Hospitals are more than places where care is delivered. They’re where hope arrives in scrubs at 3:00 in the morning, where someone always answers the call, and where compassion meets chaos with a steady hand.
That’s why National Hospital Week matters. Held from May 11-17, this annual celebration honors the millions of professionals who keep our hospitals moving. What began in 1921 as National Hospital Day to recognize Florence Nightingale’s impact evolved in 1953 into a weeklong recognition backed by the American Hospital Association. Today, it celebrates the more than 6.3 million individuals working in over 6,100 hospitals across the US.
Hospitals logged more than 34 million admissions in 2023, even as financial strain and staff shortages forced over a dozen facilities to close or consolidate. This consolidation has hit rural areas especially hard. Since 2010, more than 140 rural hospitals have shut down, and many more are operating on razor-thin margins. At the same time, the country faces a projected shortage of 86,000 physicians by 2036. Recruiting and retaining staff has never been more challenging.
Enter the locum tenens provider: the flexible force behind continuity of care, always ready to jump in when coverage counts.
Clinicians and APPs stepping into locum tenens roles are keeping hospitals afloat. They’re not just a “stopgap.” They’re a sustainable solution in an increasingly unpredictable staffing environment. In fact, more facilities will turn to locum tenens in 2025 than ever before, citing flexibility, speed to credentialing, and access to specialists as key benefits.
“As hospitals face increasing patient loads, clinician burnout, and higher turnover, we know our role at Interim Physicians is more critical than ever,” said Shawn Mullen, president of Interim Physicians. “Locum tenens is a powerful tool that enables hospitals to deliver uninterrupted care in the face of serious staffing challenges.”
“We work every day to ensure that hospitals don’t have to choose between overworking their staff or closing a service line,” he added. “That’s not just staffing; it’s our mission.”
As National Hospital Week 2025 comes around, we recognize the people who make hospitals work, both on the front lines and behind the scenes. Thank you for showing up every day. Interim Physicians is proud to help ensure that care never misses a beat.
