Healthcare staffing no longer has to feel like constant damage control. If you are a Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), executive director, or Director of Nursing (DON), you are likely in charge of finding nurses on demand when patient census fluctuates. As a healthcare leader, you often need to balance needs like the ability to quickly cover open shifts against incentives to avoid external staffing solutions or high costs from associated fees.
Finding nurses to fill last-minute shifts at affordable pay rates is no easy task nowadays. Most industry experts agree that we have a nursing shortage, and the problem is growing.
As labor shortages persist and patient demand fluctuates, healthcare leaders are turning to smarter, faster healthcare staffing strategies to keep shifts covered and teams supported. This is where healthcare staffing platforms come in, offering facilities a responsive alternative to traditional agencies or manual recruiting efforts without sacrificing patient care.
Per diem staffing is especially helpful for facilities due to its flexibility and lower commitment to designate shift hours to agency clinicians. By avoiding longer-term contracts, facilities can meet their labor demand and work towards a longer-term staffing strategy. This guide will evaluate per diem staffing platforms by speed to cover shifts, overall flexibility offered by the platform, talent quality, cost transparency, staffing model, compliance considerations, and the ways each brand contributes to a more resilient and efficient healthcare system.
Let’s explore the best options for supplementing your care team in a sustainable, cost-effective manner.
1. Nursa: Best healthcare staffing platform overall
Nursa earns the top spot as one of the most effective healthcare shift management platforms by making per diem staffing simple, fast, and cost-effective.
As a robust shift marketplace for nurses and facilities alike, Nursa connects healthcare facilities directly with local clinicians who are actively seeking PRN staffing opportunities. This local-first approach significantly improves fill rates while supporting real-time shift coverage.
Facilities can quickly create and post shifts with AI-powered features, set their own rates, and avoid inflated agency markups. Nursa also supports strong workforce management through automated scheduling tools, seamless credential verification, and intelligent shift creation that reduces manual work.
For organizations focused on scalability, transparency, and long-term staffing control, Nursa delivers one of the strongest healthcare workforce solutions on the market.
2. Clipboard Health: Good for quick per diem staffing
Clipboard Health is an often-used nurse staffing platform recognized for its quick turnaround, particularly in long-term care and post-acute settings. Its large clinician pool helps facilities quickly fill PRN staffing gaps.
The platform handles payments, scheduling logistics, and credential tracking, reducing administrative burden for facilities. Clipboard Health performs best for organizations that prioritize speed and volume over customization.
It’s worth noting that facilities have limited control over pricing and clinician selection compared to open marketplace platforms, which can impact cost predictability and potentially lead to invoice surprises.
3. IntelyCare: Structured per diem staffing
IntelyCare takes a more structured approach by employing clinicians as W-2 staff and assigning them to per diem shifts. This model appeals to organizations that value consistency, reliability, and reduced compliance risk.
The platform includes scheduling tools, workforce analytics, and credential oversight, positioning it as a comprehensive workforce management solution. It works well for facilities seeking predictable staffing quality, however the employed model can reduce flexibility and often results in higher labor costs compared to marketplace-based staffing platforms.
4. ShiftKey: Tech-driven staffing
ShiftKey offers technology-driven staffing for hospitals, behavioral health facilities, and post-acute providers. Facilities can post shifts, communicate with clinicians, and manage credentials within a centralized system.
Its broad geographic footprint supports multi-state organizations and enterprise healthcare systems. ShiftKey is often chosen for its scalability and digital-first experience.
It is worth noting that fill speed and clinician availability can vary significantly by market, particularly in highly competitive regions. This isn’t necessarily specific to Shiftkey, however, as many platforms’ presence can vary by region.
5. CareRev: Internal and per diem staffing
CareRev focuses on helping facilities build internal staffing pools while still offering external per diem coverage when needed. This approach supports long-term workforce stability and reduces dependency on third-party agencies over time.
The platform includes tools that support scheduling optimization and clinician engagement, making it attractive to health systems focused on internal workforce development. Due to this, CareRev may require more upfront operational planning and onboarding time before facilities fully realize its value.
6. Medely: Flexible staffing with strong credentialing
Medley supports per diem, local contract, and travel staffing across multiple care settings. The platform is known for strong clinician vetting and reliable credential verification, making it a good fit for compliance-heavy environments.
