Healthcare Staffing Services: Top Travel Nursing Agencies Hospitals Use
The question facing healthcare system leaders in 2026 is no longer whether to use travel nursing agencies, it's how to choose the right one. As the U.S. healthcare staffing landscape matures beyond its pandemic-era surge, hospitals are approaching agency partnerships with sharper criteria and a clearer understanding of what separates a strategic staffing partner from a transactional vendor.
Why Hospitals Rely on Travel Nursing Agencies in 2026
Hospitals use travel nursing agencies to fill critical staffing gaps driven by persistent workforce shortages, seasonal census surges, and burnout among permanent staff. Travel nursing has evolved from a crisis-response tool into a year-round strategic staffing model used by the majority of U.S. healthcare facilities.
The structural forces behind this shift are intensifying. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects approximately 189,100 RN openings annually through 2034. Yet the supply pipeline is not keeping pace — the projected supply of nursing staff in 2026 will account for only 91.94 percent of demand, leaving a shortage rate of 8.06 percent.
The human dimension is equally pressing. AMN Healthcare survey data reveals that 61 percent of nurses plan to make a career change within a year and 58 percent feel burned out most days. When permanent staff are stretched thin and contemplating exit, travel nurses provide the relief valve that keeps units staffed and patients safe.
How Big Is the U.S. Healthcare Staffing Market?
The U.S. healthcare staffing market was estimated at USD 45.48 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 89.71 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 6.98 percent. The travel nurse segment dominated with a revenue share of 40.53 percent in 2025, confirming its position as the largest single category of healthcare staffing spend.
For hospital administrators, these figures carry a clear implication: healthcare staffing services represent a significant and growing line item. The organizations that treat agency selection as a strategic procurement decision will extract meaningfully more value from that investment.
What Makes a Top Travel Nursing Agency for Hospitals?
The best travel nursing agencies combine deep facility relationships, Joint Commission accreditation, rigorous clinician screening, technology-enabled workforce management, and the ability to scale across specialties and geographies.
- Joint Commission accreditation remains the gold standard for quality assurance. Verifying that a staffing agency holds this certification is the single most important threshold criterion in the evaluation process.
- Clinician screening separates top agencies from the rest. AMN Healthcare connects facilities with pre-screened, highly trained travel nurses, with new applicants undergoing rigorous screening and compliance training — reducing onboarding friction and minimizing risk.
- Scale and specialty coverage matter for health systems operating multiple locations. AMN Healthcare offers the entire spectrum of healthcare staffing services under one roof: travel, temporary-to-hire, per diem, permanent, contract, and more.
- Technology and analytics are transforming staffing from a reactive process into a data-driven strategic function. AMN Healthcare deploys Total Talent solutions including Workforce Analytics, Assessment, and Scheduling tools like Smart Square to help plan, acquire, and deploy talent efficiently.
- Integrated staffing models reduce volatility and simplify vendor management. AMN Healthcare's Total Talent approach connects facilities to the right clinician, in the right role, at the right time, across every staffing category.
Key Trends Shaping Hospital Travel Nursing Staffing in 2026
The 2026 outlook points to stabilization with selective expansion. Growth is being led by locum tenens and international nursing, while travel nursing volumes have normalized to sustainable levels. The premium is now on efficiency, quality, and long-term partnership capability.
Internal travel programs have gained traction but cannot replicate the national reach and specialty breadth of external agencies. The most effective strategies use both models in concert.
AI-enabled recruitment tools are reshaping how agencies compete — reducing time-to-fill and improving clinician-facility fit. Meanwhile, expanding safe staffing legislation and the Nurse Licensure Compact are reinforcing the importance of partners that can scale quickly and compliantly.
How AMN Healthcare Supports Hospital Staffing Strategy
AMN Healthcare connects facilities to premium travel nurse assignments with the nation's leading hospitals and health systems. With exclusive partnerships, rigorous clinician screening, and integrated technology platforms, AMN meets the full spectrum of criteria hospital leaders should be evaluating.
Beyond staffing execution, research initiatives like the 2025 Survey of Nurse Staffing provide healthcare leaders with data to benchmark strategies against national trends reflecting a partner invested in the long-term health of the industry.
The organizations that build staffing partnerships around accreditation, clinician quality, scale, technology, and integrated service models will be the ones that protect patient access, control labor costs, and build workforce resilience for the years ahead.
Ready to strengthen your staffing strategy? Connect with AMN Healthcare's staffing team to explore how an integrated travel nursing strategy can strengthen your workforce and protect patient access across your organization.
