Providers report strong vitality overall, but important differences across roles point to opportunities for more targeted support.
Key findings
New research from The Cigna Group found:
- Health care providers report higher vitality than the average U.S. worker.
- Providers demonstrate strong resilience despite ongoing workplace pressures.
- Physical well-being, purpose, and work engagement are key drivers of provider vitality.
- Physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, nurses, and pharmacists face different well-being challenges.
- Health systems may improve workforce outcomes by tailoring support strategies to different provider groups.
Health and vitality are essential for individuals, families, and communities to thrive. In the workplace, vitality is associated with higher engagement, greater resilience, and reduced burnout risk, contributing to stronger organizational performance.
Within the health care system, the vitality of health care providers is especially important because it extends beyond the workforce to the patients and communities they serve.
New research from The Cigna Group challenges a common assumption about the health care workforce. Despite ongoing workplace pressures, health care providers report stronger overall vitality than the average U.S. worker. However, the findings also reveal meaningful differences across provider groups. Physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, nurses, and pharmacists each experience well-being differently, suggesting health systems may achieve better workforce outcomes by tailoring support strategies to the unique needs of each role.
Understanding providers’ strengths, challenges, and drivers of vitality can help health systems develop more targeted support strategies that improve workforce well-being and help sustain high-quality patient care.
Higher vitality sets health care providers apart
Overall, health care providers have stronger vitality than workers in other fields. In this research, providers have an average Evernorth Vitality Index score of 75.3 (out of 100), compared to 71.2 for other workers.
This suggests doctors, nurses, and other providers are more likely than the typical American worker to feel they can pursue life with health, strength, and energy, which is how vitality is defined. Several factors help drive this advantage, including a stronger focus on physical well-being, a sense of purpose, and high engagement at work.
These findings align with other recent research showing improvements in health care worker engagement and reductions in burnout compared with pandemic-era highs, suggesting many providers are rebuilding well-being after several years of exceptional strain.
“Health care providers have faced extraordinary demands over the past several years, but we’re also seeing evidence of remarkable resilience,” said Dr. Stuart Lustig, lead medical director, behavioral health, The Cigna Group. “When providers feel supported in their physical, emotional, and professional well-being, they’re better positioned to care for others while maintaining their own health and vitality.”
Workplace demands put that advantage at risk
Despite strong overall vitality, providers are not immune to burnout or declining well-being. Certain job-related factors can erode vitality if left unaddressed.
Our research on the U.S. workforce shows that factors such as long or irregular hours, emotionally demanding work, and lack of recognition are tied to lower well-being, higher burnout, and reduced productivity and engagement. While the impact varies by role and individual, health care providers commonly face these types of workplace challenges.
Work fatigue
Consistently working long hours are tied to decreased well-being and increased burnout at work.
For example, 42% of workers who log more than 50 hours per week say they are burned out, which is a significantly higher rate of burnout than workers with shorter workweeks.
Given the long hours that health care providers regularly work, they may be at higher risk of burnout over time:
Emotional demand
Consistent high demand at work is associated with higher rates of burnout, job stress, and potential turnover.
For example, workers who feel high emotional demand at work are nearly 3x more likely to feel burned out at work (57% vs. 21% among workers whose work is not emotionally demanding).
This is particularly concerning for health care providers, as more than half say their work comes with high emotional demand, making them more vulnerable to burning out if not adequately supported.
Lack of recognition
Not feeling adequately recognized at work is tied to lower job satisfaction, reduced engagement, and higher turnover.
For example, only 48% of workers who don’t feel adequately recognized say they’re willing to go above and beyond at work, compared to 84% of workers who feel well-recognized. Additionally, those feeling a lack of recognition are nearly 2x more likely to find a new job.
While many physicians and surgeons feel well-recognized, other providers feel much less acknowledgement at work, and may be more at risk for these negative impacts.
Employers should recognize that a provider’s positive attitude or loyalty doesn’t mean they aren’t struggling. Many providers report strong dedication to patient care alongside high levels of strain, which can signal a risk if their well-being needs go unaddressed. Taken together, these findings show how even a high-vitality workforce can become vulnerable over time without enough support.
Which health care providers are most at risk—and why?
Vitality is not consistent across health care roles. The study shows clear variation by role, meaning a physician’s experience can differ significantly from that of a nurse or pharmacist.
