From hospitals to post-acute and long-term care facilities, leaders are facing a familiar challenge: how to maintain high-quality care while managing unpredictable workforce needs. Quick changes in patient or resident populations, team member call-outs, seasonal surges and regulatory changes all can strain even carefully built schedules.
As a result, more facilities are turning to per diem nursing as a flexible, on-demand solution. This model offers access to professionals who can step in quickly when additional coverage is needed, without the long-term commitment of traditional hiring. Per diem nursing has been gaining traction across a wide range of healthcare environments.
What is per diem nursing?
Per diem nursing refers to licensed nurses who work on an as-needed basis. These professionals choose which flexible nursing shifts to pick up based on their availability and interests, often working in multiple facilities or units within a region. Unlike contract or travel nurses, per diem nurses typically don’t require relocation and can be available with short notice. These nurses are typically people who can’t or don’t want to work as employees and who choose to stay in the nursing field with a flexible schedule.
This flexible approach is useful for facilities where workforce needs can vary day to day — and even hour to hour.
Key benefits of per diem nursing
1. Real-time flexibility
Whether you’re managing a hospital unit or a skilled nursing facility, you know how quickly plans can change. Per diem nursing gives your team the ability to respond quickly to coverage gaps, whether from sudden census increases, call-outs or short-term leave.
This level of adaptability can help ensure continuous coverage without relying on unwanted overtime or reassigning internal team members, which can lead to burnout.
2. Better support for core teams
Consistent under-resourcing can lead to burnout, errors and low morale. By bringing in per diem professionals during peak times or to cover open shifts, you help protect your core team’s well-being and ensure workloads remain manageable.
This is especially important in high-acuity environments like med-surg units or long-term care settings, where team fatigue can directly affect patient outcomes.
3. More time to find and onboard full-time employees
The hiring process can be long, from sourcing candidates to interviewing them to getting them through the onboarding process.
Per diem nursing helps you fill coverage gaps during this process, helping you deliver consistent, quality care no matter how long it takes to find full-time nurses who are a fit.
4. Easier response to census fluctuations
Fluctuations in patient or resident volume can make scheduling a constant balancing act. From post-discharge recovery surges to seasonal respiratory illness peaks, per diem professionals can help you scale your workforce up or down as needed.
This flexibility is critical for hospitals dealing with ER bottlenecks or post-acute facilities adjusting to changing length-of-stay patterns.
5. Reduced administrative overhead
Recruiting, credentialing and onboarding new hires takes time, and often diverts focus from daily operations. Technology platforms that support per diem nursing help streamline this process by verifying credentials and making it easier to access on-demand nursing professionals for shifts.
This gives your team more time to focus on patient care, quality improvement and day-to-day operations.
6. Workforce resilience during change
Unexpected events — whether operational, clinical or environmental — can challenge your facility’s shift coverage. Per diem nursing strengthens your workforce strategy by adding depth and agility. Independent professionals can step in during transitions, expansions, crises or temporary closures of other nearby units or facilities.
Having access to a dependable pool of professionals helps reduce risk and keeps care delivery steady, even when plans change.
Per diem nursing as a strategic advantage
Per diem nursing isn’t just a short-term fix — it’s a strategic way to build more responsive and resilient healthcare operations. Facilities that embrace flexible shift models are better equipped to handle unpredictability, reduce strain on core teams and deliver consistent care across units and settings.
Whether you’re managing an ICU, a rehab floor or a skilled nursing facility, the benefits of per diem nursing and the ability to quickly access licensed professionals can help you stay focused on your care goals, even when the unexpected happens.
How ShiftKey supports flexible scheduling
Technology is making it easier to connect with licensed professionals who are ready to work. Platforms like ShiftKey give facilities real-time access to a nationwide marketplace of independent professionals, making it faster and simpler to fill open shifts. By streamlining credentialing and having access to qualified professionals who are ready to complete shifts, ShiftKey helps healthcare leaders stay proactive without the constraints of agency workforce models.
Explore how ShiftKey supports flexible, efficient workforce planning so you can stay focused on delivering high-quality acute and post-acute care.
