Among healthcare facilities that used locum tenens providers in the last 12 months, behavioral health specialists were the third-most utilized type, according to AMN Healthcare's "2022 Survey of Locum Tenens Staffing Trends."
The survey used data collected from healthcare executives and managers at hospitals, medical groups, federally qualified health centers and other healthcare facilities nationwide during February and March. The executives were asked to report their locum tenens staffing over the previous 12 months.
The survey results are based on responses from 202 healthcare executives and managers.
Twenty-three percent of the respondents used locum tenens behavioral health specialists in the previous 12 months, suggesting a nationwide shortage of psychiatrists and other behavioral healthcare specialists persists and may be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The usage of locum tenens behavioral health specialists was at 23 percent, up 5.5 percent from 2019 survey results and showing a rising demand for behavioral health providers.
Of those surveyed, 13 percent were looking to add behavioral health specialists to their staff, a drop of 6 percent from 2019.