If you’re searching for top locum tenens staffing companies, you’re probably not doing it “for fun.” You have a real coverage problem, an open physician role, an unexpected leave, a service line expansion, or a schedule that’s one resignation away from chaos. Locums can be your backup generator: it keeps the lights on while you fix the core issue.

But here’s the hard truth: the best locum tenens agency isn’t universal. The best partner for a rural hospital with a two-provider ED is different from the best partner for a multi-site health system rolling out weekend hospitalist coverage.

This guide gives you a practical, employer-first way to compare agencies, reduce credentialing delays, and protect quality and compliance without drowning in sales pitches.

 Top Locum Tenens Staffing Companies 2026

Below is a shortlist of widely used locum tenens agencies (mostly national), plus the best-fit situations where employers tend to get the most value. Locums are used broadly across the U.S  

Quick note on scope: Locum tenens most often means physicians and advanced practice providers (NPs/PAs/CRNAs). If your urgent need is nurses, caregivers, or allied staff, you may be looking more at travel, per diem (PRN), or contract staffing, though some firms and partners can support multiple clinician types.

Best-fit snapshot (not a ranking)

• CompHealth — Strong for broad national coverage and hard-to-fill markets

• Weatherby Healthcare — Strong for speciality-specific recruiting and credentialing support

• AMN Healthcare — Strong for large systems, workforce solutions, and MSP/VMS environments

• LocumTenens.com — Strong for speed and deep speciality pipelines (especially at scale)

• Jackson + Coker — Strong for organisations that want a compliance-forward, relationship model

• Barton Associates — Strong for fast turnaround and flexible coverage patterns

• Medicus Healthcare Solutions — Strong for hands-on coordination and facility partnership style

• Aya Locums — Strong for tech-enabled matching and clinician supply across multiple roles

• MPLT Healthcare — Strong for responsive service and growing national footprint

• Vista Staffing Solutions — Strong for steady coverage needs across many specialities and settings

How to use this list: Pick 3–5 agencies that match your facility type + speciality + timeline, then score them with a simple rubric.

If you’re comparing locums alongside other workforce options, see our guide to Top staffing providers for a wider view of leading healthcare staffing partners.

What Top Means for Employers (Quality + Speed + Compliance)

For employers, top isn’t a trophy. It’s a mix of:

• Quality: Clinicians who match your scope, procedures, and patient acuity.

• Speed: Fast candidate presentation and realistic time-to-start.

• Compliance: Audit-ready credentialing, clean documentation, and clear malpractice coverage.

Locums has shifted from an emergency patch to a more strategic workforce tool. One industry report notes many organisations plan to maintain or increase locums usage, and that actual utilisation can exceed what leaders expect going into the year.

National vs speciality vs regional firms quick decision guide

• Choose national if you need broad speciality coverage, multi-state licensing support, or multiple sites.

• Choose speciality-focused if the role is niche (e.g., subspecialty call coverage, procedure-heavy work).

• Choose regional if local relationships and state-specific pipelines matter more than national reach.

A strong approach is a mix: one large national partner for reach, plus one speciality or regional agency for depth.

What Is Locum Tenens Staffing?

Locum tenens is short-term clinical coverage, think of it like a “relief valve” that prevents your staffing pressure from damaging patient access, revenue, and your core team’s morale.

Definition (and what a locum tenens staffing company actually does

A locum tenens staffing company helps you fill temporary clinician gaps by handling most of the heavy lifting:

• Sourcing & recruiting candidates

• Screening and basic vetting

• Credentialing, coordination, and document collection

• Licensing help (especially multi-state or time-sensitive)

• Privileging support (facility-specific approvals)

Credentialing and privileging are often the longest poles in the tent, and agencies commonly act as a coordinator to keep verifications moving.

Locum tenens vs travel staffing vs per diem vs temp-to-perm

A quick plain-English comparison:

• Locum tenens: Temporary physician/APP coverage (days to months).

• Travel staffing: Often nursing/allied roles on contract (typically weeks to months).

• Per diem (PRN): As-needed shift coverage, often from local talent pools.

• Temp-to-perm: Try-before-you-buy; starts temporary with a path to permanent hire.

Typical timeline from request → clinician start date

Every facility is different, but credentialing and privileging frequently define the timeline. In hospital settings requiring privileges, credentialing can range from ~30 days to 6 months, with ~60–120 days commonly cited as typical.

