Where Are All The Nurses? New Report Exposes Hidden Breakdowns Between Classroom and Clinic Amid Nursing Workforce Crisis

Dual survey of health science administrators and students reveals clinical placement and onboarding—not academics—are delaying the next generation of nurses and allied health professionals

EASTON, Md., Feb. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Cisive, a global provider of technology and compliance-driven background screening, student risk management, and data services, today announced the release of its 2026 Clinical Placement Benchmark Report, “Where Are All the Nurses? From Classroom to Clinic: The Hidden Gaps Delaying the Next Generation of Healthcare Workers.”

The report, produced by Cisive’s healthcare specific PreCheck division, is based on two complementary surveys fielded in partnership with independent research firm Hanover: one of 150 U.S. health science and allied health program administrators and another of 300 students enrolled in those programs. Together, they provide a rare dual-lens view of the campus-to-clinic pipeline—capturing where processes break down, how delays impact students and clinical partners, and what schools say they need to fix it.

“We went into this research asking a simple question: If everyone agrees we need more nurses, why aren’t they reaching the bedside faster? The answer is clear—the classroom isn’t holding students back, they’re being held back by broken processes between campus and clinic,” said Matt Jaye, SVP of Healthcare at Cisive. “Clinical partners are eager to host learners, programs are working around the clock, and students are doing their part. It’s the fragmented, outdated screening and onboarding infrastructure that’s slowing them down.”

Key Findings: Clinical Placement Is the New Bottleneck

The benchmark report paints a picture of a system under strain, where clinical placements and onboarding—not academic readiness—have become defining constraints on workforce growth:

Clinical placements are the single biggest operational inefficiency.
30% of administrators identify clinical placements as the least efficient part of their program—more than any other area—even when academic components are running smoothly.
Difficulty securing clinical sites is nearly universal.
More than 90% of programs report that challenges in securing enough clinical placements have at least some impact on their operations, citing unclear requirements, delayed starts, and reduced availability of clinical slots.
Onboarding delays create a “domino effect.”
Administrators report postponed or missed rotations due to incomplete documentation and screening delays, which force clinical partners to reshuffle schedules and capacity when students aren’t cleared on time.

“Our clinical relationships are overwhelmingly positive—the relationship is not the problem; the process is,” one respondent noted.

Students Confirm: Fragmented Systems, Repeated Uploads, and Delays

The student survey echoes what administrators see from their side of the desk:

Nearly 9 in 10 students face onboarding challenges.
Among students who had begun clinical placement approval, 88.5% experienced at least one challenge, most commonly with uploading health and immunization documents and responding to repeated requests for information they had already submitted.
Documentation friction has real consequences.
These issues lead directly to delayed start dates for clinical rotations, increased anxiety and uncertainty for students, additional follow-up work for faculty, and strained clinical partnerships when students arrive incomplete or late.
Almost all students are juggling multiple systems.
99.3% of students used more than one system for screening-related tasks, with the vast majority navigating 2–4 platforms for background checks, health records, drug testing, and placement requirements.

Despite this friction, about four in five students describe their background check experience as somewhat or very positive overall—but a meaningful minority report neutral or negative experiences, often tied to delays, confusion, and poor communication.

Everyone Wants Fewer Systems and a Single Source of Truth

Both administrators and students point to the same root cause—and the same solution:

On the administrator side, nearly 59% want easier integration with institutional and clinical placement systems, and 31% specifically want a single, unified platform for all screening tasks.
On the student side, the concept of a unified solution is overwhelmingly attractive: 85% say they find a single platform for all screening needs somewhat or very appealing, and 85% are somewhat or very confident that a unified solution would reduce errors and delays.

“Administrators want fewer systems, clearer requirements, and tools that talk to rotation management platforms. Students want one place to go, clear instructions, and fewer repetitive uploads,” the report concludes. “Our surveys capture a shared desire for consolidation and clarity—a single source of truth rather than a maze of logins and spreadsheets.”

“If we’re serious about solving the nursing shortage, we can’t just focus on classroom capacity—we have to modernize the infrastructure that clears students to practice,” Jaye added. “StudentCheck gives schools and clinical partners a unified, healthcare-specific platform that eliminates friction, protects clinical relationships, and gets practice-ready clinicians to the bedside faster.”

Report Availability

The 2026 Clinical Placement Benchmark Report, “Where Are All the Nurses? From Classroom to Clinic: The Hidden Gaps Delaying the Next Generation of Healthcare Workers” is available March 2 for download. The report includes:

Detailed findings from both administrator and student surveys
Charts and visualizations of key trends and pain points
External context on faculty and clinical site capacity constraints
Practical recommendations for schools and clinical partners

Members of the media can access an embargoed version today by contacting the Cisive team at [email protected].

Cisive’s student screening experts Matt Jaye and Joe DeSanzo will also host a live walk through of the report’s findings on Wednesday, Feb 25, 2026. Click here to register.

About Cisive

Cisive is a trusted partner for comprehensive, high-risk, compliance-driven background check, drug and health screening, and workforce monitoring solutions, specializing in highly regulated industries—such as healthcare, financial services, and transportation. We catch what others miss, and we are dedicated to helping our clients secure the right talent effortlessly. As a global leader, Cisive empowers organizations to hire and manage their workforce with confidence.

Through our PreCheck division, Cisive provides specialized background screening and credentialing solutions tailored for healthcare organizations, ensuring patient and workforce safety. Driver iQ, our transportation-focused division, delivers FMCSA-compliant screening and monitoring solutions that help carriers hire and retain the safest drivers on the road.

Unlike traditional background screening providers, Cisive takes a technology-first approach powered by advanced automation, human expertise, and compliance intelligence—all delivered through a scalable platform. Our solutions include continuous workforce monitoring, identity verification, criminal record screening, license monitoring, drug and health screening, and global background checks.

For more information, visit cisive.com.

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