A look at the specialties Kansas hospitals are actively trying to fill, what the workforce data says, and where to start if you’re considering a permanent move
By Adil, Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Zenex Partners
A lot of my conversations with nurses lately have been about the same thing.
They’re sitting in a travel contract or a staff role somewhere, and they’re starting to think seriously about a direct hire move. The questions are pretty consistent. Where’s the actual demand? What specialties are hospitals filling fastest? Is the pay-to-cost-of-living math actually better somewhere they hadn’t considered?
Kansas keeps coming up in those conversations, and the data backs up why.
The market picture, by the numbers
I’ll start with the broad workforce context, because it shapes everything that follows.
Nationally, the 2026 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report (released by NSI Nursing Solutions in 2026, surveying 527 hospitals and over 262,000 RNs) reports:
- The national RN turnover rate climbed to 17.6% in 2025, reversing a brief decline.
- The national RN vacancy rate sits at 8.6%, with 33.1% of hospitals reporting a vacancy rate of 10% or higher.
- The average time to recruit an experienced RN is 78 days, more than two and a half months.
At the federal level, the HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce’s 2023-2038 Nurse Workforce Projections project a 10% national RN shortage in 2027, with the gap continuing through 2037. Non-metropolitan areas are projected to face a 24% shortage in 2027, compared to just 7% in metro areas.
The picture in Kansas specifically is in line with that pattern. According to the Kansas Hospital Association’s 2025 Annual Workforce Survey, Kansas hospitals are still reporting an 11.8% overall vacancy rate and a 14.1% RN turnover rate. The Kansas Department of Labor projects 19,398 total RN openings in the state by 2032.**
So what does that mean for nurses thinking about a move? It means the demand is real, it’s measurable, and certain specialties are getting hit harder than others.
The specialties Kansas hospitals are filling fastest
This is where it gets useful, because the demand isn’t evenly spread.
According to the NSI 2026 report, the highest turnover rates by specialty nationwide are:
- Behavioral Health: 22.5%
- Emergency Services (ER): 20.7%
- Telemetry: 19.5%
- Step-Down: 19%
Cumulative turnover over five years for telemetry, step-down, and ER reaches well over 100%, meaning these departments are essentially turning over their entire RN staff every four years.
In Kansas hospitals, the same trend shows up. Behavioral health units, specifically near Larned and Osawatomie according to publicly listed openings, are actively hiring. ER and ICU positions consistently rank among the most posted RN roles statewide. And rural Kansas hospitals are seeing some of the most acute demand, in line with the federal HRSA non-metro projections.
For nurses already trained in those specialties, the practical takeaway is straightforward. You have leverage right now, especially if you’re open to a permanent hire move into a Kansas hospital.
What direct hire actually offers (vs. travel)
A lot of the nurses I talk to are coming off travel contracts and weighing whether direct hire makes sense for the next chapter.
Both have real strengths, and the answer depends on what someone is optimizing for. But here’s the picture as the numbers describe it.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2024 data, the median annual wage for staff RNs nationally is $93,600, with the top 10% earning more than $135,320. In Kansas specifically, the BLS-reported average RN salary in 2024 is $76,240, with the 90th percentile at $94,900.
The headline hourly rate for travel nursing is higher, often by a wide margin. But that’s only part of the picture. Direct hire roles typically include benefits, retirement contributions, paid time off, professional development support, and long-term stability. When fully loaded compensation is calculated over a multi-year period, the gap narrows considerably, and direct hire often comes out ahead in total value, particularly for nurses planning to settle in one place.
Direct hire also offers something travel rarely does: a real career trajectory. Charge nurse positions, clinical ladder progression, nurse manager roles, and specialty certifications tend to flow from staff positions, not contract ones.
Why Kansas pay stretches further than most nurses expect
The other thing nurses don’t always factor in is what the pay actually buys.
According to BestPlaces.net cost of living data, the Garden City metro area’s cost of living index sits at 81.4, meaning total costs run about 18.6% below the national average. Salary.com’s 2025 cost of living research for Garden City shows housing roughly 40.4% lower than the U.S. average, food costs 25.1% below, and transportation, energy, and healthcare costs averaging around 21% lower than national benchmarks.
Pair that with mid-state pay ranges, signing bonuses, and relocation assistance, and the financial math often shifts in a direction nurses aren’t expecting until they actually run the numbers.
What I’d say to a nurse weighing this
If you’re an experienced RN in any of these specialties, the market is genuinely on your side right now. The shortage data is real. The hospitals are competing for you. The financial picture in places like Kansas is more favorable than the surface numbers suggest.
If you’re newer in your career, that’s still a workable conversation. Some hospitals will hire RNs with under a year of experience for med-surg or LDRP roles, especially in rural settings where the orientation periods tend to be longer and the cross-training is built into the job.
The shortest path forward is usually just to talk it through with someone who knows what’s actually open.
Some of what we’re working on right now
Here’s what’s actively on Zenex’s desk in Kansas as of this writing:
- Nurse Manager roles in Emergency Room and ICU
- RN Clinical Coordinator positions
- Staff RN roles in ICU, ER, LDRP, and Medical units
- OB/LDRP nursing roles across multiple sites in southwest Kansas
Most of these include signing bonuses, relocation assistance, loan forgiveness eligibility, and tuition reimbursement. They’re with rural hospital partners across southwest Kansas in towns like Garden City, Dodge City, and Ulysses.
If any of these match what you’re looking for, or if you want to talk through what direct hire could look like for your specific situation, reach me directly at adil@zenexpartners.net.
I keep these conversations practical. Worst case you walk away with a clearer picture of what the market actually looks like for your specialty. Best case, we find you something worth moving for.
Written By
John
Part of the Zenex Partners team — writing about staffing, compliance, and the business of building great teams.