10 Healthcare Workforce Staffing Industry Trends to Watch in 2026

The healthcare staffing landscape is shifting beneath our feet, shaped by powerful forces: from the explosive growth of Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) and the expansion of interstate compacts, to the steady rise of locum tenens and the ever-present challenge of administrative burdens. For busy administrators and healthcare leaders, keeping up with it all can feel overwhelming. That’s why we’ve put together this guide.

Consider this your friendly, data-driven tour through the trends that will define healthcare staffing in the coming years. We’ll explore the big-picture shifts alongside the nitty-gritty details that impact your daily operations, such as new prior authorization requirements and the growing mobility of Physician Assistants. 

Our goal is simple: to give you clear, actionable insights that will help you build stronger, more resilient care teams for the future.  

Healthcare Workforce Staffing Industry Trends

• 1. Advanced Practitioners are reshaping healthcare staffing
• 2. More PAs will help fill physician staffing shortages
• 3. Wins against physician burnout
• 4. Preparation for an older America
• 5. More APPs choosing locum tenens assignments
• 6. The locums industry will be bigger than ever
• 7. Updated telehealth policies from the HHS will shift more care back into hospitals
• 8. Coming headwinds for medical students
• 9. New prior authorization hurdles for Medicare
• 10. PAs will be able to practice under a single license in more states
• Whatever comes next, we’re here for you

1. Advanced Practitioners are reshaping healthcare staffing

According to the latest projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we’re in the midst of a jobs boom for advanced practitioners:

• Physician Assistants are projected to see job growth of 20% between 2024 and 2034.
• Nurse Practitioners are poised for an even more dramatic surge, with an expected growth rate of 35% over the same period. In fact, the BLS lists NPs as the third fastest growing job in the country. 

This growth represents a fundamental shift in the composition of the clinical workforce. Integrating and optimizing APP roles is a strategic imperative for meeting community health needs.

2. More PAs will help fill physician staffing shortages

So what's driving the APP surge, particularly for PAs? A major factor is the proactive effort to address ongoing physician shortages. As the demand for healthcare services continues to climb, the traditional model of physician-only care is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.

Healthcare organizations are turning to PAs to fill critical gaps because their broad-based medical training and ability to practice in nearly any specialty or setting make them incredibly versatile. Whether it's in primary care, surgery, or emergency medicine, PAs are stepping in to help. This isn't about replacing physicians; it's about moving to a team-based form of care so that everyone can work at the top of their licenses.

3. Wins against physician burnout

Now any discussion about the healthcare workforce has to acknowledge the tremendous pressures on physicians themselves. Though the challenge of burnout is far from solved, the American Medical Association suggests that physician burnout rates may be easing thanks to concentrated, system-wide efforts to provide better support.

This context makes the rise of APPs even more significant. When integrated thoughtfully, PAs and NPs can be a powerful part of the burnout solution. By sharing the patient load, streamlining workflows, and fostering a true team-based culture, you create an environment where all clinicians can find more satisfaction and sustainability in their work.

4. Preparation for an older America

If you’re planning your workforce for the next five years, here’s a number to keep top of mind: by 2030, one in five Americans will be over the age of 65 (S&P Global). This demographic shift means your organization will be caring for a patient population with more complex, chronic healthcare needs. That’s because an older population doesn’t just increase patient volume; it increases the intensity of care required, fueling demand across every specialty and particularly in areas like cardiology, neurology, and gastroenterology.

For your leadership team, this reinforces a critical point: the strategies you build today to integrate APPs and optimize care teams are the very same strategies that will help you manage this coming wave. A robust team model, where PAs and NPs practice at the top of their licenses, is your best bet for ensuring access and quality for this growing patient base.

5. More APPs choosing locum tenens assignments

What does this "new normal" of older patients and fewer physicians look like? One change that’s here to stay is the rise of the locum tenens clinician. According to the latest industry outlook from Locumpedia, the locum tenens market is projected to see steady, sustainable growth of about 4% in 2026.

Despite the steady growth of locums, the profile of a locum tenens clinician is changing. It's no longer just physicians nearing retirement. Leaders report a growing number of younger doctors and APPs are actively choosing locum work for the flexibility, autonomy, and control over their work-life balance it offers.

