How IHS Travel Nurse Staffing Supports Rural Care

Temporary healthcare staffing helps rural and Tribal facilities maintain access through travel nurses, locum tenens clinicians, per diem staff, pharmacists, and allied health professionals.

Temporary Healthcare Staffing Keeps Care Available

Temporary healthcare staffing is the umbrella for several workforce models. Travel nurses commonly accept multiweek assignments away from home. Locum tenens physicians and advanced practice professionals cover temporary clinical needs. Per diem clinicians generally work individual shifts, while pharmacists and allied health professionals may also serve through short-term contracts.

These professionals provide capacity that hospitals cannot immediately replace when local recruitment falls short.

What Nurses Value In Rural Assignments

A national Canadian survey of more than 3,700 rural and remote nurses offers useful, though not U.S.-specific, evidence about clinician attraction. Community location influenced 55.7 percent of respondents, interest in the practice setting influenced 53.3 percent, and income influenced 45.1 percent. The findings challenge the assumption that rural assignments are driven mainly by pay.

A 2024 U.S. travel nurse study identified support, flexibility, and desirable location as reasons clinicians completed or extended assignments. Strong assignments can provide broad clinical experience, professional growth, close teamwork, and meaningful community relationships.

Community Fit Creates Continuity

Research with 84 staff across 11 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services found that clinical and cultural skills, teamwork, approachability, flexibility, and community fit mattered in remote First Nations practice. Participants also identified returning short-term staff as valuable. The Australian setting differs from Indian Country, so the comparison should be applied carefully. But what we can say, is that returning clinicians never begin from zero.

Ellsworth connects IHS and Tribal health organizations with travel nurses, locum tenens clinicians, per diem staff, pharmacists, and allied health professionals prepared for each assignment. Review Ellsworth’s temporary healthcare staffing services and begin a workforce conversation.