The Power of Relief Teams in Hospital Staffing
Our healthcare sector faces a harsh reality: nationally, hospitals are experiencing a 20.7 percent median nursing staff turnout rate. Depending on bed size, turnover ranged from 7.5 percent to 34.2 percent.
Such staggering numbers mean hospitals must find innovative solutions beyond the usual “hire, lose, replace” staffing model, which only drains morale and resources.
One solution? Dedicated relief teams of locum tenens healthcare professionals.
Healthcare’s conventional staffing mode results in extremely high costs in both funds and time. Each turnover means massive recruiting efforts, long onboarding processes and the inevitable decrease in team productivity.
Instead, relief teams comprised of pre-vetted locum tenens pros can quickly integrate into your facility while maintaining continuity of patient care and reducing the burden on administrators.
Fifty-six (56) percent of healthcare organizations surveyed by CHG Healthcare in its 2024 State of Locum Tenens report found that 56 percent of healthcare organizations “expect to increase or maintain the current levels” of locum use.” They do so due to the “flexibility of locums in filling coverage gaps or quickly adjusting staffing levels to meet patient demand.”
A large impact on provider satisfaction
Locum relief doesn’t just reduce cost: locums tend to make a positive change in permanent staff’s work experience. Facility staff experience less burnout because they know reliable coverage is available for when they take vacations, sick leave or need to leave unexpectedly.
More than half (56 percent) of respondents in CHG Healthcare’s 2023 report said that locums “help combat physician burnout.”
Locums also often bring new perspectives as well as specialized expertise while maintaining the facility’s quality of patient care.
Getting started with locum relief teams
First take a look at your hospital’s/healthcare facility’s turnover patterns. Identify the departments that would get the most benefit from this type of relief team coverage.
Then, contact a locum tenens agency that focuses on building relief teams (rather than filling individual vacancies).
Also, look for a locum provider who understands your hospital’s culture and can commit to regular rotations. This helps ensure smoother transitions from permanent professional to locum and better continuity of care for your patients.