The news: Nurses, doctors, and pharmacists ranked among the most honest and ethical professionals in Gallup’s annual poll.

• Nurses topped the list for the 25th year with 75% “high” or “very high” ratings, down 1 percentage point from last year.
• Doctors ranked third at 57%, behind military veterans at 67%.
• Pharmacists followed in fourth place at 53%.
• The two healthcare professions switched ratings in this year’s poll: Doctors rose from 53% last year while pharmacists fell from 57%.

While still above average, Gallup noted the pharmacist rating was the lowest since its professions poll began in 1976. All three healthcare roles have declined sharply from pandemic-era highs.

Why it matters: Consumer trust in individual healthcare providers is important for patient care as overall dissatisfaction and mistrust in the healthcare industry grows.

• In a November Gallup-West Health survey, 23% of US adults said the nation’s healthcare system is in a state of crisis, up 7 percentage points year over year.
• 63% of US adults think the healthcare system needs significant reform or a complete redesign, per an April 2025 Jarrad survey, up from 59% just 3 months earlier.
• That same study found 69% believe hospitals prioritize profits over patients, a turnaround from 2021 when only 23% believed the same.

Implications for healthcare providers and systems: Nurses’ continued leadership in ethics and doctors’ improved standing reinforce their roles as credible touchpoints in patient care, especially as people seek clarity around treatment options, rising costs, and the growing use of AI. However, declining trust in pharmacists may signal a need for more proactive, empathetic communication around pricing and clearer explanations of what’s under their control.

For healthcare systems, nurses and doctors remain trusted, front-facing voices who help reinforce perceptions of quality and compassion. However, that credibility has limits. Systems that place too much responsibility on clinicians to manage frustration over costs, coverage decisions, or unfamiliar technologies like AI risk further eroding consumer trust and contributing to clinician burnout.

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