Medical Solutions, the second-largest US healthcare staffing firm, reported Oct. 8 the number of travel nurse roles is up 13% over the past four weeks.

“The market is definitely normalizing,” Scott Armstrong, VP of client sales and growth at Medical Solutions, said in an interview with SIA.

Factors driving the increase include hospitals starting new fiscal years, normal seasonal increases and preparations for this year’s flu season, Armstrong said.

Hospitals’ fiscal years end between June and September, resetting budgets and allowing them to tackle staffing needs. Armstrong noted he’s also seeing better financial performance from hospitals, enabling them to direct more resources to attack the staffing crisis.

Seasonal trends are also in place with healthcare organizations staffing up in places such as Arizona where snowbirds flock to the winter from colder states.

Armstrong also said flu season is driving the need for staff. Australia’s flu season, which can be a harbinger of the US flu season, at its peak saw 100,000 more flu cases this year. Australia’s flu season runs from April to October while the US flu season starts around September. Other reporting also points to a more severe flu season this year.

Armstrong noted there is still a tremendous shortage of clinicians and travel nurse staffing remains one of the fastest ways that healthcare facilities such as hospitals can add staff.

Medical Solutions also released the top 10 states over the past four weeks in terms of travel nurse demand:

1. California
2. Arizona
3. Tennessee
4. New York
5. Pennsylvania
6. Texas
7. Virginia
8. North Carolina
9. Oklahoma
10. Illinois