Medical clinics are operating with fewer support staff per provider, even as providers see more patients, according to AMGA Consulting’s 2026 “Medical Clinic Staffing Survey.”
The survey, conducted by AMGA, compiles 2025 data from more than 6,500 clinics and more than 30,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians.
Here are six things to know, according to a Nov. 6 AMGA news release shared with Becker’s:
1. Median total clinic staff per provider fell to 2.17 full-time equivalents, down 0.12 from the prior survey year, after holding at 2.29 for three straight survey years.
2. The steepest decline from the prior survey year came among clinical support staff, including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and medical assistants, which fell from 1.48 to 1.29 FTEs per provider. Ancillary staff, including radiology and laboratory staff, fell from 0.33 to 0.27 FTEs. Over the same period, provider work relative value units rose 2.4% and patient visits rose 2%, according to AMGA’s compensation and productivity survey.
3. Primary care clinics reported 2.39 staff per provider, compared with 2.00 for medical specialties and 2.01 for surgical specialties.
4. Clinics reported median total turnover of 13%. Medical assistants had the highest turnover rate at 16.4%, followed by front desk and support staff at 15.4%, and registered nurses at 12.7%. Turnover was 9.2% for advanced practice clinicians and 6.2% for physicians.
5. Independent medical groups reported a median 2.63 total clinic staff per provider, compared with 2.11 for system-affiliated groups.
6. Advanced practice clinicians now make up a median 48.8% of clinic providers. “That has expanded capacity, but the support staff around those providers hasn’t grown to match,” Beth Pittman, director of AMGA Consulting, said in the release.
