Healthcare leaders understand the workforce shortage is real. What makes the challenge more difficult is timing.
For example, the Michigan Health Council recently reported that Baby Boomers in Michigan need medical professionals now more than ever, but the ongoing healthcare workforce shortage prevents these patients from receiving timely care.
Even with increased investment in workforce development, many healthcare professions require years of education and training before clinicians enter practice.
Healthcare leaders need strategies to maintain patient access and support existing teams today.
For many organizations, locum tenens serves as a strategic bridge between operational strain and stability.
How Facilities Use Locum Tenens Staffing for Coverage
Locum tenens has become an increasingly important workforce strategy for healthcare organizations nationwide.
Many organizations evaluate locum tenens differently today than they did a decade ago. The conversation has shifted from the cost of coverage to the cost of vacancy.
Rather than replacing permanent recruitment efforts, locum providers help organizations maintain stability while the healthcare workforce pipeline develops.
This approach allows healthcare leaders to:
- Preserve patient access
- Reduce pressure on existing teams
- Avoid service disruptions
- Maintain revenue-generating service lines
- Continue searching for the right permanent hire instead of rushing a decision
Addressing High-Demand Specialties with Locum Coverage
Workforce shortages rarely affect every department equally. As the MHC states, certain specialties face greater recruiting challenges because of training requirements, retirement trends, and growing patient demand.
In the 2026 Trends in Locum Tenens Report, healthcare leaders reported the five high-demand specialties where they expect to use locum coverage.
Primary Care (Family Medicine / Internal Medicine)
In the 2026 Trends in Locum Tenens Report, 48% of healthcare leaders reported plans to use locum coverage in family medicine and internal medicine.
Family medicine and internal medicine physicians play a critical role in preventive care, chronic disease management, and care coordination for patients above 65 years old.
Locum family medicine physicians, internal medicine physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants can help organizations maintain access while permanent recruitment efforts continue.
Psychiatry
Without a licensed psychiatric prescriber on-site, many behavioral health organizations face compliance concerns, longer waitlists, and disruptions to patient access.
Locum psychiatrists can help healthcare organizations stabilize services, support clinicians, and maintain patient access during periods of transition.
In the 2026 Trends in Locum Tenens Report, one-third of healthcare leaders reported plans to use locum psychiatry coverage.
Both psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners offer value in the following practice settings:
- Inpatient hospitals
- Outpatient mental health centers
- Community health centers
- Correctional facilities
Emergency Medicine
Nearly 25% of healthcare leaders reported they planned to hire locum emergency medicine providers. Emergency departments (EDs) nationwide absorb high patient volume due to nearby facility closures or seasonality.
In addition to the workforce shortage, physician burnout in EDs leads to high turnover rates, leaving teams in a constant reactive state while navigating high-acuity cases.
Locum emergency medicine physicians and advanced practitioners can help departments maintain coverage during periods of turnover, seasonal volume spikes, and recruitment delays.
Hospitalist
Right behind emergency medicine, 22% of healthcare leaders are prioritizing locum hospitalists as a healthcare workforce solution in 2026.
Locum hospitalists help facilities maintain inpatient coverage, support discharge planning, and reduce strain on existing physician teams while permanent recruiting continues.
Anesthesiology
Anesthesiology shortages affect more than call schedules.
When anesthesia coverage becomes limited, organizations may experience reduced procedural capacity, delayed surgeries, and operational bottlenecks.
To prevent cancellations, 17% of healthcare organizations plan to increase use of locum anesthesiologists and locum CRNAs to meet patient demand in outpatient and inpatient practice settings.
The Rise of Locum Advanced Practitioners
Nurse practitioners have become the fastest-growing occupation in the United States. Driving factors include improved accessibility to training programs and increased independent practice opportunities nationwide.
Physician assistants are also growing more diversified, increasingly joining surgical teams as ambulatory surgery centers become more accessible to patients.
They’ve also experienced improvements in practice capabilities, including a growing PA Compact that makes licensing in multiple states easier.
Depending on your budget, practice setting, and required skill sets, locum advanced practitioners could be a healthcare workforce solution you can implement today.
Workforce Challenges Extend Beyond One State
Recent workforce discussions in Michigan reflect challenges healthcare leaders face across the country.
Michigan is not alone. States with older populations often experience similar workforce pressures as healthcare demand grows faster than clinician supply.
Top 15 Oldest Populations By State
The following states have the oldest populations in the United States and may reach the “Boomer Cliff” before the healthcare workforce pipeline fully develops:
- Maine
- New Hampshire / Vermont
- West Virginia
- Florida
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Connecticut
- Pennsylvania
- Montana
- Oregon / Rhode Island
- Wisconsin
- South Carolina
- Michigan
- New Jersey
- Massachusetts
How Healthcare Leaders Find Success with Locum Coverage
The healthcare workforce shortage will not be solved overnight.
Educational programs, workforce initiatives, and recruitment efforts all play an important role in building the future workforce.
But healthcare leaders still need a strategy they can implement today.
For healthcare organizations facing recruitment challenges, Consilium offers clarity, confidence, and counsel through locum tenens staffing.
Our consultants work within specific specialties and regions, creating a better understanding of your local workforce challenges and identifying providers who fit your organization’s needs.
If you’re evaluating workforce strategies for your organization, other healthcare leaders have used locum physicians and advanced practitioners to maintain access, support growth, and navigate recruitment challenges.
Source: Read the MHC’s full article.
