Month: April 2026

Published: April 2026 | Quality Healthcare Staffing

Per diem nursing is one of the fastest-growing segments of the healthcare workforce in New York City. Nurses who choose per diem work earn premium rates, set their own schedules, and gain exposure to diverse clinical environments — all without the constraints of a permanent position.

If you’re an RN, LPN, or CNA exploring per diem opportunities in NYC or NJ, this guide is for you.

What Is Per Diem Nursing?

“Per diem” is Latin for “by the day.” In healthcare staffing, it refers to nurses and aides who are hired on a shift-by-shift or short-notice basis to fill gaps at hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and specialty care settings.

Unlike travel nursing (which involves 13-week contracts in different cities), per diem work is local. You pick up shifts at facilities near you, often with as little as 24–48 hours’ notice.

Per Diem Pay Rates in NYC — What to Expect

NYC per diem rates are among the highest in the country, driven by facility shortages and union wage floors.

Registered Nurse (RN): $65–$95/hour for general floors; $80–$120/hour for ICU/critical care
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN): $40–$60/hour
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA): $22–$35/hour
Home Health Aide (HHA): $20–$28/hour
Note: Rates vary by facility, specialty, and shift differential (nights/weekends pay more).

Quality Healthcare Staffing connects nurses to per diem opportunities at competitive rates, with transparent pay practices — no hidden deductions.

Benefits of Per Diem Nursing

1. Schedule control
You choose when you work. Need every Friday off? Want to work 4 days straight and take 10 days off? Per diem gives you that control.
2. Premium pay
Per diem nurses earn significantly more per hour than staff nurses, compensating for the lack of employer-sponsored benefits.
3. Clinical variety
Working across multiple facilities accelerates clinical skill development. Per diem nurses often describe their practice as more adaptable and well-rounded than their staff counterparts.
4. Faster career mobility
Strong per diem performance across multiple facilities builds a reputation quickly. Many of our highest-placed QHS nurses transitioned to supervisory roles within 18 months.

Who Qualifies for Per Diem Placement with QHS?

Registered Nurses: Active NYS license, minimum 1 year clinical experience, current CPR/BLS
LPNs: Active NYS license, 1 year LTC or acute care experience
CNAs: Active NYS certification, 6 months facility experience
Psychiatric Nurses: Active NYS license, psychiatric rotation or specialization

We also place travel nurses on 8–13 week assignments throughout NY and NJ.

How Fast Can You Get Placed?

At QHS, our average time from application to first shift is 72 hours for candidates with current credentials and availability. Our fastest placements have been same-day.

What speeds up your placement:
✅ Current CPR/BLS certification (we verify, not just request)
✅ Updated immunization records (flu, TB, Hep B)
✅ Flexible availability (days + nights increases placement speed by 40%)
✅ At least 2 clinical references ready to verify

Common Facilities Where QHS Places Nurses

• Long-term care and skilled nursing facilities across all 5 boroughs
• LTAC (Long-Term Acute Care) hospitals in Queens and the Bronx
• Assisted living communities in Manhattan and Brooklyn
• Home care agencies requiring per diem visiting nurse support
• Specialty psychiatric facilities in NYC and NJ

Ready to Start Per Diem Nursing in NYC?

Apply directly through our ATS portal. Our recruiter team responds to all complete applications within 24 hours.

📍 Apply: [prioritygroups.org/ats/](https://prioritygroups.org/ats/)
🌐 Learn more: [qhstaff.com](https://qhstaff.com)

—

Quality Healthcare Staffing is a licensed healthcare staffing agency serving New York City and New Jersey. We place RNs, LPNs, CNAs, and HHAs in per diem, short-term contract, and travel nursing assignments. Learn more at qhstaff.com.

Staffing shortages in skilled nursing facilities and long-term care settings have become one of the most persistent operational challenges in New York healthcare. Whether you’re a Director of Nursing managing unexpected call-outs, an Administrator facing a high-census surge, or a Staffing Coordinator trying to fill overnight shifts on short notice, the pressure is real — and the consequences of leaving shifts uncovered are serious.

This guide covers why nursing home staffing shortages happen, what options facilities have, and how a reliable per-diem staffing agency like QH Staffing can close the gap quickly.

Why Healthcare Staffing Shortages Keep Happening

The staffing crisis in long-term care is not a temporary disruption — it is a structural reality driven by multiple forces:

High turnover rates. Turnover for CNAs and LPNs in SNF settings averages 50–75% annually in New York. Every departure means onboarding a replacement, which takes time and resources that are already stretched.
Competition for qualified RNs. Hospitals, travel nursing agencies, and per-diem pools are all competing for the same licensed nursing workforce. SNFs, which historically pay less than acute care, are often last to be chosen by candidates evaluating their options.
Unexpected absences. No matter how carefully a schedule is built, last-minute call-outs happen — especially during flu season, winter storms, and the early part of the week (when call-out rates are statistically highest).
Census fluctuations. Medicare-funded rehabilitation patients create predictable but intense staffing demands that are difficult to staff for permanently. When census spikes, facilities that don’t have supplemental agency relationships feel it immediately.
Regulatory minimum staffing requirements. Under CMS staffing rules effective 2024–2026, SNFs must meet minimum direct care hours per resident per day. Non-compliance creates survey risk, star rating impacts, and potential civil monetary penalties.

