As we reflect on this year’s Advancing Connections Conference, it is apparent the physician recruitment landscape will continue to evolve. Despite ongoing challenges in the healthcare industry, there is a lot to be excited about according to AAPPR’s latest benchmarking report: The success rate of physician searches has risen, and job offer acceptance rates are improving with an average of 83% of physician offers accepted in 2023.

This hopeful statistic can be attributed to several factors, including the work and dedication of recruitment professionals, strong organizational branding and improved efforts to match candidates with workplace cultures. To keep this trend ticking upward and feed off the inspiration you may be feeling from conference, here are four goals recruitment professionals should prioritize through the rest of 2025.

1) Invest in Your Professional Development

To stay competitive in a fast-changing field, it’s essential to continuously improve your knowledge, skills and network. One way to do this is by attending educational events, like the Advancing Connections Conference to connect and share best practices with peers and industry leaders. If you missed this year’s conference, our 2026 event will take place April 13-15 in Orlando, Florida.
You can also participate in AAPPR webinars to gain valuable insights on the latest industry trends and best practices in provider recruitment as well as pursue certifications like the Certified Physician Recruitment Professional (CPRP) credential. These efforts will strengthen your professional network, help you stay ahead of the curve with recruitment strategies.

2) Plan Forward to Strengthen Recruitment and Retention Strategies

As demand for primary care physicians and specialists continues to rise, advanced practitioners are increasingly stepping up as veteran doctors begin to retire. Because of this, well-rounded recruitment and retention strategies are more critical than ever.
Recruitment isn’t just about filling vacancies, it’s also about planning for the future. There are many physicians approaching retirement age, so be sure to look ahead and invest in resources to create pipelines of candidates ready to step into these roles. Fostering retention planning and leveraging in-house teams can streamline processes and facilitate timely hiring.
Instead of being surprised when an aging physician retires, we need to plan for it. This means actively developing relationships with potential candidates, nurturing those relationships and ensuring a plan is in place for smooth transitions. After a new candidate is successfully onboarded, invest time and resources into retaining them. You can do this through stay interviews, a mentorship program and professional development opportunities.

3) Ensure Your Brand and Culture Are Strong

In a competitive job market, candidates have choices and may receive multiple offers, so your organization’s brand messaging and culture are more important than ever. Candidates are not only considering compensation when evaluating a position—they’re also looking for the right fit in the workplace environment and the colleagues they’ll be working with.
Make sure your recruitment communications have clear and compelling brand messaging that promotes what makes your organization different and the supportive work environment your organization fosters. And of course, the culture needs to match that. You can strengthen your culture by encouraging team building activities that boost morale and create a positive workplace environment.
You can also find ways to highlight the hard work of peers within your own team. One way to do this is to submit a story about their hard work leading up to Physician and Provider Recruitment Professionals (PPRP) Week here. This will give them the opportunity to be featured on AAPPR’s social media channels and have their efforts celebrated.

4) Make a Plan to Promote DEI

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) continue to be top priorities in recruitment. As we move into 2025, creating or improving your DEI strategy is essential for fostering an inclusive environment that attracts diverse talent that represents the community your organization serves. Here are 10 ways to promote DEI in recruitment that can guide your efforts:

1. Have your team take the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and share your findings and experience.
2. Learn bias mitigation techniques and collaborate with diverse colleagues to explore strategies for reducing bias in recruitment processes.
3. Set SMARTIE (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound, inclusive and equitable) goals for the year that include goals for representation in recruitment.
4. Develop a diversity network by building relationships within your community to expand your recruitment pool and connect with diverse talent.
5. Start a diversity committee or Business Resource Group (BRG) to support your organization’s DEI goals.
6. Lead a diversity initiative or program in collaboration with a DEI expert facilitator.
7. Collect feedback from recruits on their experience and areas for improvement.
8. Partner with HR or culture teams to align efforts and promote diversity initiatives throughout your organization.
9. Inspire connections and mentoring relationships among new recruits to help them feel welcomed and valued.
10. Document your efforts, track your process and report out results in a formal setting.

The key to success is to set clear, actionable goals that not only address the needs of filling vacancies but also consider long-term workforce planning, retention strategies and organizational culture.

As we continue through 2025, let’s focus on strengthening our strategies, broadening our impact and continuing to advance the profession of physician and provider recruitment.