In short, locum tenens has become a stable, resilient piece of the healthcare workforce ecosystem. For your organization, it means you have a reliable, though evolving, resource to call upon as you balance permanent staff needs with the flexibility to meet fluctuating demand.

6. The locums industry will be bigger than ever

To truly understand how integral temporary staffing has become, just follow the money. SIA projects that the locum tenens market is on a trajectory to reach a significant milestone, with an expected value of $14.61 billion by 2030.

This level of projected growth reveals that the physician shortage isn't a temporary hurdle to "fix" with short-term contracts. It's a permanent feature of the landscape that requires a sustainable, adaptable workforce solution.

For your leadership perspective, this multi-billion dollar forecast means the locum tenens industry will continue to mature and professionalize. You can expect to see more sophisticated agencies, better technology for matching and onboarding, and a deeper pool of experienced clinicians choosing locums as a primary career path.

7. Updated telehealth policies from the HHS will shift more care back into hospitals 

Recent updates from the HHS regarding telehealth are signaling a move to shift more care back into traditional hospital and health system settings.

While the era of pandemic-era flexibilities expanded virtual care into homes like never before, the latest policy adjustments suggest a recalibration. The emphasis is moving toward integrating telehealth more tightly within established healthcare systems like remote patient monitoring coordinated by your team and virtual follow-ups that originate from a patient's established in-person provider.

The nuance is important because it signals the maturation of telehealth. The focus will be on using virtual tools to enhance and extend the reach of your existing brick-and-mortar services, rather than creating a parallel, home-based system. This means your staffing strategy should consider how APPs and locums can be deployed to support these virtual consultation models, ensuring you have the right people to manage patients across both physical and digital care settings.

8. Coming headwinds for medical students

For years, loan programs have been a powerful force enabling students from all economic backgrounds to become clinicians. However, recent legislation has changed the landscape by reducing loan options for medical students.

If the path to manageable debt becomes narrower, it could influence the career choices of the next generation of physicians. We may see fewer medical graduates willing or able to pursue medical school at all as well as lower-paying specialties or positions in rural or community health centers if the promise of repayable loans diminishes.

9. New prior authorization hurdles for Medicare

As detailed by Kiplinger, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has implemented a new prior authorization model for certain services in traditional Medicare, which began on January 1, 2026.

Here’s what your team needs to know. This initiative is currently being tested in six states: New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and Washington. It applies a prior authorization requirement to a specific list of 17 services that CMS has identified as vulnerable to fraud, waste, or abuse. The list includes procedures like epidural steroid injections, certain nerve stimulators, cervical fusion, and the application of skin substitutes for chronic wounds.

While the goal is to root out inappropriate care and safeguard taxpayer dollars, the immediate effect for providers in these states is another layer of administrative review. The model will use technology to support the process, but final decisions will be made by licensed clinicians. This creates a new step in the care pathway for these specific services, potentially leading to delays and adding to the administrative load on your clinical and support staff. 

10. PAs will be able to practice under a single license in more states

We'll end on a piece of genuinely good news that makes it easier to put all these trends into action. In a major step for workforce mobility, New Jersey recently became the 20th state to join the PA Licensure Compact in January 2026 (AAPA News).

For health systems and PAs alike, it’s a huge reduction in administrative red tape. If your state joins the Compact, It dramatically expands the pool of PAs you can quickly bring on board by removing one of the classic friction points in healthcare staffing, ultimately making the workforce more agile and responsive to patient needs.

Whatever comes next, we’re here for you

Navigating these trends requires a staffing partner who understands the big picture. At Locumly, we specialize in connecting healthcare facilities with exceptional Advanced Practice Providers who are ready to hit the ground running. Whether you need a PA for a single shift, coverage while you recruit for a permanent role, or to handle a surge, we’re here to help you build a more resilient care team.

We take the time to understand your unique culture and clinical needs, ensuring we send you candidates who are not just qualified, but are the right fit for your team. 

Let’s talk about how Locumly can support your organization in this new era of healthcare staffing.