The Options Facilities Have — and Their Trade-Offs

Overtime for existing staff. Asking current employees to work overtime can fill short-term gaps but accelerates burnout, increases turnover, and adds 50% labor cost premiums. It is not a sustainable primary solution.
Permanent hiring. Ideal long-term, but slow. In the current market, sourcing, interviewing, credentialing, and onboarding a new RN takes 4–8 weeks minimum. This is not a solution for a shift that needs coverage tomorrow.
In-house per-diem float pool. Facilities with the volume and resources to maintain their own float pool of per-diem staff have more flexibility — but most SNFs and smaller LTCs cannot maintain this economically.
Agency staffing. A healthcare staffing agency gives facilities on-demand access to pre-screened, credentialed clinical staff without the overhead of sourcing, interviewing, or onboarding. The trade-off is a higher hourly rate — but for urgent placements, the cost of leaving a shift uncovered (regulatory risk, staff burnout, patient safety) typically exceeds the agency premium.

What to Look for in a Healthcare Staffing Agency

Not all staffing agencies are equal. When evaluating an agency relationship, Directors of Nursing and Administrators should ask:

What is your actual turnaround time? Some agencies promise fast placements but rely on a small, already-committed candidate pool. Ask what their average time-to-fill looks like for your specific roles and shifts. QH Staffing’s average placement time for SNF nursing staff is 24–72 hours from request to confirmed shift.
How are candidates screened before placement? At minimum, you should expect: license verification (via NY State OPD), background check, reference check, and review of TB and other health clearances. QH Staffing completes all of these before a candidate is ever placed at a facility.
Do they have experience with SNF and LTC settings? Acute care nurses placed in a SNF environment without LTC experience can create as many problems as they solve. Look for agencies whose candidate pool is primarily experienced in your care setting.
What happens when a placed candidate doesn’t show? Reliable agencies offer a replacement guarantee. QH Staffing guarantees a qualified replacement within 24 hours if a placed candidate does not arrive for a confirmed shift — at no additional cost.
Is there a dedicated account manager? When you call an agency at 6 AM because a night shift RN just called out, you should not be navigating an automated phone tree. QH Staffing assigns a dedicated account manager to every facility — one person, one number, available 24/7.
What are your contract minimums? Some agencies require minimum usage commitments that don’t work for smaller facilities. QH Staffing has no minimum order requirement — you can fill one shift or one hundred.

Specific Roles QH Staffing Places in SNF and LTC Settings

Registered Nurses (RNs) — Med-surg, telemetry, wound care, IV therapy, MDS coordinators, supervisory RNs. We also place ICU RNs for facilities that have skilled care units requiring higher-acuity nursing coverage.
Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) — Day, evening, and overnight shifts. LPNs experienced in medication administration, wound care, and charge nurse coverage. We specifically source LPNs with SNF experience who understand MARs, physician orders, and the documentation standards that affect your survey readiness.
Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) — ADL support, mobility assistance, resident engagement. High-quality CNA coverage is often the hardest gap to fill internally — and the most visible to surveyors and family members.
Home Health Aides (HHAs) and PCAs — For facility-based home care units or residential settings, we also place Medicaid-enrolled HHAs and Personal Care Aides.

How to Set Up an Agency Relationship Before You Need It

The worst time to call a staffing agency for the first time is when you already have a crisis. The best facilities in New York City have established agency relationships in place so that when a need arises, the paperwork is done and the call takes 60 seconds.

Setting up a relationship with QH Staffing takes less than 30 minutes:

1. Call us at (718) 400-6166 or email staffing@qhstaff.com
2. We complete a brief facility profile (unit types, shift patterns, compliance requirements)
3. We confirm our credential documentation for your records
4. You’re in our system — next time you need coverage, one call is all it takes

Most of our long-term facility clients reach out within the first week of the month to discuss anticipated high-census periods, known PTO coverage needs, and any upcoming leave that will affect scheduling. This advance notice allows us to have candidates pre-matched to your facility’s needs before the shift is critical.

QH Staffing’s Coverage Area

QH Staffing places healthcare professionals in facilities across all five New York City boroughs and Northern New Jersey. We have specific depth in:

• Brooklyn and Queens (largest SNF concentration in the city)
• The Bronx and Upper Manhattan
• Staten Island
• Hudson County and Essex County, NJ

Ready to Talk Staffing?

Whether you’re dealing with an immediate crisis or planning ahead for your next high-census period, QH Staffing is ready to help. We’ll start with a free facility needs assessment — no commitment required. We’ll tell you exactly what candidates we currently have available for your roles and shifts.

Call (718) 400-6166 | staffing@qhstaff.com | qhstaff.com

QH Staffing is a licensed New York State staffing agency and NJ licensed provider placing RNs, LPNs, CNAs, HHAs, and PCAs in skilled nursing facilities, long-term care, hospitals, and home health agencies across New York and New Jersey.

