Hear from AAPPR board members on why your experience matters and how participating in the compensation and search surveys helps create the benchmarking insight recruitment leaders need.
Takeaways:
- Benchmarking data helps physician and provider recruitment leaders make better decisions about staffing, compensation, timelines and operations by replacing assumptions with field-informed data.
- Strong survey participation makes the benchmarking report more useful because it creates a more accurate view of market conditions and gives leaders a stronger basis for comparing performance and trends.
- National benchmarks give context to metrics like time-to-fill, recruiter productivity and capacity which helps leaders set realistic expectations and support more strategic conversations about performance.
- Benchmarking data also supports advocacy by helping recruitment leaders justify resources, assess fair compensation and demonstrate the value of talent acquisition to executive leadership.
In physician and provider recruitment, leaders are being asked to make important decisions in an environment that continues to shift. Search timelines are changing, staffing needs remain high, compensation expectations are evolving and recruitment teams are being asked to show strategic value in ways that go beyond placements alone. That is why benchmarking data matters.
AAPPR’s Recruitment Team Compensation Survey and the Physician and Provider Search Survey help turn day-to-day recruitment experience into a clearer picture of what is happening across the field. The result is an annual Physician and Provider Recruitment Benchmarking Report to help leaders evaluate performance, compare trends and make more informed decisions about strategy, staffing and operations. But that insight is only as strong as the participation behind it.
The value of the report comes directly from the people who contribute to it – YOU! When recruitment leaders complete the surveys, they are not just reporting numbers – they are helping create the data leadership needs right now.
“Strong participation turns individual experience into shared insight.”
— Carol Sullivan, CPRP – AAPPR Board Member & Senior Director of Physician, Advanced Practice Provider, and Executive Physician Recruitment at Rochester Regional Health
The strength of benchmarking depends on participation
Every organization that contributes helps create a more complete view of the physician and provider recruitment landscape. That matters because recruitment leaders need data that reflects real operational conditions, not assumptions.
When participation is strong, the benchmarking report becomes more meaningful for everyone. Leaders can better understand how their teams compare with peers, where market realities are shifting and what trends may be shaping recruitment performance across the country.
By contributing to the surveys, members help build a shared resource that strengthens decision-making across the profession.
“Benchmarking only becomes powerful when the field participates.”
— Allan Cacanindin CPRP, CDR – AAPPR Board President & Vice President of Physician, Advanced Practice Provider, and Executive Talent Acquisition at SSM Health
Participation strengthens the quality of decisions
Participation does more than strengthen the report. It strengthens the quality of the decisions leaders can make with it.
Recruitment leaders are often asked to explain timelines, justify staffing models, evaluate sourcing strategies and advocate for team resources. Those conversations become more productive when they are grounded in credible, field-informed data. Benchmarking gives leaders the ability to move beyond isolated experience and see their work in the context of broader industry patterns.
That perspective helps organizations better understand what is realistic, what is competitive and where there may be opportunities to improve.
“Without a baseline for what constitutes good, average and high performance, it is difficult to make meaningful, data-driven decisions or recommendations.”
— Logan M. Ebbets, MS, CPRP – AAPPR Board Treasurer & Principal Recruiter at Signify Health
One of the greatest strengths of benchmarking is the context it provides
Metrics such as time-to-fill, recruiter productivity, candidate pipeline activity and recruiter capacity become far more useful when leaders can compare them against national benchmarks. That baseline helps organizations set more realistic expectations, especially for difficult searches and evolving market conditions.
It also helps leaders move conversations beyond anecdotal feedback and toward a clearer, more strategic understanding of performance.
“[I rely on benchmarking data] to ensure I have appropriate staffing and that they are compensated fairly.”
— Fayeann Hauer, MHS, CPRP – AAPPR Board Member & Director of Physician and Provider Recruitment and Retention at Schneck Medical Center
This data is essential for advocacy
Benchmarking data is not just useful for assessment. It is also essential for advocacy.
Recruitment leaders often need to make the case for staffing support, fair compensation and operational improvements that strengthen team performance. Objective benchmarking data helps validate those needs in a way that internal observations alone often cannot.
It also helps leaders identify areas where their teams may need additional support, whether that means adjusting workloads, refining processes or ensuring compensation aligns with the broader market.
“Benchmarking helps leaders make data-driven decisions around hiring strategies, resource allocation and process improvements.”
— Doug Lewis, MS, CPRP – AAPPR Board Secretary & Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Sentara
The impact of benchmarking extends beyond internal team management
When leaders have stronger data, they are better positioned to improve recruitment strategies, allocate resources more effectively and demonstrate the value of talent acquisition to executive leadership. Those improvements can strengthen recruitment infrastructure and help organizations remain competitive in attracting and retaining physician and provider talent.
In a field where strong recruitment directly affects workforce stability and patient access, that kind of clarity matters.
Add your experience to the data
AAPPR’s benchmarking reports are valuable because they are built from the lived experience of physician and provider recruitment professionals. The more leaders who participate, the more useful, representative and actionable the data becomes.
If you have ever used data to explain a difficult search, advocate for more resources, assess compensation or evaluate team performance, you already understand why benchmarking matters. Participating in the Recruitment Team Compensation Survey and the Physician and Provider Search Survey is an opportunity to strengthen that resource for your organization and for the broader recruitment community.
Although the window to participate in the 2026 Recruitment Team Compensation Survey has closed, there is still time to participate in the 2026 Physician and Provider Recruitment Survey, closing May 19, 2026.
To learn more about the Benchmarking Report or view last year’s report, please visit our Benchmarking web page. Not a member, but want to be a part of this industry-changing report? Join now.