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Why It’s Time for Health Systems to Rethink Workforce Strategy
Travel nursing helped health systems fill urgent gaps during the pandemic, but today overusage drives up costs, strains core teams, and impacts care quality. There’s a better, more sustainable approach to nurse staffing, one that puts people and outcomes first.
Rising Dependence on Travel Nursing Is Hurting Health Systems and Nurses
During the height of the pandemic, travel nursing provided a key security measure. However, as demand for temporary staff lingers, many health systems encounter fresh challenges:
- Escalating labor costs: Hospitals across the U.S. have increased spending on travel nurses since the pandemic, paying premium rates for temporary staffing that remain well above pre-2020 levels and contributing to higher labor costs.
- Workforce burnout: Core nursing teams often feel overextended, working alongside temporary colleagues who may not be familiar with the unit’s routines or culture.
- Retention and morale: When travel nurses earn more than staff nurses, often times for the same work, it’s tough to keep morale high. The sense of loyalty and connection that health organizations depend on is at risk.
- Quality of Care: Patient care quality can be affected by high staff turnover. Travel nurses, despite their expertise, may take time to acclimate to new environments, impacting the efficiency and effectiveness of care delivery. Continuity of care is crucial to patient outcomes, and frequent staff turnover can hinder it.
Did you know?
A recent NSI Nursing Solutions report shows hospital nurse turnover remains at record levels, and the cost to replace one bedside RN can exceed $52,000—a number that only climbs with frequent reliance on agency staff.
A People-First, Sustainable Staffing Model
At Hueman, we believe in a smarter way ahead—one that is flexible, stable, and centered on people.
Here’s how leading health systems are reducing their dependence on travel nursing and creating a culture of engagement,
retention, and excellent care:
1. Building Talent Pipelines
- Proactive workforce planning means engaging with new grads, local nursing schools, and alumni networks before vacancies occur.
- Internal float pools and flexible staffing: By investing in internal resource teams, health systems can respond to census surges or leave coverage needs, without relying on high-cost agency labor.
2. Strengthening Core Teams
- Competitive pay and meaningful recognition help retain staff nurses. Aligning compensation with the market (and, where possible, with travelers) reduces resentment and turnover.
- Professional development and career growth: Investing in up-skilling, specialty training, and clear advancement paths empowers nurses to see a long-term future at your organization.
- Quantum Workplace reports that a lack of workplace stability can prevent an employee from focusing, adapting, and thriving. This instability not only creates a sense of physical insecurity but also affects psychological well-being, leading to distrust in the organization's future. Such distrust can significantly impact employee retention, as staff may feel uncertain about their long-term prospects.
3. Creating a Healthy Work Atmosphere
- Emphasize health and wellness: Addressing workload, flexibility, and support, especially post-pandemic, drives nurse engagement and retention.
- Promoting cooperative work and belonging: Integrated teams deliver better patient care and reinforce your organization’s mission and values.
4. Partnering for Recruitment Excellence
- Work with an RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) partner that understands healthcare’s distinct demands. At Hueman, our people-first approach adopts AI, deep industry expertise, and proven processes to deliver the right talent faster and at a lower cost than agency labor.
- To help you quantify the impact, our travel nurse calculator shows exactly how reducing premium labor and shifting to a core-team model can lower your overall nursing labor spend.
- Open reporting and culture fit: We focus on embedding recruiters in your team, ensuring candidates not only meet technical criteria but also flourish in your environment.
Healthier Teams, Lower Costs, and Better Patient Care
The Hueman difference:
- Reduced traveler costs by 40%+ for our health system clients through a mix of internal float pools, proactive recruitment, and faster time-to-fill.
- Boosted RN retention rates by emphasizing engagement, career growth, and culture—leading to up to 25% improvement in first-year nurse retention.
- Enhanced patient experience by providing nurses who are invested in your community and culture, not just passing through.
- People-first partnership: We don’t just fill seats — we help you cultivate a culture that attracts, retains, and develops nursing talent.
Success Story:A 400-bed community hospital in the Midwest reduced premium labor costs by over $3 million annually after partnering with Hueman to develop an internal float pool and streamline hiring. Staff nurse engagement scores rose 22%, and patient satisfaction returned to pre-pandemic highs.
Is It Time to Rethink Your Approach?
Travel nursing filled a necessary gap, but the path forward is clear: sustainable, people-first recruitment isn’t just possible, it’s essential.
If you’re ready to cut travel nurse costs, improve retention, and develop a workforce strategy focused on people and long-term stability, let’s connect.