New York City’s healthcare sector employs hundreds of thousands of professionals across hospitals, long-term care facilities, home care agencies, clinics, and community health organizations. Yet finding the right match — whether you’re a facility needing clinical staff or a healthcare professional seeking the right opportunity — remains a persistent challenge. QH Staffing is a healthcare staffing agency in New York City dedicated to solving exactly that problem on both sides of the equation.

What Is Healthcare Staffing and Why Does It Matter?

Healthcare staffing is the process of recruiting, credentialing, and placing qualified clinical and non-clinical professionals in healthcare settings. Unlike standard recruiting, healthcare staffing requires deep knowledge of:

• Licensure and certification requirements (RN, LPN, HHA, CNA, NP, PA, etc.)
• Joint Commission and facility-specific compliance standards
• Shift patterns, overtime regulations, and travel requirements
• Credentialing verification and background check standards
• Insurance and liability considerations for temporary and per diem staff

A quality healthcare staffing agency in New York handles all of these factors — letting facilities focus on patient care and letting professionals focus on work.

Who QH Staffing Serves

QH Staffing provides healthcare staffing in NYC for two distinct audiences:

For Healthcare Employers

Hospitals, long-term care facilities, home care agencies, behavioral health organizations, and community health centers in New York City use QH Staffing to:

• Fill per diem and short-term staffing gaps
• Hire for contract or travel positions
• Source permanent clinical hires
• Meet surge demands during high-census periods
• Access pre-credentialed, verified professionals on short notice

We maintain a pipeline of credentialed candidates across nursing, therapy, direct care, and administrative roles.

For Healthcare Professionals

Registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, home health aides, certified nursing assistants, medical assistants, behavioral health technicians, and allied health professionals in New York use QH Staffing to:

• Find per diem, contract, or permanent positions that fit their schedule
• Access opportunities across multiple facility types and boroughs
• Work with a recruiter who understands their specialty and career goals
• Navigate licensing reciprocity, credentialing, and compliance requirements

QH Staffing works with healthcare professionals at all experience levels — from new graduates to senior clinicians.

Healthcare Roles We Place in New York City

QH Staffing’s healthcare staffing agency in New York places professionals across a wide range of roles, including:

Clinical — Registered Nurses (RN), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN), Nurse Practitioners (NP), Physician Assistants (PA), Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), Home Health Aides (HHA), Medical Assistants (MA)
Allied Health — Physical Therapists (PT), Occupational Therapists (OT), Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP), Radiologic Technologists, Medical Laboratory Technicians
Behavioral Health — Mental Health Counselors, Social Workers (LMSW/LCSW), Behavioral Health Technicians, Case Managers
Administrative / Operational — Medical Coders, Billing Specialists, Health Information Technicians, Care Coordinators, Patient Access Representatives

Why Healthcare Facilities in NYC Choose QH Staffing

Speed, credentialing, and compliance are the three pillars of successful healthcare staffing in NYC. QH Staffing delivers on all three:

Speed — We maintain a pre-credentialed talent pool. Many placements can be fulfilled within 24–72 hours for per diem needs.
Credentialing — Every QH Staffing candidate goes through license verification, background screening, reference checks, and compliance review before placement.
Compliance — We stay current on New York State DOH requirements, Joint Commission standards, and facility-specific onboarding requirements to ensure smooth placements.
Relationships — We are not a transactional staffing vendor. We develop long-term relationships with both facilities and professionals to ensure fit — not just fill.

Learn more at [https://prioritygroups.org/qh-staffing-healthcare/](https://prioritygroups.org/qh-staffing-healthcare/).

—

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How quickly can QH Staffing fill an open nursing shift in NYC?
A: For per diem and short-term needs, QH Staffing can typically fulfill requests within 24–48 hours when candidates in the required role and borough are available in our pool. Emergency and same-day placements are handled on a case-by-case basis. Contact us with your specific need and we’ll give you a realistic timeline.
Q: Does QH Staffing place healthcare staff in all five NYC boroughs?
A: Yes. QH Staffing provides healthcare staffing services in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, as well as select locations in the surrounding metro area.
Q: I am a healthcare professional looking for work in NYC. How do I get started with QH Staffing?
A: Contact us by phone or through our website to speak with a recruiter. We’ll discuss your specialty, license status, preferred shift types, and location flexibility. From there, we match you with relevant opportunities and begin the credentialing process. Most professionals are placement-ready within one to two weeks.
Q: Does QH Staffing handle travel nursing or only local NYC placements?
A: QH Staffing’s primary focus is New York City and the greater metropolitan area. We do place some healthcare professionals in regional assignments. Contact us to discuss your specific situation if you are looking for travel or multi-site opportunities.

—

Call us at (718) 400-6166 or visit [https://prioritygroups.org/qh-staffing-healthcare/](https://prioritygroups.org/qh-staffing-healthcare/) to connect with a QH Staffing recruiter today.