Healthcare Staffing Models in 2025: A Framework for Sustainable Workforce Planning

1 | Executive Overview

Healthcare facilities across the United States are navigating an unprecedented workforce transformation. Hospitals, long-term care centers, and community health systems face a growing mismatch between patient demand and clinical labor supply. The American Hospital Association’s 2025 Workforce Scan highlights that nursing and allied health turnover rates remain among the highest in healthcare, driven by burnout, wage compression, and demographic shifts. Simultaneously, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that healthcare will add more than two million jobs by 2032, an expansion that will strain hiring pipelines unless new staffing models are adopted.

For healthcare executives, the challenge is not merely hiring more staff, but designing sustainable systems for how work is distributed, measured, and retained. Traditional recruitment models are no longer sufficient. Instead, strategic workforce frameworks that blend permanence, flexibility, and partnership are defining operational excellence in 2025.

Key Insight: Organizations that treat workforce planning as a strategic investment show measurable gains in retention, quality, and cost efficiency across all facility types.

2 | What Are the Main Healthcare Staffing Models in 2025?

Healthcare staffing models outline how a facility organizes its workforce to achieve patient care and operational objectives. In practice, these models strike a balance between full-time employment, contingent labor, and hybrid partnerships to ensure stability without overspending. The Symplr Healthcare Trends Report 2025 notes that flexible frameworks outperform rigid models by adapting to census changes and seasonal patient surges while preserving quality standards.

Each approach offers trade-offs. Permanent teams foster culture and continuity but require long-term investment. Contingent models provide agility but risk inconsistency. Partnership-based hybrids merge both leveraging external expertise while maintaining institutional oversight.

Key Insight: The most resilient facilities in 2025 employ multiple staffing models simultaneously, aligning flexibility with predictable quality controls.

How Permanent and Long-Term Healthcare Staffing Models Drive Quality

Permanent staffing remains the foundation of operational and clinical stability. The NSI Nursing Solutions 2025 Retention Report found hospitals that implemented structured engagement programs reduced turnover by 37 percent. Permanent models are essential in care environments that rely on deep familiarity with patient populations, such as long-term care and specialty hospitals.

However, the cost of maintaining full-time employees continues to rise. The Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) identifies benefits and overtime as the largest contributors to healthcare labor inflation, underscoring the need for smarter scheduling and internal float pools. By blending permanence with flexible shifts and telehealth coverage, organizations can stabilize costs while sustaining care quality.
See Nava’s Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Staffing Solutions.

Key Insight: Long-term retention depends on balancing staff loyalty with flexibility with facilities offering predictable hours and autonomy reporting the highest engagement and lowest turnover.

2.1 | Temporary and Per-Diem Staffing

Temporary staffing remains indispensable for covering rapid vacancies, census surges, and specialized needs. According to HFMA’s labor cost analysis, over-reliance on short-term staff can increase total labor costs by up to 30 percent once orientation and credentialing are included. The AHA Workforce Scan reinforces that facilities combining contingent workers with a consistent core workforce maintain both care continuity and financial control.

Short-term or per-diem models work best when applied deliberately for seasonal relief, maternity leaves, or temporary expansions rather than as a standing replacement for permanent roles. Proper onboarding, consistent communication, and post-assignment evaluation are essential to prevent skill dilution.
See Nava’s Urgent Care Staffing Solutions.

Key Insight: Temporary staffing stabilizes short-term operations but becomes costly and disruptive when used as a permanent substitute for full-time staff.

2.2 | Hybrid and Partnership-Based Models

Hybrid staffing – combining permanent staff with long-term partnership coverage is emerging as the dominant workforce model for 2025. Facilities that establish trusted partnerships with external recruitment specialists gain scalability and access to pre-credentialed professionals without compromising quality oversight. The McKinsey Health Institute reports that systems using structured workforce partnerships achieve measurable reductions in vacancy rates and enhanced resilience across clinical departments.

The AHA Workforce Scan 2025 also shows that hospitals leveraging hybrid strategies lowered annual labor costs by up to 12 percent while improving retention. For facilities operating across multiple states or managing high-acuity specialties, these models balance speed, compliance, and culture fit.
See Nava’s Hospital and Medical Facility Staffing Solutions.

Key Insight: Strategic partnerships allow facilities to move from transactional hiring to proactive workforce planning, achieving both flexibility and accountability.

2.3 | Temp-to-Perm and Contract-to-Hire Staffing

Temp-to-perm frameworks allow employers to evaluate clinical competence and cultural alignment before committing to permanent hire. Facilities adopting structured evaluation periods report 20–25 percent lower first-year turnover, particularly in specialized and leadership roles. This model strengthens recruitment accuracy while minimizing long-term mismatches. See [Nava’s Leadership Recruitment Program].