A realistic best case looks like:

1. Day 0–2: Intake + job order finalised

2. Day 2–10: Candidate submissions + interviews

3. Week 2–8+: Credentialing/privileging + licensing as needed

4. Start date: Once approvals + onboarding are complete

Why Healthcare Employers Use Locums (Benefits + Tradeoffs)

Locums exists because the real world is messy: resignations happen, patient volumes spike, and recruiting can take longer than your schedule can tolerate. The U.S. is also facing ongoing physician supply pressure, with projections showing shortages that could reach tens of thousands over the next decade.

Fast coverage for vacancies, leaves, seasonal spikes, and expansions

Locums is often used to:

• Cover unexpected departures

• Bridge FMLA/medical leave

• Manage seasonal demand

• Launch new service lines

• Support rural and underserved access

It’s the staffing equivalent of bringing in a skilled substitute teacher so the class still learns while you search for the permanent hire.

Operational benefits: reduce burnout, stabilise schedules, protect revenue

When coverage fails, everything downstream suffers:

• Remaining clinicians work more calls and longer shifts → burnout risk

• Appointment access drops → patient leakage

• Throughput declines → lost revenue

Modern Workforce projections increasingly treat locums as part of the staffing toolbox, not just a last resort.

Common concerns: cost, consistency, culture fit, patient experience

Let’s be honest—your concerns are valid:

• Cost: Bill rates can feel high, especially for urgent coverage.

• Consistency: Temporary clinicians must adapt quickly to your workflows.

• Culture fit: A technically excellent provider can still clash with the team.

• Patient experience: Continuity matters; handoffs must be tight.

The solution isn’t to avoid locums. It’s to run a better selection + onboarding process (we’ll show you how).

How We Define Top Locum Tenens Staffing Companies (Evaluation Framework)

If you want fewer surprises, evaluate agencies like you would any critical vendor: with clear KPIs, documented compliance expectations, and a service model that fits how your team works.

1) Quality of clinicians: vetting, references, speciality match

Ask how the agency validates:

• Speciality and procedure match (not just “board certified”)

• Recent case volume for high-acuity roles

• Peer references that speak to clinical and interpersonal skills

Industry best practices emphasise structured intake and verification, including reference expectations.

Practical tip: Provide a “must-do” procedure list and your EMR name up front. You’ll instantly reduce weak matches.

2) Compliance & credentialing strength

Credentialing is where good placements go to die, usually from missing documents, slow primary source verification, or unclear privileging timelines.

Look for:

• Primary source verification workflows

• Background checks and documentation standards

• Clear malpractice coverage details (claims-made vs occurrence)

• Audit-ready files that won’t collapse under scrutiny

Professional standards and guidelines (including credentialing expectations) are a good signal of a compliance culture.

3) Speed & responsiveness metrics to demand

Speed isn’t “how fast they reply to email.” It’s measurable.

Ask for:

• Time-to-present: request → first qualified candidates

• Submission-to-interview: candidate sent → interview booked

• Time-to-start: request → clinician on site

• Fill rate: % of orders successfully filled

Credentialing time often sets the ceiling—many employers see 60–120 days as typical in privilege-heavy settings.

4) Service model fit: dedicated recruiter vs MSP/VMS programs

Two common models:

• Direct agency relationship: Great for speed, nuance, and relationship-based recruiting.

• MSP/VMS environment: Helpful for standardisation, reporting, and multi-vendor control, often favoured by large systems.

If you’re a large organisation using managed programs, choose agencies that are comfortable operating inside them.

Not all firms operate the same way—our breakdown of Top recruiters highlights what to look for in recruiter support, communication cadence, and partner reliability.

Top Locum Tenens Staffing Companies (Employer-Focused Shortlist)

How this shortlist is structured (and how to use it)

Each profile includes:

• What the company is known for (employer lens)

• Best-fit use cases

• Smart questions to ask before signing

This is not a paid ranking. Think of it as a practical starting point, like a map. You still need to choose the best route.

CompHealth

Strengths: Large national footprint and broad speciality coverage; widely recognised in the locums space and positioned within the CHG Healthcare family of brands.
Best for employers: Facilities that need consistent national reach, multiple specialities, and a repeatable process for ongoing coverage.
Smart questions to ask:

• What are your median time-to-present and time-to-start for my speciality?

