Explore the latest healthcare workforce trends and strategies in our Knowledge Center. Each week, we provide actionable insights and expert tips to help industry professionals stay informed and enhance your workforce management with our up-to-date content.
As we enter 2026, healthcare leaders are confronting a hard truth: traditional staffing and scheduling methods no longer meet the demands of modern hospitals. Rising patient volumes, staff burnout, and persistent workforce shortages are pushing systems to their limits, while the next generation of nurses and clinicians expects flexibility, autonomy, and meaningful work.
The gig economy has been on the rise for the past decade, but its impact on healthcare has been especially notable in recent years. As the demand for healthcare services continues to grow, the gig economy has presented itself as a solution to address healthcare support staffing shortages in the industry. However, healthcare providers need to find the right partner that helps eliminate the risk that comes with leveraging the gig economy.
Nursing can be a very challenging profession. It often has long hours and, at times, harrowing situations. These circumstances can lead to the formation of deep bonds between nurses that may be even stronger than familial bonds. Often, these bonds can be good, but they can also lead to some tough situations in the nursing profession.
The working environment for nurses continues to strain nurse mental health and their ability to provide the best possible patient care. In fact, ShiftMed's 2022 State of Nursing Survey of 500 U.S. nurses revealed that 40% of nurses believe the nurse shortage has negatively impacted their mental health and 49% cited concern over patients receiving adequate care as a result.
Amidst the Great Resignation across the US, the nursing shortage continues to grow and strain healthcare workers and hospital resources. More and more Americans, and especially nurses, are exiting the traditional workforce to gain more control over their schedules and achieve work-life balance through gig economy jobs. Last year alone, the number of independent workers increased 34% – that's over 13 million new gig workers in the US.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and accelerated a problem healthcare leaders have been warning about for years – critical staffing issues in nursing and a shortage of skilled nurses.
In the world of app-based healthcare staffing, ShiftMed is playing for keeps—and it's why we bring our 'A' game to everything we do. Our commitment to innovation is one of many reasons we've become a top nursing jobs app for healthcare professionals and a go-to staffing partner for healthcare facilities nationwide. This post will cover our innovations in the past year alone.
