As 2025 came to a close, familiar year-end rhythms took hold. Calendars filled with holidays and festive gatherings, inbox activity slowed, and across the healthcare sector, attention began to turn toward what comes next, creating space to take stock of a year that quietly reshaped healthcare staffing.
With 2026 now underway, last year’s developments offer important perspective on where the locum tenens industry stands today. What unfolded in 2025 did more than mark another year of growth. It set patterns that continue to shape how healthcare organizations think about access, staffing, and long-term planning.
In many ways, the year clarified trends that had been building and removed any lingering uncertainty about the direction of the locums market.
Throughout 2025, locum tenens continued a transformation that’s been years in the making, rising to meet sustained pressure across the healthcare system. What once served primarily as a short-term staffing solution is increasingly influencing how hospitals, clinics, and health systems plan for access and continuity of care. Demand remained strong, often exceeding expectations.
Artificial intelligence became more embedded in locums and healthcare operations. Workforce challenges evolved as well, moving from questions of attrition to ongoing concerns around access, as providers and staffing agencies adapted in real time. All told, these changes marked a turning point, with locums going from a tactical approach to a strategic pillar in workforce planning.
Locumpedia spent the year tracking these shifts, highlighting the stories that mattered most and documenting how the locums industry advanced across policy, technology, staffing trends, and community milestones. The result is a clearer picture of how the industry adapted, recalibrated, and prepared for what comes next.
Here is a look back at the stories and themes that defined locum tenens in 2025 and what they may signal ahead.
The Big Picture: Locum Tenens in 2025
Entering 2025, many industry forecasts anticipated a cooling period. After years of post-pandemic growth and volatility, analysts expected healthcare staffing to stabilize, with locum tenens growth easing alongside broader market normalization.
That slowdown never fully arrived. Instead, the year revealed a market that was far more resilient and far less willing to cool off than many had predicted.
Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) reported that locum tenens utilization remained higher than forecasted throughout the year, even as other healthcare staffing segments began to level off. While healthcare staffing overall showed modest signs of stabilization, locums continued to outperform adjacent areas due to its flexibility, speed of deployment, and alignment with evolving provider preferences. In practice, this meant locums continued to pull ahead while other staffing models paused, recalibrated, or softened.
What became increasingly clear in 2025 was that locum tenens had moved beyond its historical role as an emergency solution. Healthcare facilities were no longer relying on locums only during crises. Instead, many began budgeting for locum coverage as part of routine workforce planning, particularly in hard-to-staff service lines and geographies. For many organizations, locums was no longer a reactive measure, but a built-in part of how coverage decisions were made.
Several dynamics sustained this demand:
- Ongoing access gaps in rural and underserved communities
- Persistent burnout fatigue among clinicians
- Delayed retirements among aging physicians
- A slower-than-needed replacement pipeline for new providers
Perhaps most surprising to industry leaders was how steady utilization remained even as permanent hiring slowly recovered. Assignment lengths normalized at longer durations, and agencies reported continued demand across multiple specialties.
Workforce Reality Check: Supply, Demand, and Shortages
By 2025, the conversation around healthcare staffing shortages had matured. The issue was no longer framed as a temporary wave of resignations or early retirements. Instead, the industry increasingly recognized a more structural challenge.
The core problem was access. Not whether clinicians existed, but whether they could be deployed where and when care was needed.
Pipeline constraints persisted, particularly in hard-to-staff specialties and high-acuity settings. Limited residency growth, geographic maldistribution, and specialty bottlenecks continued to restrict the number of physicians available to hire, even as demand remained high. The result was a workforce imbalance that no single hiring strategy could quickly correct.
Time-to-fill metrics reflected this reality. Lengthy vacancy timelines became normalized in 2025, especially for rural hospitals and facilities serving smaller populations. For many organizations, locum tenens coverage was no longer a bridge measured in weeks. It became a stabilizing force measured in months. For many systems, stability came not from filling roles faster, but from ensuring continuity over longer stretches of care.
The strain was most visible in a few critical areas:
- Rural healthcare
- Emergency medicine
- Maternity services
- Behavioral health
Rather than viewing locums as a replacement for permanent hiring, more facilities used locum coverage to preserve access while maintaining long-term recruitment efforts. At the same time, providers increasingly leaned into portfolio careers that blended locum work with permanent roles, telemedicine, or reduced clinical schedules.
This shift reframed locum tenens from a detour to a deliberate career and staffing strategy.
Agencies, Health Systems, and Providers Increase AI Adoption
If 2024 marked the year healthcare began seriously testing AI, 2025 was the year AI became embedded. What had once felt experimental began showing up quietly and consistently in day-to-day operations.
Across healthcare staffing, AI adoption expanded from pilot programs into everyday workflows. Recruiting, credentialing, scheduling, and operational tasks increasingly incorporated AI-driven tools designed to reduce administrative burden and improve efficiency.
Staffing firms used AI to:
- Improve candidate matching
- Accelerate credentialing timelines
- Analyze workforce trends
- Scale operations without proportional headcount growth
For many agencies, the shift was not about doing something entirely new, but about doing familiar work faster, with fewer manual choke points.