• How do you handle credentialing/privileging handoffs with our medical staff office?

Weatherby Healthcare

Strengths: Speciality-focused support with strong emphasis on credentialing assistance; also part of the CHG family.
Best for employers: Hospitals and groups that need speciality depth and want a partner who actively pushes credentialing forward.
Smart questions to ask:

• What do you need from us in the first 48 hours to avoid credentialing delays?

• How do you support urgent starts or fast-break scenarios when possible?

AMN Healthcare

Strengths: Large-scale workforce solutions and physician staffing services; strong fit for systems that need reporting, standardisation, or broader talent strategy alignment.
Best for employers: Health systems, multi-site groups, and employers operating in MSP/VMS programs who want enterprise-ready staffing support.
Smart questions to ask:

• Can you share KPIs by speciality (fill rate, time-to-present, time-to-start)?

• What credentialing resources are included vs add-on services?

LocumTenens

Strengths: Emphasises large-scale placements and claims broad facility presence; positioned as part of Jackson Healthcare.
Best for employers: Organizations that need speed, speciality depth, and an agency built for high-volume locums operations.
Smart questions to ask:

• How do you verify recent clinical activity for procedure-heavy roles?

• What is your escalation path when licensing or privileging stalls?

Jackson + Coker

Strengths: Strong industry involvement and an ethics-forward posture as a founding member of NALTO.
Best for employers: Facilities that want a relationship-led partner and a clear commitment to industry standards and compliance practices.
Smart questions to ask:

• What does your credentialing file include by default (PSV, references, background checks)?

• How do you reduce candidate drop-off when we move fast?

Barton Associates

Strengths: Known for speed and broad reach; the company states it operates nationally and is a NALTO member.
Best for employers: Coverage needs with tight timelines, variable schedules, and facilities open to multiple candidate options quickly.
Smart questions to ask:

• How many qualified candidates can you present within 7–10 days for this speciality?

• How do you set expectations with clinicians to reduce last-minute cancellations?

Medicus Healthcare Solutions

Strengths: Relationship-driven approach and hands-on coordination; positioned as a bridge between facility needs and clinician supply; listed as a NALTO member.
Best for employers: Teams that want a partner who stays close to the details (credentialing, scheduling, onboarding) and prioritises fit.
Smart questions to ask:

• Who owns the credentialing project plan, your team or ours?

• How do you ensure clinicians are day-one ready for our EMR and workflows?

Aya Locums

Strengths: Tech-enabled experience and clinician marketplace approach; connected to Aya Healthcare and listed in the NALTO directory at the parent level.
Best for employers: Facilities that value digital speed, transparent workflows, and access to a wide clinician network across multiple roles.
Smart questions to ask:

• How do you balance recruiter support vs self-serve tools for our team?

• What’s your process for matching based on speciality + facility type + schedule reality?

MPLT Healthcare

Strengths: Known for growth and service responsiveness; listed as a NALTO member.
Best for employers: Facilities that want a partner that moves quickly and provides a strong communication cadence during credentialing.
Smart questions to ask:

• What weekly reporting do you provide during credentialing (open items, owners, deadlines)?

• How do you handle replacement coverage if a clinician backs out?

Vista Staffing Solutions

Strengths: Full-service staffing partner across locums and permanent placements; NALTO member.
Best for employers: Facilities that need stable, repeat coverage patterns and want one partner for locums plus longer-term recruiting.
Smart questions to ask:

• How do you handle continuity (repeat clinicians, extensions, handoffs)?

• What’s your playbook for reducing delays in privileging committees?

How to Choose the Right Locum Tenens Partner for Your Facility 

Step 1: Clarify the role (skills, schedule, procedures, EMR)

Before you call any agency, write a one-page job order that answers:

• What does success look like in week one?

• Which procedures are must-do, nice-to-have, and not required?

• What’s the schedule (shifts, call, weekends), and what’s flexible?

• Which EMR and workflows matter most?

Simple analogy: If you order a vehicle, you might get a bicycle. If you order a four-wheel truck that can haul 2 tons, you get closer to what you actually need.

