8 Strategic Benefits of Flexible Staffing Models in Healthcare
Widespread nurse shortages—paired with heavy reliance on overtime and travel labor—have created a chain reaction that’s depleting nurse morale, compromising patient care, and putting severe pressure on hospital finances. In response, forward-thinking healthcare organizations are breaking away from rigid traditions and embracing a new era of flexible staffing models.
Flexible staffing models are a cornerstone of a modern healthcare workforce strategy. They provide the agility needed to respond to today’s most pressing challenges, such as providing access to care for a growing aging population and battling rising supply and labor costs.
According to the 2024 Costs of Caring report published by the American Hospital Association, hospitals spent approximately $51.1 billion on contracted staff to fill scheduling gaps in 2023. Medical supply expenses collectively accounted for $146.9 billion in 2023, an increase of $6.6 billion over 2022.
By moving beyond rigid, one-size-fits-all nurse staffing and scheduling, hospitals and health systems can more effectively match staffing levels to real-time patient needs, streamline resource utilization, and alleviate burnout by empowering clinicians with greater control over when and how they work. Here are eight benefits of integrating a flexible staffing model into your healthcare operations.
1. Better Care Continuity
Healthcare demand is constantly shifting—driven by seasonal illnesses, sudden spikes in patient volume, and evolving population needs. Flexible staffing models allow healthcare organizations to adapt swiftly to these fluctuations, ensuring the right level of care at the right time without sacrificing quality or continuity.
2. Higher Care Standards
When nurse staffing falls short, patients often endure longer wait times, reduced bedside attention, and a greater risk of medical errors. Flexible staffing models help healthcare organizations maintain safe, adequate staffing levels—upholding quality care standards even during workforce shortages.
3. Higher Operational Efficiency
Flexible staffing models enable healthcare organizations to align workforce levels with real-time patient demand. This strategic approach ensures efficient personnel use, minimizing overstaffing costs while avoiding the pitfalls of underutilized resources.
4. Lower Nurse Turnover
Burnout and high turnover remain critical challenges in healthcare. Flexible staffing models can help ease these pressures by giving nurses more control over their schedules, promoting better work-life balance, and minimizing the fatigue caused by excessive overtime and long shifts.
5. Greater Talent Access
By accommodating varied scheduling preferences and providing cross-training opportunities, healthcare organizations can cultivate a more adaptable workforce—one that’s equipped to handle diverse patient needs and clinical situations. Flexible staffing models in healthcare allow organizations to access a wider pool of talent, bringing in individuals with a broad range of skills and experiences.
6. Lower Travel Nurse Costs
Flexible staffing models offer healthcare organizations a cost-effective alternative to expensive travel nurses. Unlike traditional staffing methods that require long-term commitments, flexible staffing allows organizations to adjust staffing levels based on patient census and operational needs, aligning costs with real-time demand.
7. Lower Overtime Hours
Healthcare organizations can turn to flexible nursing staff when full-time employees approach unsafe or costly overtime, ensuring continuity of quality care while controlling labor expenses.
8. Better New-Hire Training
Many healthcare organizations face challenges in effectively integrating newly graduated nurses into practice. With experienced nurses often overwhelmed by heavy workloads, there’s little time for training new recruits. This creates a strain on resources and leaves novice nurses feeling unprepared. Organizations can free up experienced nurses to focus on mentoring and onboarding new team members by using flexible nursing staff for clinical support.
According to a ScienceDirect article on flexible nurse staffing, relying solely on dedicated nurses to handle fluctuating demand often leads to overstaffing. However, when multiple units collaborate by jointly utilizing a flexible nurse pool, the variability in demand is better managed through economies of scale, reducing the need for excess buffer capacity.
4 Flexible Nurse Staffing Options
In general, flexible staffing models are a game-changer for managing healthcare workforce dynamics, allowing staffing levels to match patient demand and ensuring high-quality care at all times. Below are some standard flexible nurse staffing options in healthcare:
1. Nurse Float Pool
Float pools consist of internal nursing staff who work across various hospital units as needed. They are crucial in preventing staffing shortages during high-demand periods like flu season and ensuring consistent patient care quality.
2. Per Diem Nurses
Per diem nurses fill shifts as needed, covering for absent staff, scheduled vacations, or providing extra support during peak patient volume. These local on-demand nurses offer flexibility without the long-term commitment associated with travel nursing.
3. Contract Nurses
Contract nurses are hired for a specific period, typically on a fixed-term contract, to cover staffing shortages or particular needs in a healthcare facility. These nurses usually work in one location for their contract and may have longer-term assignments than travel nurses. The contract may include specific terms regarding pay, schedule, and responsibilities, but it generally does not involve relocation.
4. Travel Nurses
Travel nurses are temporary nurses who take assignments in different locations, often far from their home base. These nurses typically work with staffing agencies that place them in hospitals or healthcare settings nationwide for assignments ranging from a few weeks to several months. Travel nurses receive higher pay rates and often additional perks, such as housing stipends and travel allowances, to compensate for the relocation inconvenience.
ShiftMed Delivers Flexible Staffing Models in Healthcare
ShiftMed offers several flexible staffing models to meet the dynamic needs of healthcare facilities, providing quality care while addressing workforce challenges. Here are some key options:
Establish or Expand Your Nurse Float Pool
Whether you're looking to build a nurse float pool from the ground up or expand and improve your existing one, ShiftMed Flex is your all-in-one solution. This mobile-first workforce platform is fully customizable to match your organization’s branding and unique staffing needs. It empowers nurses with the flexibility and control they want—making your float pool more attractive to today ’s workforce. With centralized scheduling and intelligent shift matching, ShiftMed Flex also automates and streamlines your scheduling process, helping you easily optimize staffing and resource allocation.
Leverage Per Diem Nurses for Clinical Support
ShiftMed Flex strengthens your internal float pool, while ShiftMed On-Demand delivers scalable clinical support during seasonal surges and unexpected staffing gaps. This cloud-based platform connects you to a local pool of credentialed W-2 ShiftMed nurses—including CNAs, LPNs, and RNs—ready to pick up shifts when and where you need them. With no fixed-term commitments, you gain the flexibility to staff on your terms—saving 15–20% on costs compared to traditional travel nurses.
Flexible Healthcare Staffing Models Conclusion
As the healthcare industry continues to combat workforce shortages, rising costs, and increasing patient demand, flexible staffing models are no longer just a nice-to-have—but a strategic imperative. By adopting agile, tech-enabled solutions like ShiftMed Flex and ShiftMed On-Demand, healthcare organizations can future-proof their operations, ensure consistent quality of care, and build a more satisfied, resilient nursing workforce.
Whether you're expanding your float pool or need per diem nurses to manage staffing surges, ShiftMed offers the tools and talent to help you stay ahead. It’s time to rethink staffing, reduce burnout, and realign your workforce strategy with the realities of modern healthcare. ShiftMed is here to support that transformation—every step of the way.
Book a free demo today to see what ShiftMed can do for your healthcare organization!