Hiring Travel Nurses: How Small Healthcare Providers Can Attract Top Talent

Kelly Duggan
Tue, 30 Dec 2025 23:15:04 +0000
Top-talent, Industry-expertise, Worklife-balance, Trustaff, Nursing-shortage, Travel-nurses, Healthcare-facility, Patient-care, Healthcare-providers, Staffing-agencies, Hiring-travel-nurses

Post sponsored by Trustaff

A persistent and critical nursing shortage has affected facilities nationwide. Smaller and rural facilities experience this challenge when competing against well-funded hospital systems. Therefore, they rely on travel nurses to fill the gaps and maintain high-quality patient care. By leveraging the unique strengths of your healthcare facility, you can attract qualified healthcare professionals.

In This Article

How Small Healthcare Providers Can Attract Top Talent

Methodology to Compare Staffing Agencies

Best Places to Apply for High-Paying Travel Nursing Jobs

Comparing Staffing Agencies

Appealing to the Top Travel Nursing Talent

Frequently Asked Questions

Key Takeaways

Work-life balance is critical to prospective employees.

Technology streamlines staffing and simplifies hiring processes.

Staffing agencies are strategic necessities.

Small providers can stand out by leveraging their unique strengths.

How Small Healthcare Providers Can Attract Top Talent

Beyond filling vacancies, healthcare facilities should become a place where travel nurses want to take assignments. Success originates from supporting the well-being of your employees and building a positive reputation. Here are five strategies to attract top talent in the healthcare field.

Provide High-Value Benefits

Smaller healthcare providers should gain advantages through high-value benefits. With these packages, you can facilitate attractive terms and go beyond the hourly wage. For instance, your company could offer realistic stipends to cover local living expenses. Complement that perk with a housing concierge to help travel nurses secure housing.

Promote a Safe Workplace

Nurses should feel safe, protected, and heard in your facility. Prioritize building a culture of safety with proactive training and tangible safeguards. These elements could include security personnel, de-escalation training, and post-incident support. Promote your company’s zero-tolerance policy, which enforces a reporting system and ensures consistent action.

Invest in Professional Development

Ambitious travel nurses view jobs as stepping stones on their career path. These healthcare professionals seek environments that allow them to grow. Respond by removing the logistical and financial barriers to professional development. As a healthcare provider, you could offer stipends for continuing education or provide on-site training.

Highlight Flexible Schedules

Flexibility is among the most desired benefits for American workers. A 2022 Gallup survey found that 61% of employees consider work-life balance to be very important. Healthcare providers could allow nurses to collaborate and choose shifts that best fit their personal lives. You can also implement block scheduling to give workers more predictable periods of time off.

Partner With Trusted Staffing Agencies

Smaller healthcare providers often have limited budgets and fewer HR resources, making it challenging for them to compete with well-funded hospitals. Staffing agencies become extensions of your talent acquisition team and advocate for you in national markets. Investing in these professional services reduces your administrative burden and lets your employees focus on the bigger picture.

Methodology to Compare Staffing Agencies

Small healthcare providers can benefit from reputable staffing agencies to fill gaps in their staffing needs. How can you determine the best companies to partner with? Here is a methodology to select the top solutions.

Best Places to Apply for High-Paying Travel Nursing Jobs

Healthcare workers seek workplaces with superior support and transparent communication. Where can they apply for high-paying travel nursing jobs? Here are three staffing agencies helping travel nurses find jobs and small healthcare providers attract top talent.

1. Trustaff

Trustaff is the best healthcare staffing agency for travel nurses. The company matches small healthcare providers with experienced nurses through its national network of professionals. Since 2002, it has prioritized personal service and helping you find assignments in all specialties. Travel nurses can easily apply for high-paying positions on the mobile app.

Key features

2. Aya Healthcare

Aya Healthcare is a leading provider of healthcare talent staffing services for travel nursing. This agency implements advanced technologies on its intelligent workforce platform to connect people and systems. It’s renowned for efficiency, as the direct-to-clinician model lowers costs for small healthcare providers. Travel nurses pick the company for its consistent job volume and strong recruiter support.

Key features

3. AMN Healthcare

AMN Healthcare is a renowned staffing agency recognized for its user-friendly technology and industry expertise. For 40 years, it has provided comprehensive staffing services to healthcare providers nationwide. The company helps professionals find travel nursing jobs, permanent positions, and contract hires.

Key features

Comparing Staffing Agencies

Choosing the right staffing partner can be challenging when agencies offer similar services. Here is a direct comparison of agencies outlining their core strengths and experience.

Appealing to the Top Travel Nursing Talent

Navigating nursing shortages demands a proactive approach to building a resilient and desirable workplace. Small healthcare providers can outmaneuver large competitors by focusing on a superior culture and meaningful benefits. They can also gain a strategic advantage by connecting with reputable staffing agencies to find the top travel nurses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should small healthcare providers focus on hiring travel nurses?

Persistent nursing shortages mean providers should consider hiring travel nurses to fill critical gaps and maintain quality patient care.

How can small facilities compete with larger hospitals and their higher salaries?

Unique, high-value benefits help providers stand out beyond hourly wages.

What can small healthcare providers do to improve work-life balance?

Flexible scheduling options help travel nurses better balance their work and personal life.

Where do travel nurses make the most money?

Travel nurses typically make more money in remote locations with high-demand positions.

About the Author
Post by:
Kelly Duggan

Kelly Duggan is the President of Trustaff, a leading healthcare staffing firm dedicated to connecting skilled clinical and allied health professionals with hospitals and healthcare systems across the country. She oversees the company’s operations, focusing on talent development, workforce solutions, and strategic growth to address the evolving needs of healthcare organizations. Duggan is committed to fostering meaningful relationships and ensuring that Trustaff remains a trusted partner for both healthcare professionals and the facilities they serve.

Company: Trustaff
Website: https://www.trustaff.com/