Staff Care is an AMN Healthcare company — one of the largest locum tenens agencies in the country with decades of market presence and a broad facility network. If you're evaluating agencies, Staff Care will come up.
Here's how they actually compare to Locums One on the metrics that matter most to physicians.
DIRECT ANSWER — LOCUMS ONE VS STAFF CARE
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Metric | Locums One | Staff Care |
|---|---|---|
| Markup transparency | Published 15–22% margin; bill rate disclosed on request | Opaque; margin not disclosed |
| Credentialing speed | 21-day average (industry: 60–90 days) | 30–90 days typical |
| Recruiter consistency | Same recruiter every assignment | Rotating recruiters common |
| Tax/legal support | Free CPA consult for every placed physician | Not included |
| Rate structure | Bundled — malpractice, travel, lodging in one number | Often unbundled; separate invoices |
| 1099 vs EOR | 1099 independent contractor (physician-preferred) | Mix of 1099 and W-2/EOR |
| Locum career management | Full end-to-end: credentialing, licensing, tax, planning | Placement-focused; limited ongoing support |
| Malpractice | $1M/$3M occurrence-based, tail included | Varies; claims-made common |
| CV submission policy | No name-clearing without written approval | Standard industry practice varies |
Markup transparency
Credentialing speed
Recruiter consistency
Tax/legal support
Rate structure
1099 vs EOR
Locum career management
Malpractice
CV submission policy
Where Staff Care Is Actually Better
AMN network backing. Staff Care benefits from AMN Healthcare's massive facility network and infrastructure. This gives them broad market reach.
Assignment volume. Staff Care's pipeline, backed by AMN, is substantial across most specialties.
Established facility relationships. Decades of market presence means established credentialing workflows at many facilities.
Where Locums One Wins
Markup transparency. Staff Care, as an AMN company, does not disclose their margin. Locums One publishes its 15–22% margin and will share the hospital's bill rate on request. On a $500/hr bill rate, the difference between a 40% margin and an 18% margin is $110/hr — or roughly $250,000/year working full-time.
Credentialing speed. Locums One averages 21 days. Staff Care's typical timeline is 45–90 days. Every extra week of credentialing delay is a week you're not earning.
Same recruiter every assignment. Staff Care's scale means recruiter turnover and reassignment are common. Locums One assigns one recruiter who stays with you across every assignment, every state, every year.
Free CPA consult. Every physician placed through Locums One gets a free consult with a CPA who specializes in 1099 physician income. Staff Care does not include this.
End-to-end locum career management. Staff Care places you on assignments. Locums One manages your locum career — credentialing packet, license expirations, malpractice tail, tax-pro consult, year-ahead planning.
No name-clearing without approval. Locums One will not submit your CV to any facility without your written approval. No calls during shifts. No surprise fees post-acceptance.
The Cost of Opaque Agencies
The typical locum physician loses $40,000–$60,000/year to hidden agency markup. At Staff Care's margin structure (backed by AMN's publicly traded overhead), that number is at the high end of the range.
We publish the math. Our gated rate sheet shows what facilities actually pay, what physicians take home, what we keep, and where every other line item goes.
Your Locum Career, Managed End-to-End
Other agencies place you on one assignment, then you start the paperwork from zero on the next. We carry it forward.
Your credentialing packet, license expirations, malpractice tail coverage, tax-pro consult, year-ahead assignment planning — all tracked in one place by the same team. You stay focused on patients. We handle the rest of your locum career.
*Nobody else in locum tenens does this end-to-end. We built it because every founder here lived through what didn't.*
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Staff Care a good locum tenens agency?
Staff Care is a large, established agency backed by AMN Healthcare with broad facility relationships. They're a legitimate option for physicians who prioritize assignment volume. The tradeoff is opacity on margins and limited individual support at scale.
How does Locums One's margin compare to Staff Care?
Locums One operates at 15–22% margin and discloses it. Staff Care, as an AMN company, does not disclose physician-level margins. Industry estimates for large agencies run 35–50%. On a $500/hr bill rate, that's $85–$160/hr more in your pocket with Locums One.
Which agency has faster credentialing?
Locums One averages 21 days. Staff Care's typical timeline is 45–90 days. For physicians who want to start earning faster, credentialing speed is one of the most impactful variables.
For how agency markups affect your pay, see our guide on how locum tenens pricing works. For contract red flags, see our contract negotiation guide. For the full salary picture, see our 2026 Locum Tenens Salary Guide.