For example, physicians feel highly competent, value their work, and feel recognized, while nurses – who also feel highly competent – are less energized and more likely to feel their work goes unnoticed. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants work long hours in emotionally demanding roles but still report strong vitality, while pharmacists and pharmacy technicians work fewer hours with less emotional demand yet report higher burnout.
Employers looking to strengthen workforce vitality may overlook important opportunities if they rely on a one-size-fits-all approach. Understanding the distinct experiences, challenges, and strengths of different provider groups can help health systems deliver support that is more relevant and effective.
“One of the clearest findings from this research is that health care providers are not a monolithic group,” said Dr. Lustig. “The factors that support vitality for a physician may differ from those that matter most to a nurse, pharmacist, or physician assistant. Understanding those differences gives health systems an opportunity to provide support that is both more relevant and more effective.”
Click on the roles below to learn more about each provider group’s unique strengths, challenges, health attitudes, and behaviors.
Provider vitality at a glance
Because the responsibilities of medical office workers differ from those of providers who deliver direct patient care, they were not included in the health care provider sample. However, given their important role in supporting care delivery, we have included a separate profile for this group.
Opportunities for targeted support
Given these insights, what can health system leaders do to sustain and improve provider vitality? While there is not a one-size-fits-all approach, the research identifies several practical actions that can improve provider vitality across roles.
Support healthy behaviors and prevent burnout:
A consistent theme is the need to support healthy behaviors and preventive care for those who spend so much time caring for others.
Leaders can:
- Ensure adequate time off and manageable schedules, especially in roles with long or irregular hours.
- Address chronic overwork through sufficient staffing, flexible scheduling, and mandatory or protected breaks or paid time off.
- Encourage employees to prioritize annual checkups, sleep, exercise, and wellness programs.
Strengthen recognition and reinforce impact:
Another key opportunity is to strengthen recognition and appreciation. This is especially meaningful for nurses and advanced practice clinicians, who value the impact of their work but often feel overlooked.
Leaders can:
- Regularly recognize contributions across the full care team, not just physicians.
- Highlight how each role contributes to patient outcomes.
- Offer formal recognition, including awards, advancement opportunities, and greater visibility.
Role-based actions:
Beyond these broad strategies, providers benefit from targeted interventions aligned to their specific challenges. The recommendations below highlight one priority area for each role. Additional role-specific strategies can be found in the provider vitality summary report.
- Physicians and surgeons: Guard against burnout and isolation. Physicians bring high vitality but face significant workloads and emotional demands.
- Nurse practitioners and physician assistants: Increase recognition and growth. These providers report strong commitment to patient care and positive health habits.
- Nurses: Support work-life balance and sustained energy. Nurses often prioritize patients over their own health.
- Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians: Strengthen connection and purpose. Pharmacist teams may benefit from stronger integration into the care team, which can help reduce feelings of isolation.
- Medical office staff: Improve engagement and access to support. Medical office workers face many challenges common to office roles, like long sedentary time and sometimes limited career progression.
Fostering a stronger, more resilient health care workforce
“Health care providers dedicate their careers to caring for others, but sustaining that commitment requires supporting the people behind the profession,” said Dr. Lustig. “When organizations invest in provider well-being, they are investing in the quality, resilience, and future of the health care workforce.”
Across the health care industry, nurturing provider vitality is essential to delivering quality care and sustaining the workforce. Vital providers are more engaged, resilient, and better equipped to care for patients, improving clinical outcomes and organizational performance. By understanding the unique drivers and stressors across roles, health system leaders can implement targeted support strategies to ensure providers have the strength, energy, and support they need to thrive.
Frequently asked questions
In this study, healthcare providers reported higher average vitality scores than the general U.S. workforce.
Challenges varied by role. Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and advanced practice clinicians each reported different strengths and vulnerabilities.
The findings suggest role-specific support strategies, stronger recognition, and healthy workplace practices may help improve vitality.
Methodology: The research is based on The Cigna Group’s 2025 Vitality in America study, which analyzed responses from a core sample of 5,000 adults and an augment of an additional 500 adults working as health care providers. In this analysis, health care provider data is a combination of fallout from general population data and augment samples to obtain readable base sizes of physicians/surgeons, nurse practitioners/physician assistants, nurses, and pharmacists/pharmacy technicians. The data for individual provider groups has not been weighted to match census in order to explore directional distinctions between provider groups to better understand the profile of different health care workers.
Take the insights with you.
Download the infographic summary for key findings from the research and a deeper look at targeted strategies organizations can use to support the vitality of different types of health care providers.