Start a Healthcare Staffing Agency

The margins look thin on paper, but volume is huge; one facility contract can run six figures a year.

1. 1

   Pick one role and region

   'Healthcare staffing' is not a niche; 'CNAs for skilled nursing facilities in my metro' is. One role, one facility type, one region until you have placements.

2. 2

   Learn the credentialing rules

   License verification, background checks, TB tests, and immunization records for your role, plus whether your state requires a staffing or nurse registry license. Facilities will audit your files.

3. 3

   Set up entity, insurance, contracts

   LLC, general and professional liability, workers comp, and a staffing agreement template before the first client call. Deals die in contracting when this is missing.

4. 4

   Build the fee and funding math

   Know your bill rate, pay rate, burden, and margin before quoting anyone. Temp staffing means paying workers weekly before facilities pay you, so line up invoice factoring early.

5. 5

   Recruit a credentialed bench

   Source 5 to 10 workers with complete files who can take shifts this week. A job order you cannot fill in 24 hours goes to the next agency.

6. 6

   Pitch facilities directly

   Call directors of nursing and administrators and offer to fill their hardest shift, like weekend nights. One reliably filled shift opens the whole schedule.

7. 7

   Deliver flawlessly, then expand

   Confirm every arrival, invoice weekly, and fix no-shows instantly. One facility contract run well can be six figures a year and your reference for the next three.