However, this also means that the platform is often better suited for planned coverage than urgent, last-minute PRN staffing needs.
Medely contributes to broader healthcare workforce solutions by offering flexible staffing options and a clinician-friendly mobile experience.
7. SnapCare: Hybrid staffing solutions
SnapCare blends traditional staffing services with modern technology, offering per diem, contract, and travel staffing. Its tools support workforce analytics, compliance tracking, and scheduling workflows.
Facilities that want agency-style support with added technology may find SnapCare appealing.
One potential drawback is that the pricing and contract structures can resemble traditional staffing agencies, which may limit cost savings.
8. Vivian Health: Job marketplace for clinicians
Vivian Health operates as a job marketplace where clinicians compare opportunities across staffing providers. Facilities benefit from broad exposure to available talent and increased visibility in competitive markets.
It works well as a supplementary recruitment tool alongside other staffing platforms, though doesn’t support the immediate staffing response that other platforms on this list can offer.
Vivian offers limited functionality as a standalone healthcare shift management platform and lacks robust scheduling or workforce management tools.
9. Nomad Health: Travel and per diem staffing
As indicated by its name, Nomad Health is best known for travel nursing and short-term assignments, with growing support for per diem roles. Its transparent pay structure appeals to experienced clinicians and specialty providers.
The platform performs well for planned staffing needs and longer-term coverage.
While a good potential option, Nomad Health is less optimized for rapid, on-demand staffing in healthcare or last-minute shift fulfillment.
10. ShiftMed: Per diem staffing for long-term care
ShiftMed focuses on per-diem staffing for long-term care and senior living facilities, utilizing a W-2 employment model much like Intelycare. The platform emphasizes reliability, compliance, and workforce consistency.
It can be a solid option for facilities seeking predictable coverage and standardized processes. For facilities needing quick coverage, the employee model offers less flexibility and pricing control compared to marketplace-based staffing platforms.
How to choose a staffing platform for hospitals
Choosing the right healthcare staffing platform is a smart move that can boost staff satisfaction, streamline operations, and improve patient outcomes. With so many options out there, here is how to pick a platform that truly supports your hospital’s long-term workforce goals:
- Prioritize flexibility for PRN and per diem staffing: Look for platforms built to handle fluctuating census levels. The best solutions let you scale coverage up or down without long-term contracts, making it easy to respond to last-minute gaps while keeping care seamless.
- Evaluate credential verification and compliance support: Automated, reliable credential checks that track licenses, certifications, background checks, and expirations reduce risk, save time, and ensure patients are always in safe hands.
- Look for scheduling optimization and real-time coverage: Modern healthcare shift management platforms do more than post shifts. Automation, intelligent shift creation, and alerts enhance fill rates, reduce burnout, and provide real-time coverage, so you never scramble at the last minute.
- Demand cost transparency and workforce control: Not all platforms are created equal. Choose solutions with clear pricing, minimal markups, and tools that help you actively manage labor spend as part of overall workforce management.
- Assess the quality of the talent marketplace: A strong talent network ensures access to qualified, engaged nurses who know the local care environment. Platforms with robust local networks usually deliver faster fills and better alignment with facility expectations.
- Consider usability and operational support: Even the most advanced platform will not be effective if it is difficult to use. Prioritize intuitive interfaces, responsive support, and actionable insights, combining technology with hands-on guidance for maximum impact.
Choose a per diem staffing app that works for your facility
Finding the right staff to cover facilities for your facility doesn’t have to be stressful. These days, there are incredible platforms and apps that will get you the coverage you need in your hospital or facility faster than you can say, “shift filled.”
Some of the best healthcare staffing platforms stand out for their transparency and speed, which enables them to fill the shifts your facilities need quickly.
If your facility is looking for a way to simplify staffing, improve coverage, and regain control, Nursa stands as a good all-around per diem staffing platform that can help you get the nurses you deserve to serve patients in need at your hospital or long-term care facility.
At the end of the day, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for per diem healthcare staffing. The best platform for your facility depends on your unique staffing challenges, patient census patterns, budget constraints, and long-term workforce goals. Some organizations may prioritize speed and volume to cover last-minute gaps, while others may value cost control, flexibility, or stronger workforce management tools.
