Healthcare staffing agencies have been around for many decades. From locum tenens to temporary nurse staffing agencies, the concept is not new. But what is noteworthy is current changes in the way healthcare staffing solutions are being provided. There has been a significant shift from temporary staffing solutions to those more permanent. And at the same time, opportunities for medical freelance professionals have increased significantly. All of these changes reflect the progressive digitization of healthcare staffing that’s evolving today.
Within the last decade, and particularly with the pandemic, the number of medical freelance platforms have increased substantially. This marketplace appears to be rapidly evolving, and numerous startups are jockeying for position. Some cater to specific types of health care staffing workers and businesses. Others differentiate themselves based on the services that they provide. In any case, these developments appeared to be a win-win for health care professionals and organizations alike. And this is one reason these types of platforms will continue to offer new health care staffing solutions ahead.
Permanent roles at health systems were taking months to fill, costing tens of thousands of dollars to hire, and leading to short-staffed facilities in the meantime.” – Parth Bhakta, Founder and CEO of Vivian Health
Modernizing Healthcare Staffing Solutions
With new technologies, opportunities to develop digital freelance platforms have increased. As a result, several industries have been revolutionized by these platforms. Uber and Lyft with their ridesharing platforms are obvious examples. But at the same time, many other sectors are embracing these digital solutions as well. Healthcare, on the other hand, has been slow to adopt the latest and greatest technologies. For example, telehealth and telemedicine have been around for nearly two decades. (Read about the recent innovations in telehealth and telemedicine in this Bold story.) But up until recently, these systems failed to attract widespread adoption among health care organizations. The same has been true for medical freelance platforms and modern healthcare staffing solutions.
Interestingly, the COVID pandemic has served as a catalyst for technological advances. (Wait, you mean the pandemic was actually good for innovations in healthcare?) Likewise, the increase in medical freelance platforms can also be attributed to these effects on the healthcare industry. Many organizations experienced sudden shortages of healthcare staffing that demanded new approaches. Not only did these organizations need healthcare professionals to fill temporary gaps. They also needed to replace providers and staff who became ill or burned out. Digital platforms were gaining traction in the healthcare sector for staffing prior to this. But since the pandemic, a rising number of healthcare organizations realized the benefits of these new healthcare staffing services.
“We continue to see unprecedented growth in jobs, clinicians and employers signing up to use the marketplace to supplement their existing procurement strategies.” – Kashif Aftab, Founder and CEO, Skillgigs
Top Medical Freelance Platforms Currently
As healthcare organizations have warmed up to the idea of medical freelance platforms, several startups have emerged. Some are more tenured than others. Likewise, several focus on niche areas in meeting specific needs of various health care entities. With this in mind, the following is a list of some of the top healthcare staffing platforms available today.
- StaffDNA – This healthcare staffing agency has been around for some time. It was originally founded in 2014 and has become one of the largest medical freelance platforms available today. Initially, the company focused more on temporary placement of healthcare staff. Beginning in June of 2020, it shifted its focus to more permanent healthcare job placement. StaffDNA now enjoys over 20,000 downloads of its application platform each month. In addition, the company has expertise in regulatory compliance, recruiting, payroll management, and staff housing.
- Bold Business – More than just a multi-vertical media platform, Bold Business offers a full range of human resources, recruiting and staffing solutions in the healthcare space. From call centers to strategy implementation to training to back-office support, Bold leverages industry experience with global diversity to help clients meet their staffing demands.
- Mediflash – This French startup company is relatively new to the medical freelance platform sector. Its primary niche focus is on caregivers. Traditional healthcare staffing platforms typically hires health care workers directly. They then charge clients for these services once they place workers in temporary or permanent positions. Mediflash, however, simply provides a digital marketplace where caregivers can determine which jobs are most appealing. In the process, freelancers can earn up to 20% more revenue. At the same time, health care organizations do not have to pay as much for staffing services.
- Skillgigs – This health care staffing solution also provides a digital marketplace for healthcare professionals. However, at the same time, it utilizes artificial intelligence to facilitate matching between professionals and opportunities. In the process, the medical freelance platform provides a more personalized approach to healthcare job placement. Over the course of the last year, Skillgigs has seen a 35% increase in site utilization. While the bulk of placements involves traveling nurses, the company manages placement of other health care professionals as well.
“In twelve months, we built the largest, fastest-growing app for healthcare careers. We are now expanding our capabilities to include permanent job placements, so even more healthcare professionals can experience the benefits of the new online digital platform business model.” – Sheldon Arora, CEO of StaffDNA
A Needed Addition to Healthcare Staffing
For those who are interested in medical freelance, there are a few downsides. In many of the current digital marketplaces, healthcare professionals are in complete control when selecting potential jobs. However, as freelancers, these individuals do not enjoy any benefits or opportunities for unemployment compensation. This may not appeal to many people and encourage them to pursue placement through traditional solutions. However, these opportunities are ideal for those seeking part-time work, retirees, and students. In this regard, modern healthcare staffing platforms offer a nice addition to existing strategies. And given the rising demand for healthcare staff, these platforms should continue to thrive.