Health systems followed a similar path, shifting from experimentation to enterprise-level planning. Physician adoption of health AI also increased significantly compared with prior years, signaling growing comfort with technology-assisted care and operations.
Despite this acceleration, one theme remained consistent: AI did not replace human expertise. Agencies, facilities, and providers emphasized that trust, judgment, and relationship-driven decision-making continued to anchor effective staffing. AI was increasingly viewed as an amplifier, not an authority, supporting decisions rather than replacing them.
In locum tenens, AI increasingly functioned as infrastructure rather than differentiation. The competitive advantage shifted to how well organizations integrated technology with human insight. The question was no longer whether to adopt AI, but how to weave it thoughtfully into existing workflows without eroding trust.
Locums Industry News of Note
Beyond macro trends, 2025 delivered a steady stream of industry-defining news. Several moments and developments shaped the year. Rather than a single defining headline, it unfolded through a series of developments that collectively reflected a market still in the process of recalibrating.
The passing of Aya Healthcare’s founder in 2025 marked a significant moment for the healthcare staffing industry, prompting reflection on leadership, growth, and the evolution of one of its most influential firms. Later in the year, the proposed Aya Healthcare and Cross Country Healthcare deal fell through, reinforcing broader uncertainty around consolidation and signaling that large-scale transactions in the staffing space remain subject to shifting market and regulatory pressures.
Elite365 expanded its presence in the locum tenens space in 2025 with the acquisition of Wilderness Medical Staffing. The transaction added to ongoing merger and acquisition activity within locum-focused firms and highlighted continued movement in the staffing market as agencies adjust to changing demand and competitive dynamics.
Liz Hale was officially inducted as President of the National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations in 2025, marking a notable leadership transition for the locum tenens industry. Her appointment reflects NALTO’s continued focus on advocacy, ethical standards, and industry alignment, as the organization increasingly represents agencies, providers, and healthcare facilities nationwide.
Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) developments in 2025 continued to reshape how quickly and efficiently physicians can practice across state lines. The Compact expanded to include 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam, further streamlining licensure for physicians seeking multistate practice. These updates reinforced the IMLC’s growing role in improving access to care, particularly in rural and underserved communities that rely heavily on locum tenens coverage. For locum tenens providers and the organizations that support them, these changes translated directly into faster deployment and broader geographic reach.
Velosource secured a growth investment from Interlock Equity in 2025, adding to ongoing investment activity within the healthcare staffing sector. The funding highlighted continued investor interest in staffing infrastructure and platforms that support workforce deployment, operations, and scalability amid evolving market conditions.
In 2025, locum tenens and healthcare staffing organizations continued to play a significant role among the industry’s largest players, reflecting both scale and staying power amid evolving market conditions. SIA’s annual Largest and Fastest-Growing Staffing Firms lists highlighted this momentum, with the Largest Staffing Firms in the United States ranking identifying 227 companies generating at least $100 million in U.S. staffing revenue. Together, those firms accounted for an estimated $127.4 billion, offering insight into firm size, market presence, and specialization — including strong representation from healthcare and locum tenens organizations.
Federal Trade Commission activity around noncompete agreements continued to create uncertainty for healthcare staffing firms in 2025. After withdrawing a proposed nationwide ban, the FTC shifted toward case-by-case enforcement, issuing warning letters and urging healthcare employers to review and discontinue noncompete agreements that may be unfair or anticompetitive. Regulators emphasized that such agreements can have outsized effects in healthcare by restricting provider mobility, worsening staffing challenges, and limiting patient access to care, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
Together, these developments painted a picture of an industry still in motion, adapting to change rather than resisting it.
NALTO Roundup
The National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations remained a central force in 2025, continuing its role as advocate, convener, and standard-setter. In a year defined by normalization rather than disruption, its steady presence helped anchor the locum tenens industry amid ongoing regulatory and workforce change.
The 2025 NAPR/NALTO Annual Convention in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, once again brought locum tenens staffing company leaders together for education, collaboration, and strategic discussion. NALTO also hosted its 2025 Fall Fly-In, reinforcing industry alignment and policy advocacy and shared priorities within the locums community.
These gatherings reinforced the role of shared dialogue in aligning agencies around evolving policy, provider expectations, and operational realities.
New board members were announced for the 2025–2028 term, including Liz Hale as president. NALTO also advocated for New York Bill S5150A/A8700, continuing its efforts to address workforce and regulatory challenges affecting locum tenens providers and firms. Together, these efforts underscored NALTO’s continued focus on balancing regulatory engagement with industry self-governance.
Collectively, these initiatives reflected NALTO’s role in reinforcing shared standards and providing continuity as the locum tenens industry continued to evolve.
Locumpedia Helps Honor Healthcare Providers and Staff
In 2025, Locumpedia continued supporting industry-wide efforts to recognize the people who make healthcare work. These initiatives focused on equipping agencies and healthcare organizations with practical tools to acknowledge the clinicians and teams delivering care nationwide.
