(July 24, 2026) – The Kansas Hospital Association is excited to announce the publication of our annual Kansas Health Care Workforce Report, which provides an in-depth analysis of the current state of the health care workforce statewide. The report underscores ongoing staffing challenges and emphasizes the need for continued investment in workforce development.
The report draws on data from the 2026 KHA Annual Workforce Survey. This survey is a critical tool for tracking trends and measuring vacancy and turnover rates across 29 hospital-based and six clinic-based positions. The report also highlights the most in-demand positions statewide and regionally. With this information, hospital and health system leaders and policymakers gain a clearer understanding of the current workforce environment and what to expect in the future. The report also suggests recruitment and retention strategies to ensure Kansas hospitals have the capacity to support the health of their local communities.
This year, 107 Kansas hospitals participated in the survey. The statewide full-time equivalent vacancy rate declined again, from 11.8 percent to 11.0 percent. However, employee turnover rose to 19.2 percent, underscoring that hospitals continue to face challenges not only in filling open positions and retaining staff.
Registered nurse vacancy rates improved, declining from 14 percent to 12.6 percent, while licensed practical nurse vacancy rates fell from 13 percent to 8 percent. At the same time, nursing assistants remain a significant pressure point, with a 19.3 percent FTE vacancy rate and a 34.0 percent turnover rate.
Several specialized and technical roles continue to face notable staffing challenges, including MRI technologists, sterile processing technicians, surgical technicians, radiology technologists, CT technologists and respiratory therapists. Registered nurses continue to account for the largest share of open FTE positions, with more than 1,260 vacant FTEs reported statewide.
Turnover remains especially high in support and entry-level roles essential to hospital operations. Environmental services employees again had the highest turnover rate at 37.4 percent, followed closely by food service workers/dietary aides and nursing assistants. These trends underscore the need for continued attention to retention, career pathways and workplace supports across the entire hospital workforce.
While some vacancy rates have improved, Kansas' long-term workforce challenges remain top of mind for health care leaders. An aging population, growing demand for health care services and continued competition for workers across industries will require ongoing investment in education partnerships, training capacity, recruitment and retention strategies.
KHA has continued to work to combat these issues on a variety of fronts, including resiliency and retention education efforts, statewide preceptor/mentor training, events to promote health care careers, advancing health care apprenticeship opportunities to help hospitals to grow their own workforce, and workforce executive roundtables that bring together colleges and hospitals to collaboratively address these issues. These efforts continue to build on the progress we have made over the last few years as we partner with other organizations across the state and across business, industry, and government to holistically address the workforce issue and ensure Kansas hospitals continue to deliver the best care to every patient every time.
--Chad Austin