The Future of Travel Healthcare
Hi there 👋, and welcome back to this year's last edition of The Nurse Navigator! I’m Catherine Knoll, VP of Marketing at Travel Nurses, Inc.
As 2024 draws to a close, it’s clear that this year has tested the resilience of travel healthcare professionals. Amid shifting industry demands and economic pressures, Travel Nurses, Inc. remains a driving force—steadfast in supporting healthcare teams nationwide.
This holiday season, we’re here for all of our nurses, allied health workers, and healthcare professionals, ensuring you never go alone.
In this edition of The Nurse Navigator, we look ahead to 2025 with optimism, exploring the State of the Travel Nursing Industry and how emerging trends will shape the road ahead. As the market evolves, so does our commitment to you—because strong teams deserve an even stronger partner.
~Catherine
This Edition's Topics:
Celebrating 50 - Travel Nurses, inc. Announces 49th and 50th Daisy Award Winners
Team Tip of the Month
Ask a Recruiter
Download our App to Look up Jobs
What Does the Travel Healthcare Market Look Like in 2025?
The travel nursing market is entering a phase of stabilization after significant fluctuations in recent years. By 2025, it’s expected to settle at around $19.5 billion, a noticeable decline from its pandemic peak but still a considerable increase from pre-pandemic values. This adjustment reflects a more balanced landscape where the demand for travel nurses remains crucial, although less intense than during the height of the COVID-19 crisis.
Current Market Landscape
The travel nursing industry has undergone rapid transformation, driven primarily by the healthcare system’s urgent need for adaptable staffing during the pandemic. From a market value of $6.5 billion in 2019 to an unprecedented peak of $42.7 billion in 2022, the industry experienced an explosive growth phase. By 2023, it adjusted to $25.6 billion, reflecting a more stabilized demand. This dynamic shift highlights travel nurses’ critical role in addressing immediate staffing shortages and supporting overwhelmed healthcare facilities.
Hospitals have increasingly focused on recruiting and retaining permanent staff, leading to a reduced dependency on travel nurses. Competitive salaries, hiring bonuses, and other incentives have been introduced to attract full-time professionals. Despite this shift, travel nurses remain indispensable for meeting short-term and specialized staffing needs. Seasonal fluctuations and unexpected shortages still necessitate the presence of these flexible healthcare workers.
The market correction has also impacted compensation rates. While travel nurse pay surged to extraordinary heights during the pandemic, it has since moderated, aligning more closely with pre-pandemic levels. This adjustment could influence the decisions of some nurses, who may now weigh the benefits of travel roles against more stable, permanent positions.
Technological advancements in workforce management are also transforming the landscape. Tools like vendor management systems enable more efficient matching of nurses with assignments, optimizing the operational workflow for staffing agencies and healthcare providers. This tech-driven approach is making the sector more responsive and adaptable to the changing demands of the healthcare system.
Overall, the current market landscape presents a mixed bag of opportunities and challenges for travel nurses and staffing agencies as they navigate this evolving and stabilizing environment.
Key Trends to Watch
Several key trends are shaping the travel nursing market as we head toward 2025:
Impact of the Nursing Shortage: The healthcare industry faces a looming shortage of nurses, driven by retirements and the needs of an aging population. This shortage is expected to maintain the relevance of travel nurses, who will be essential in filling critical staffing gaps, especially in regions with severe shortages.
Market Realignment: Staffing agencies are recalibrating their operations to align with the current market realities. Agencies can develop more sustainable business models by streamlining processes and focusing on cost-effectiveness. This realignment encourages innovation and enhances service delivery.
Technology and Flexibility: Advances in workforce management technology, such as vendor management systems, are transforming the industry. These systems improve the efficiency of matching nurses with assignments, benefiting both healthcare facilities and nurses seeking positions. This technological evolution makes the travel nursing sector more attractive and functional.
Read more about the challenges ahead and what this means for 2025
50th Daisy Award Celebration
We’re excited to share a major milestone: Travel Nurses, Inc. has now awarded 50 outstanding nurses with DAISY Awards!
As the first travel agency to partner with the DAISY Foundation, we are proud to honor the dedication and compassion of these incredible healthcare professionals.
Tip of the Month
This month’s Team Tip comes from our Senior Payroll & Billing Specialist, Whitney Donelson
You can easily upload your timesheet through the Travel Nurses, Inc. app! All you have to do is take a picture of your timesheet in the app, fill in your information and hit submit. It’s that easy!
Ask a Recruiter
We love to hear from you and answer your questions you have about traveling! Feel free to submit your questions in the comments section at the bottom of the newsletter. Be on the lookout for the answers to your questions in next month’s Nurse Navigator newsletter 😊
A: A typical contract is 13 weeks long. However, you may also find contracts for four weeks, eight weeks, or 26 weeks, too! – MELISSA PRITCHARD, Senior Lead Recruitment Specialist
Q: Does TNI have PRN?
A: Yes! We staff PRN in 13 states! We have a whole blog post about this! – Summer Haynes, Recruitment Specialist
Do you have the Travel Nurses, Inc. app? You can easily download the TNI app in the Apple Store or Google Play store.
As the new year is quickly approaching, now is the perfect time to start looking at assignments starting in January. Remember, in January, we often see more travelers entering the market as they make New Year’s resolutions to start traveling.
So get ahead of the curve and start applying to positions now! In the app, you can easily search and apply for jobs.
