In response, hospitals and health systems are rethinking their approach to nurse staffing. Flexibility, once a perk, is becoming a core strategy. Nearly 97% of nursing leaders who took part in Hallmark’s 2025 Workforce Trends Survey say they plan to expand flexible work options, such as float pools, gig-style roles, per diem positions, and contract work over the next year.
Here are three trends driving this new era of nurse staffing:
1. Reducing Reliance on External Staffing Agencies
Many healthcare organizations lean heavily on travel nurses and third-party staffing agencies to fill urgent gaps. That model worked during the pandemic and for decades preceding it, but it is now showing cracks. While agencies can provide a quick fix, they often come with high hourly rates, administrative headaches, and teams that aren’t always aligned with the organization’s culture or care standards. And those who are aligned, specifically nurses who left full-time hospital work for an agency during the pandemic, ultimately have new expectations of their current and future employers, particularly around scheduling and flexibility.
That’s why many hospitals are shifting their focus inward—building up internal float pools and centralized staffing resources to reduce their reliance on agency contracts.
Take Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health (FMOL) as an example. By developing an internal resource pool, FMOL dramatically cut its travel nurse costs, from a pandemic high of $80 million per year down to $20 million. Beyond the cost savings, they’ve seen lower turnover, higher quality standards, and a workforce that is more connected to the organization’s mission.
2. Centralized Staffing Models for Greater Efficiency
Traditionally, staffing decisions have been made at the unit or facility level. But that decentralized approach can make it harder to spot trends, share resources, or respond quickly when gaps arise.
That’s where centralized staffing comes in. By creating a single, system-wide staffing office, health systems can get a real-time view of their workforce, coordinate resources across locations, and implement consistent best practices. This model is especially valuable for large health systems with multiple sites. Leaders can shift resources quickly where they are most needed, avoiding overstaffing in one area while another is short. Standardized processes also reduce the administrative burden on nurse managers, freeing up time for mentoring, education, and patient care.
Trinity Health, one of the nation’s largest multi-state health systems, developed FirstChoice, an internal staffing agency powered by Hallmark’s technology, that allows nurses and other clinicians to choose open shifts at different locations across the system’s 92 hospitals in 27 states. By building a multi-tiered float pool that combines existing staff with newly recruited full-time and part-time talent, Trinity prioritizes internal resources before turning to outside agencies. This has helped Trinity significantly reduce labor costs while boosting workforce satisfaction.
3. Creative and Flexible Shift Scheduling
Today’s nurses often value flexible work schedules as much as they value pay. Recognizing this, healthcare systems are getting creative with their shift structures, offering shorter shifts, such as four-hour blocks, alongside traditional 8- or 12-hour shifts.
But flexibility is about more than just shift length. Organizations are also seeing success with internal programs that let clinicians choose when they want to work and how often. A tiered work commitment approach–where nurses can opt into different levels of scheduling commitment–offers staff more control over their own schedules and helps health systems meet fluctuating patient needs.
This flexibility allows nurses to better balance work with caregiving, education, or personal responsibilities. It’s especially appealing to early-career nurses pursuing advanced degrees, working parents, or those returning to the workforce after a period of burnout or absence. These are pivotal points that will drive retention among today’s nurses, who have different priorities than their predecessors of even just 10 years ago.
Flexibility isn’t just a nice-to-have perk—it’s a strategic necessity. Healthcare organizations adopting flexible shift scheduling report improved nurse satisfaction, reduced turnover rates, and better coverage during peak times. Just as importantly, improved employee engagement and satisfaction contribute to higher quality of care and greater patient satisfaction—two powerful factors that directly influence reimbursement. By allowing nurses to tailor their schedules, hospitals are addressing burnout and improving overall workforce retention and satisfaction.
Looking Ahead: Smarter Nurse Staffing Trends for a Stronger Future
While these trends are already showing promise, implementing them at scale hasn’t always been easy. Many health systems still wrestle with outdated tools, time-consuming onboarding processes, and the logistical challenge of managing internal float pools. In fact, 94% of leaders surveyed by Hallmark said they don’t yet have the right technology to fully support flexible staffing models.
But that’s starting to change. Thanks to advances in technology, such as AI-driven scheduling tools and advanced vendor management systems (VMS), it’s now possible to manage a hybrid mix of full-time, part-time, and on-demand staff from a single system. These tools make it easier for nurses to pick up shifts through mobile apps, while giving leaders real-time visibility into staffing needs across the organization.
By embracing technology alongside new staffing strategies—like internal float pools, centralized scheduling, and flexible shifts—healthcare organizations can reduce their reliance on outside agencies, improve coverage, and create a better day-to-day experience for their nurses.
These aren’t just short-term fixes. Or nurse staffing trends that will fade. They’re long-term strategies for building a more resilient, responsive workforce—and ultimately, a more sustainable future for healthcare.
Because at the end of the day, everything depends on the people delivering the care. And if we can support them better, they’ll continue to show up strong for the patients who need them most.