Fill Rate Is the Number Your CFO Cares About
You can have 21,000 clinicians on a platform. You can have 29,000 applications. But ultimately, what matters to a hospital administrator or practice manager is one question: did the shift get covered?
In 2025, DirectShifts delivered a 54.1% fill rate on scheduled shifts, up from 50.6% in 2024. More than half of open positions posted to the platform's scheduling system resulted in a worked shift.
Schedule Numbers: 2024 vs. 2025
Every number scaled up. Open positions more than doubled. Approved shifts nearly tripled. Actual shifts worked jumped from 997 to 2,542, an increase of 155%. The fill rate improvement of 3.5 percentage points on top of that volume expansion is a strong result.
What a 54.1% Fill Rate Tells You
In healthcare staffing, a fill rate above 50% for an open-access platform, where any employer can post and any clinician can apply, is meaningful. This is not a closed network of guaranteed placements. It is a real-world marketplace where clinicians choose to accept or not.
That over half of open positions end in a worked shift reflects both supply depth and matching quality. The right clinicians are seeing the right jobs and accepting them.
The Gap Between Approved and Worked: A Realistic Look
2025 data shows 3,035 approved shifts versus 2,542 shifts actually worked. The gap between approval and completion exists in every staffing model. Clinicians call out. Schedules change. Patients cancel. A platform that claims 100% execution is not being honest.
DirectShifts tracks all three stages, giving employers visibility into where attrition happens. Knowing that 84% of approved shifts are ultimately worked is useful data for workforce planning and buffer staffing decisions.
Open Position Volume Tripled: What That Means
The jump from 1,971 open positions in 2024 to 4,701 in 2025 tells you employer adoption on the scheduling side of the platform grew significantly. More employers are using DirectShifts not just to find clinicians but to manage shift scheduling and fill open slots in real time.
For new employers evaluating the platform, this growing utilization is a positive signal. A scheduling tool is more useful when more participating employers and clinicians are actively using it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the shift fill rate on DirectShifts?
In 2025, DirectShifts' fill rate was 54.1%, meaning 54.1% of open shift positions posted to the platform resulted in a worked shift. This was up from 50.6% in 2024.
How does DirectShifts calculate fill rate?
Fill rate is calculated as Shifts Worked divided by Open Positions. In 2025, that was 2,542 shifts worked out of 4,701 open positions.
Is 54% a good fill rate for a healthcare staffing platform?
For an open marketplace model where employers post shifts and clinicians self-select to apply and accept, a fill rate above 50% is a solid benchmark. Traditional agency models with dedicated placement teams may post higher rates, but they operate on a closed, committed basis rather than an open market.
Why do some approved shifts not get worked?
Clinicians can accept and then call out for personal, clinical, or logistical reasons. Employers can also cancel positions after approval. The platform tracks all stages so employers can see where breakdowns occur for their specific accounts.
How many shifts were worked through DirectShifts in 2025?
2,542 shifts were worked through the DirectShifts scheduling system in 2025, up from 997 in 2024.
Can DirectShifts help fill last-minute open shifts?
Yes. The platform supports real-time shift posting and clinician matching. The mobile app, which had 7,590 installs in 2025, allows clinicians to view and claim open shifts on the go, reducing the response time for urgent coverage needs.
Does DirectShifts integrate with hospital scheduling systems?
Contact DirectShifts directly for integration capabilities with existing hospital scheduling or HRIS platforms.
How do I improve my fill rate as a DirectShifts employer?
Competitive bill rates, clear job descriptions, and prompt approval of applications all improve fill rates. Posting shifts with adequate lead time and maintaining a roster of previously worked clinicians also significantly improves coverage outcomes.
Source: DirectShifts 2025 Year in Review. Scheduling data reflects platform records for calendar years 2024 and 2025.
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