Step 2: Build a shortlist (national + speciality + regional mix)

Pick:

• 1–2 national firms for reach

• 1–2 speciality or high-fit firms for niche roles

• (Optional) 1 regional firm if geography is your biggest constraint

This creates healthy competition and prevents you from being stuck with a single pipeline.

Step 3: Score agencies with a simple rubric (quality, speed, cost, compliance)

Use a lightweight scorecard (0–5 scale each):

Quality (35%)

• Speciality match accuracy

• References and recent case volume

• Interview quality and facility fit

Speed (25%)

• Time-to-present

• Submission-to-interview

• Realistic time-to-start planning

Compliance (25%)

• Credentialing completeness

• Malpractice clarity

• Audit-ready documentation

Cost + terms (15%)

• Rate transparency

• Cancellation terms

• Replacement/guarantee language

Ask agencies to report these metrics quarterly—if they can’t measure it, they can’t improve it.

Step 4: Run a low-risk pilot before scaling

Start with:

• One specialty

• One site

• One coverage window (e.g., 30–60 days)

Then review:

• Start-date accuracy

• Clinician performance feedback

• Credentialing bottlenecks

• Communication responsiveness

If the pilot is smooth, expand.

How the Locum Tenens Hiring Process Works (Step-by-Step)

Intake call: what to share to get better candidates faster

Your intake call should produce:

• A crisp job summary (scope, volume, procedures)

• Credentialing requirements (licenses, immunisations, privileges, committee dates)

• Facility sell sheet basics (team culture, support staff, why clinicians like it)

The more specific you are, the less time you waste reviewing weak submissions.

Candidate review & interview best practices

To move faster without lowering quality:

• Use a structured interview (same questions each time)

• Confirm red flags early (scope comfort, call, EMR)

• Provide a decision timeline (and stick to it)

Slow feedback loops cause candidate drop-off, especially when multiple facilities are competing for the same clinician.

Credentialing, licensing, and privileging: avoiding timeline killers

Credentialing delays are common. A frequently cited range for hospital credentialing/privileging can be 30 days to 6 months, often 60–120 days.

To speed it up:

• Assign one internal owner (medical staff office + HR + department lead)

• Share committee dates at intake

• Create an open items tracker with owners and deadlines

• Ask the agency to confirm primary source verification steps

Day-one readiness: orientation, EHR access, support contacts

Treat day one like a flight checklist:

• Badge, logins, and EHR access confirmed

• Where to park, where to report, who to call

• Quick orientation to workflows and escalation pathways

• Clear clinical coverage expectations for the first shift

A great clinician can still fail if day one is chaos.

Pricing, Contracts, and Risk: What Employers Should Know

What you’re actually paying for (common cost components)

Locum bill rates often bundle:

• Clinician pay

• Recruiter and account support

• Credentialing coordination

• Malpractice coverage arrangement

• Travel and lodging (sometimes billed separately)

Ask for clarity on what is included vs pass-through.

Contract terms that matter most

Don’t obsess over legal language, focus on what affects operations:

• Cancellation policy: What happens if your census drops?

• Replacement clause: if the clinician cancels, how fast can they backfill?

• Guarantees: minimum hours or performance expectations (when applicable)

• Extensions: how rate changes work and how early you must decide

Quality & safety protections

Protect patients and your organisation with:

• Clear malpractice coverage documentation

• Incident reporting expectations

• Defined supervision requirements (if applicable)

• Clean credentialing files (audit-ready)

If your facility is accredited or heavily audited, documentation quality isn’t optional.

Vague requirements → weak matches

Fix: Provide a tight requisition:

• Procedure list

• Schedule details (call, weekends)

• Support staff and coverage model

• Must-have credentials

Slow feedback loops → lost candidates

Fix: Set internal SLAs:

• Acknowledge submissions within 24 hours

• Interview within 3–5 business days

• Decision within 24–48 hours after the interview

Credentialing surprises → delayed starts

Fix: Pre-list known blockers:

• Privileging committee schedule

• Required forms and immunisations

• State license timing expectations

• Any facility-specific credentialing quirks

Glossary: Locum Tenens & Staffing Terms Every Hiring Team Should Know

MSP vs VMS vs direct agency—plain-English definitions

• Direct agency: You work directly with a staffing firm and its recruiters.

• MSP (Managed Service Provider): A program manager who coordinates multiple staffing vendors under one process.

