies, as those equipped to leverage technology effectively are likely to outperform peers. Organizations prioritizing AI and technology enhancements not only stand to improve operational efficiency but also to enhance patient care—factors increasingly influencing market competitiveness.
Additionally, the data suggests a concerning stagnation in succession planning and retention strategies. With only 21% of leaders feeling they are on a promotion track and nearly half lacking formal succession processes, companies risk losing their top talent. Investors may want to seek out firms that prioritize leadership development and internal mobility, as these factors are crucial for long-term sustainability and success.
Finally, as clinician engagement remains a critical area of focus, companies that develop strategies to bridge the gap between leadership and healthcare staff could foster an environment of loyalty and productivity. This points to potential opportunities for ventures in employee engagement solutions and leadership training programs.
In summary, while individual organizational prospects appear optimistic, the broader healthcare landscape presents challenges that necessitate strategic foresight. Investors should favor companies demonstrating adaptability, technological leadership, and a commitment to workforce engagement to navigate this evolving market effectively.
**MWN-AI Summary and Analysis is based on asking OpenAI to summarize and analyze this news release.
DALLAS, Feb. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- While nearly three-quarters of healthcare executives believe their own organizations will be as strong or stronger in 2026, more than half expect the healthcare industry overall to face a worse year ahead, according to a new survey of healthcare executives. The findings highlight a widening confidence gap alongside a rapid rise in demand for AI-savvy leaders and persistent weaknesses in succession planning and clinician engagement.
Conducted by B.E. Smith, a leading provider of healthcare executive search services and a division of AMN Healthcare, the 2026 Healthcare Leadership Trends survey captures perspectives from healthcare leaders on the forces shaping recruitment, retention, engagement, leadership development, and the financial and operational context influencing decision-making in the year ahead.
“Healthcare leaders are navigating a complex mix of financial pressure, workforce realities, and rising expectations for innovation,” said Tessa Misiaszek, president of leadership solutions at AMN Healthcare. “This year’s findings reinforce that the winners in 2026 will be organizations that invest in strong, adaptable leadership, especially leaders who can implement and translate AI and technology advancements into meaningful improvements to access, quality, and operational performance.”
The 2026 findings reflect a nuanced view of the path forward: leaders are relatively steady in their outlook for their own organizations, yet significantly more concerned about the broader industry environment. At the same time, the report highlights accelerating momentum for artificial intelligence (AI) leadership and capability-building alongside ongoing headwinds in leadership recruiting, clinician engagement, and succession readiness.
Key Findings
- A widening confidence gap is emerging. Almost three-quarters of respondents expect their organization’s health to be better or the same as 2025, while 52% forecast a worse year for the industry overall.
- AI leadership is surging in importance. AI roles moved to the top of leadership priorities for 2026, with leaders citing the need for developing a clear AI strategy (63%), engaging clinicians and staff to grow adoption (48%), and investing in data infrastructure (41%).
- Retention risk shows signs of cooling, but mobility remains. Among leaders considering leaving, 35% would like to do so within one year. At the same time, the report notes signals of reduced urgency to move compared to prior years.
- Career advancement remains a friction point. Only 21% of respondents consider themselves to be on promotion track, while 26% feel they must leave their employer to advance often citing limited internal opportunities.
- Leadership recruiting is still difficult and organizations are expanding tactics. Four in ten respondents regard attracting quality leadership candidates as extremely or very challenging.
- Clinician engagement continues to lag. Leadership teams are perceived as highly engaged compared to physicians and nursing staff, continuing a multi-year pattern and highlighting ongoing workforce experience challenges.
- Succession planning remains underdeveloped. Fewer than half of responding organizations maintain formal succession planning for any leadership level, including the top echelon.
B.E. Smith’s Healthcare Leadership Trends survey is conducted annually to assess the plans, perspectives and challenges facing healthcare leaders in the coming year. The 2026 survey is based on 703 responses from healthcare executives nationwide representing a range of leadership levels, organizational types, and hospital sizes. To learn more, download the report or join the upcoming Becker’s Hospital Review webinar, “The Future of Healthcare Leadership: Risks, Realities, and Readiness for 2026,” based on the survey findings.
About B.E. Smith and AMN Healthcare
B.E. Smith is a leading provider of interim healthcare executive, healthcare executive, and academic search services and is a division of AMN Healthcare. AMN Healthcare is the leader and innovator in total talent solutions for healthcare organizations across the United States. Through a steadfast partnership approach, we solve the most pressing workforce challenges to enable better clinical outcomes and access to care. We provide a comprehensive network of quality healthcare professionals and deliver a fully integrated and customizable suite of workforce technologies.
| Media Contact Corporate Communications AMN Healthcare [email protected] | Investor Contact Randle Reece Senior Director, Investor Relations & Strategy AMN Healthcare (866) 861-3229 [email protected] |
FAQ**
How is AMN Healthcare Services Inc AMN planning to leverage the findings from the 2026 Healthcare Leadership Trends survey to address the widening confidence gap among healthcare executives?
In what ways does AMN Healthcare Services Inc AMN aim to enhance AI leadership capabilities as highlighted by the survey, and how will this impact recruitment strategies?
Considering the survey results, what specific initiatives is AMN Healthcare Services Inc AMN implementing to improve clinician engagement and workforce experience challenges?
With less than half of organizations maintaining formal succession planning, how is AMN Healthcare Services Inc AMN addressing this gap to ensure a stable leadership pipeline in the industry?
**MWN-AI FAQ is based on asking OpenAI questions about AMN Healthcare Services Inc (NYSE: AMN).
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