Key Insight: Hybrid evaluation periods transform hiring from reactive fulfillment into predictive workforce design.

2.4 | Permanent and Long-Term Staffing

Permanent staffing remains the cornerstone of sustainable care delivery. The NSI Nursing Solutions 2025 Retention Report found hospitals with structured retention programs achieved a 37 percent reduction in turnover. Yet rising benefits and overtime costs, cited by HFMA, demand internal flexibility through float pools or hybrid schedules.

Key Insight: Long-term retention depends on balancing workforce stability with adaptive scheduling and professional growth.

2.5 | Locum Tenens and Contingent Professionals

Contingent clinicians deliver essential coverage for rural or specialty settings but cost substantially more than core staff. The American Hospital Association warns that continuous reliance on locum labor elevates total labor spend by up to 40 percent when housing, stipends, and onboarding are included. Strategic deployment within defined periods preserves flexibility without eroding margins.

Key Insight: Contingent staffing should fill defined, temporary needs, and not serve as a standing workforce model.

2.6 | Retained Search and Partnership-Based Recruitment

Retained recruitment emphasizes accountability, data-sharing, and performance measurement. The McKinsey Health Institute links structured partnerships to improved retention and faster fill rates across high-acuity specialties. In practice, milestone-based recruitment partnerships like Nava’s maintain transparency, consistent communication, and measurable outcomes. See [Nava’s Workforce Partnership Model].

Key Insight: Retained partnerships convert recruitment from a transactional cost to a strategic asset.

3 | How Do Healthcare Staffing Models Vary by Facility Type

Hospitals and Integrated Health Systems Hospitals face persistent shortages and high overtime costs. The AHA confirms that institutions with nurse turnover above 20 percent see direct impacts on patient outcomes and operating margins. The Liberty Mutual Business Insights Report demonstrates that balanced models anchored by a permanent workforce and supported by vetted external teams achieve higher patient satisfaction and workforce stability.
See Nava’s Hospital Staffing Solutions.

Key Insight: Hospitals that integrate internal staff planning with external partnerships outperform peers on both cost control and clinical continuity.

3.1 | Long-Term Care and Assisted Living

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) now enforces minimum staffing standards in nursing homes, compelling administrators to rethink workforce distribution. A flexible hybrid model, combining full-time nurses with credentialed part-time support, helps facilities maintain compliance and reduce burnout.
See Nava’s Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Staffing Solutions.

Key Insight: Meeting new CMS staffing requirements will depend on pairing permanent leadership roles with on-demand clinical capacity.

3.2 | Urgent Care and Outpatient Clinics

Urgent care centers rely on speed and patient throughput. The Staffing Industry Analysts 2025 Report shows that using contingent clinical and administrative teams reduces wait times without adding fixed labor costs. Credential verification and ongoing quality audits remain crucial for maintaining safety.  

See Nava’s Primary and Urgent Care Staffing Solutions.

Key Insight: Rapid-response staffing models succeed when supported by standardized credentialing and clear communication channels.

3.3 | Non-Profit and Community Health Centers

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) reports that hybrid telehealth and part-time staffing solutions are helping community clinics expand access to care amid workforce shortages. Facilities that incorporate remote coverage maintain continuity for underserved populations without escalating costs.
See also [Nava’s Community Health Staffing Solutions].

Key Insight: Flexible staffing combined with telehealth capacity is becoming the foundation of equitable healthcare access in resource-limited communities.

4 | What Role Does Compliance and Credentialing Play?

Every staffing model depends on reliable credentialing. The Joint Commission mandates rigorous verification of licensure, training, and competency for all healthcare providers. Facilities integrating automated credential management platforms cut administrative processing time by nearly 40 percent, according to HFMA benchmarks. Streamlined compliance procedures not only reduce legal risk but also enhance readiness for audits and renewals.
See also [Nava’s Healthcare Compliance and Credentialing Solutions].

Key Insight: Centralized digital credentialing systems improve speed, reduce risk, and serve as the backbone of scalable staffing operations.

5 | What’s Next for Workforce Planning in Healthcare?

As workforce shortages persist, technology will increasingly shape staffing strategy. Predictive analytics and AI-driven scheduling tools now enable administrators to forecast vacancies, reduce overtime, and align staffing with patient volume in real time. The McKinsey Health Institute projects that AI-enabled workforce management could cut clinical vacancy rates by 15 percent by 2030. Facilities that combine these technologies with long-term partnership models will gain a measurable advantage in stability and retention.

For healthcare executives, the future lies in integration unifying technology, partnerships, and internal development into a single staffing ecosystem. The next era of healthcare staffing will prioritize sustainability, adaptability, and outcomes over short-term fixes.

Explore Nava’s Healthcare Staffing Solutions to learn how tailored models can help your facility strengthen its workforce for the decade ahead.