• VMS (Vendor Management System): Software used to track orders, submissions, compliance, and reporting.

Credentialing vs privileging vs onboarding

• Credentialing: Verifying qualifications (license, education, references, background checks).

• Privileging: Approving what the clinician is allowed to do at your facility (scope and procedures).

• Onboarding: Getting the clinician operational (orientation, badges, logins, workflows).

Conclusion: Build a Reliable Locums Pipeline

Locums works best when it’s proactive, not panicked. The strongest employers:

• Define roles clearly

• Measure speed with real KPIs (time-to-present, time-to-start)

• Treat credentialing like a project plan

• Pilot partners before scaling

With physician shortages projected to remain a real constraint over the next decade, building a reliable temporary coverage strategy is part of protecting patient access—not just filling shifts. 

FAQ 

How do I choose between one preferred locum agency and multiple vendors?
Use one primary partner when you need speed, standardised credentialing, and consistent communication. Use multiple vendors when you have hard-to-fill specialities, multi-site coverage, or want price benchmarking. If you go multi-vendor, define SLAs, submission rules, and a single decision-maker to prevent chaos and duplicate submissions.

What questions should I ask to verify a company’s “fill rate” claims?
Ask for fill rate by speciality and site type, over the last 6–12 months, plus time-to-present and time-to-start medians. Request the definition of “fill” (signed contract vs first shift). Compare against your own requisitions and similar facilities. Require a sample report or dashboard, not anecdotes.

How can I reduce last-minute cancellations without paying premium rates?
Build a bench: rebook high-performing locums, confirm schedules two weeks and 72 hours out, and require backup candidates for critical shifts. Negotiate clear cancellation terms, travel-change rules, and replacement guarantees. Improve onboarding—EHR access, badge, and contacts—so clinicians feel set up to succeed and stay explicitly committed.

Do top locum tenens firms handle credentialing and state licensing for me?
Most full-service agencies coordinate licensing paperwork, primary-source verification, references, and facility privileging, but responsibilities vary. Confirm who pays fees, who tracks expiration dates, and how status updates are shared. Ask for a credentialing timeline, a dedicated specialist contact, audit-ready documentation, and escalation paths when delays happen quickly.

What’s a fair way to compare bill rates across agencies?
Normalise the comparison. Ask for an itemised quote: clinician pay, agency fee/markup, travel, lodging, malpractice, and any call or overtime premiums. Compare identical shift patterns and required skills. Evaluate total cost per filled shift, quality, and time-to-start, not just the hourly bill rate alone, across comparable timeframes.

How do I spot a locum tenens company that overpromises and underdelivers?
Watch for vague answers on sourcing, credentialing steps, and speciality coverage. Red flags: no references, inconsistent candidate submissions, pressure to sign before interviews, and unclear malpractice details. Ask for a named account team, sample candidate profiles, a reporting cadence, and a replacement policy in writing. Pilot one role before scaling.

Can locum tenens work for allied health, NPs, and PAs not just physicians?
Yes. Many agencies staff advanced practice providers and allied roles such as NPs, PAs, CRNAs, therapists, and imaging techs, depending on state scope-of-practice and facility bylaws. Clarify licensing, supervision requirements, and productivity expectations. Ensure the agency has role-specific recruiters, contracts, and vetted candidate pools for your roles.

What should my internal team prepare before contacting an agency?
Document the need: specialty, shift pattern, patient volume, procedures, EMR, required certifications, and start date flexibility. Identify decision-makers, interview availability, and credentialing contacts. Prepare a facility “sell sheet” highlighting culture, support staff, and logistics. Align on budget and approval steps. The clearer the brief, the faster quality candidates arrive.

How do I protect patient safety and compliance when using locums?
Require primary-source verification, background checks, immunisations, and current certifications. Define supervision, escalation pathways, and documentation standards. Provide orientation, clinical protocols, and EHR training before day one. Track performance metrics and incident reporting like permanent staff. Use standardised checklists and post-shift feedback so nothing slips during coverage week one.

When should I consider switching agencies even if placements are “okay”?
Switch when you see repeated slow response times, poor speciality match, preventable credentialing delays, or higher total cost without better outcomes. Also, switch if communication is fragmented or reporting is missing. Set quarterly performance reviews with agreed KPIs; if two cycles miss targets, test a new partner quickly for benchmarks.