Clinicians From Their Communities Want to Serve Their Communities. Ellsworth Is Ready

The best care for Native populations comes from clinicians who already call Indian Country home.

Indian Country Needs Clinicians Now

The Indian Health Service reported a near-30 percent vacancy rate in January 2026, when the agency launched the largest hiring initiative in its history. A 2018 GAO report found a 25 percent average vacancy rate for physicians, nurses, and other providers across the IHS, and American Indian and Alaska Native people live 5.5 fewer years than the national average.

Meanwhile, Native practitioners remain scarce nationally: only 0.3 percent of US physicians and 0.4 percent of registered nurses identify as American Indian or Alaska Native. Yet research shows clinicians raised in rural communities are up to 10 times more likely to choose rural practice — and they gravitate toward communities like the ones they grew up in.

Behind every unfilled position is an elder waiting longer for care.

Our Relatives Are Answering the Call

Something remarkable is happening at Ellsworth. Every week, highly qualified, culturally competent clinicians email us seeking placement at IHS and Tribal 638 facilities. Many are Native practitioners and community members who want to serve in their community, for their community — and we love that! Their culture awareness was lived long before any orientation.

These Indigenous professionals greet patients as Our Relatives, honor elders, and understand native health from the inside. As a result, trust is built faster and care is delivered better.

A Native Owned Small Business Built for This Work

Ellsworth is a Navajo-owned, ISBEE-certified medical staffing company serving federal and Tribal facilities in Chinle, Shiprock, Santa Fe, and beyond. Because Ellsworth is a Native owned small business, both the federal contracting process and the communities served are understood from experience. Moreover, we are actively building pathways to place these clinicians quickly and support their journey.

Your Journey Can Start Today

If you are a clinician ready to serve Indian Country, contact Ellsworth. Send us your resume, tell us your story, and let us help you come home to serve.