In a healthcare staffing market defined by clinician shortages and rising service expectations, consistency matters. And for the 13th consecutive year, LocumTenens.com has claimed top honors from ClearlyRated, winning the 2026 Best of Staffing® Awards in both the Client and Talent categories.
The back-to-back wins are more than a trophy shelf update. They highlight a widening gap between LocumTenens.com’s satisfaction scores and broader industry benchmarks—an increasingly important differentiator as healthcare organizations scramble to maintain continuity of care amid staffing volatility.
By the Numbers: Beating the Benchmark
ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing awards are based entirely on ratings from clients and job candidates, not internal metrics or judge panels. That makes the results a direct reflection of real-world experience.
This year, 80.7% of LocumTenens.com’s clients gave the firm satisfaction scores of 9 or 10 out of 10. The industry average? 55%.
On the talent side, 78.9% of placed clinicians awarded similar top-tier ratings, compared to the 50% industry norm.
In other words, LocumTenens.com isn’t just outperforming peers—it’s clearing the bar by a substantial margin.
In a staffing sector where dissatisfaction can quickly lead to churn—whether from hospital partners or hard-to-recruit clinicians—those deltas carry strategic weight.
Why Service Quality Is a Strategic Lever in Healthcare Staffing
Healthcare staffing has never been a low-stakes business. But in the post-pandemic era, the pressure has intensified.
Hospitals and health systems face:
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Persistent physician and advanced practice provider shortages
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Burnout-driven workforce exits
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Increased reliance on contingent and locum tenens clinicians
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Heightened scrutiny over patient care continuity
For staffing firms, that translates into a dual accountability: delivering qualified clinicians quickly while ensuring those clinicians feel supported and valued.
Service breakdowns don’t just damage vendor relationships—they can disrupt patient care.
LocumTenens.com, which has operated for more than 30 years, has positioned reliability and relationship management as core differentiators. President Chris Franklin attributed the recognition to long-term trust built with both healthcare organizations and clinicians.
Trust, in staffing, often comes down to details: transparent communication, efficient credentialing, payroll accuracy, and proactive issue resolution. These aren’t flashy innovations, but they’re operational essentials.
The Role of Third-Party Validation
Awards in HR tech and staffing are plentiful, but ClearlyRated’s model stands out because it’s entirely survey-based. Winners must outperform industry averages based on verified feedback.
That methodology gives the Best of Staffing designation credibility in a crowded vendor landscape. For healthcare organizations evaluating staffing partners, independent validation can help cut through marketing claims.
Baker Nanduru, CEO of ClearlyRated, framed this year’s winners as companies pushing service innovation forward. While the press release emphasizes experience, the broader staffing industry is also evolving technologically—incorporating digital credentialing platforms, predictive workforce analytics, and AI-assisted matching.
Although the announcement didn’t spotlight new tech initiatives, maintaining service excellence at scale increasingly requires robust digital infrastructure behind the scenes.
A Competitive Staffing Landscape
The healthcare staffing market remains competitive, with firms differentiating across specialties, geographic reach, and service models. Some competitors focus on rapid-fill capabilities, others on niche clinical segments.
Locum tenens staffing in particular has seen sustained demand as organizations seek flexible workforce models. For hospitals facing fluctuating patient volumes or temporary coverage gaps, locum clinicians provide continuity without long-term headcount commitments.
In that context, client satisfaction becomes a proxy for operational dependability. And talent satisfaction signals whether clinicians are likely to accept repeat assignments—a critical factor in maintaining placement pipelines.
The dual award recognition suggests LocumTenens.com is balancing both sides of the marketplace effectively.
Longevity as a Signal
Thirteen consecutive years of recognition is notable in an industry marked by consolidation and shifting ownership structures. Many staffing firms have undergone mergers or private equity transitions over the past decade, sometimes leading to service variability.
Sustained performance over more than a decade implies institutional processes that withstand leadership and market changes.
For enterprise healthcare buyers, longevity can be as reassuring as innovation—especially in high-risk environments where staffing disruptions carry clinical consequences.
What This Means for HR and Workforce Leaders
For healthcare HR executives and workforce planners, the takeaway isn’t just that one staffing firm won an award. It’s that service quality gaps in the industry remain significant.
With industry averages for top-tier satisfaction hovering around 50–55%, there’s substantial room for improvement across the board.
As health systems continue to refine contingent workforce strategies, vendor evaluation criteria may increasingly emphasize:
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Verified satisfaction metrics
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Talent retention and redeployment rates
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Operational transparency
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Digital process maturity
Awards like ClearlyRated’s can serve as one data point in that broader assessment framework.
The Bottom Line
In healthcare staffing, reliability isn’t optional. It’s mission-critical.
By securing both Client and Talent Best of Staffing awards for the 13th consecutive year, LocumTenens.com reinforces its position as a consistent service leader in a high-pressure market.
The real test, as always, will be whether that satisfaction translates into sustained partnerships and repeat clinician engagement in 2026 and beyond.
For now, the numbers speak clearly—and they’re well above average.
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