Key initiatives included:
- The National Doctors’ Day Toolkit, Locumpedia’s free resource site designed to help staffing agencies and healthcare facilities recognize physicians nationwide each year on March 30, with ready-to-use messaging and creative assets.
- National Hospital Week coverage and marketing resources, including a dedicated Locumpedia toolkit created to help staffing partners support and celebrate hospital teams during this annual week of recognition. Locumpedia recently turned over this important resource to the American Hospital Association for its 2026 celebration.
- National Locum Tenens Week coverage, including a recap highlighting standout agency tributes, advocacy efforts, and creative campaigns that recognized the vital role locum tenens physicians and advanced practice providers play in maintaining access to care across the country.
These efforts reflected a broader emphasis on recognition as a means of reinforcing morale, visibility, and appreciation across the healthcare workforce.
Locumpedia Updates
Several internal milestones shaped Locumpedia’s 2025 platform, content, and community. This progress reflected our broader evolution from an industry resource to an ecosystem that supports connection, recognition, and long-term industry growth.
- The launch of LocumStore, created to help healthcare employers, staffing agencies, and clinicians celebrate and recognize locum tenens providers year-round through curated, high-quality merchandise, including a dedicated collection designed for National Locum Tenens Week.
- A redesigned website launched in celebration of our fifth anniversary, featuring a full structural rebuild, improved navigation and performance, expanded tools for agencies and vendors, and new editorial and community features designed to support the continued growth and sophistication of the locum tenens industry.
- Publication of Locums Digest #100, marking a major milestone for Locumpedia’s biweekly newsletter with a five-year retrospective on key locum tenens trends and a look ahead at what may shape the industry through 2030.
- Founder insights on getting started in locum tenens, with Cory Kleinschmidt, outlining what physicians and APPs need to know about agencies, licensing, contracts, and evaluating the locum lifestyle.
- Continued expansion of Locum Legends, including the feature on Rick Jackson’s journey from early recruiting and entrepreneurship to founding LocumTenens.com and building Jackson Healthcare, plus the philanthropy and mission-driven values behind his legacy.
- New partnerships and contributors joining our platform, including All Medical Personnel, Floyd Lee Locums, Quest Locum Tenens, Alliance Recruiting Resources, and Fusion Healthcare Staffing.
Breaking Down Our News Coverage
Throughout 2025, Locumpedia remained focused on delivering consistent, reliable insight and news for staffing agencies, healthcare organizations, and locum tenens physicians and APPs. Our reporting covered the developments and discussions most relevant to the locum tenens industry, with an emphasis on clear explanations and meaningful context.
We also introduced Locum Lens, providing locum tenens thought leaders a platform to share perspective-driven views and expertise with clinicians, healthcare employers, and industry stakeholders.
Over the course of the year, Locumpedia published 64 news stories, averaging just over five stories per month across seven departments: Locums Digest, Locums CME, Locums Briefs, Feature Stories, Locum Profiles, Locum Lens, and Sponsor Content.
Our Top 10 Most Popular Stories of 2025
Locumpedia readers showed strong interest in a mix of timely industry updates, workforce trends, and in-depth feature reporting. The year’s most-read stories reflected continued focus on locum tenens growth, physician shortages, technology, and the people and organizations shaping the industry.
Our Top 10 stories comprised three Locums Digests, four Feature Stories, and three Locums Briefs.
The Top 10 Topics in Locum Tenens
Our editorial focus closely reflected reader interest, with coverage highlighting both the challenges and opportunities shaping the locum tenens landscape. While workforce pressures and access concerns continued to drive discussion, readers also showed strong engagement with topics focused on innovation, adaptability, and solutions.
AI once again topped the list, signaling its growing influence across healthcare staffing and operations. Continued interest in physician burnout, rural healthcare, and locum tenens careers underscored how flexible staffing models are helping organizations and clinicians respond to evolving workforce needs.
Coverage of compensation, industry research, and association-led initiatives further reflected an appetite for insight that supports informed decision-making and long-term planning.
- AI led coverage as healthcare organizations and staffing agencies explored how emerging tools can improve efficiency, decision-making, and workforce support.
- Physician burnout remained a key focus, with attention on how locum tenens work can help relieve pressure and support provider well-being.
- Rural healthcare continued to resonate, with locum tenens staffing playing a critical role in expanding access to care in underserved communities.
- Locum tenens careers drew sustained interest from physicians and APPs seeking flexibility, balance, and diverse practice opportunities.
- Physician shortages shaped ongoing discussions around how locum tenens staffing helps bridge gaps and maintain continuity of care.
- AMA-related developments attracted attention through coverage of advocacy efforts, policy updates, and physician-focused initiatives.
- Physician compensation coverage reflected continued interest in market trends and earning potential within locum tenens roles.
- Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) supported a deeper understanding of workforce trends, growth projections, and market dynamics.
- Healthcare staffing trends highlighted how agencies and health systems are adapting to changing demand and operational needs.
- NALTO initiatives rounded out the list, emphasizing industry collaboration, standards, and professional leadership within locum tenens.
