The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR) is redefining recruitment to retention and is the only professional organization where physician and provider recruitment leaders and others who influence recruitment, onboarding and retention can connect, learn and advance their careers.
In the heart of healthcare, where every recruitment decision can touch countless lives, lies an incredible opportunity—not just for professional growth, but for genuine connection and mutual support. It’s in this spirit that I want to talk about our journey at AAPPR and how we’re not just navigating this path, but thriving on it, together.
AAPPR’s latest strategic plan isn’t just a blueprint for the future; it’s a testament to our collective resolve to elevate our profession. It’s about recognizing the power of community and the undeniable impact we can have when we come together. Whether you’re stepping into the world of healthcare recruitment, or you’ve been guiding its evolution for years, there’s something deeply empowering about knowing your part of a community that genuinely cares about your growth and success.
So, how do we keep this community thriving, you ask? Well, it’s all about coming together, both in person and virtually, to connect with fellow AAPPR members. These events are our chance to swap stories, celebrate wins, and dive into the nitty-gritty of what’s working (and what’s not). It’s like a big brainstorming session, packed with fresh ideas, innovations, and a whole lot of inspiration to fuel your journey forward.
Our online community, AAPPR Chat, is like stepping into a lively coffee shop where conversations are brewing around every corner, ready to spark new ideas and insights. And if you’re looking for a more intimate setting, our regional Shared Interest Groups (SIGs) are like cozy nooks where you can dive deep into the intricacies of our field with like-minded peers.
Our virtual roundtables are where the heart of our community beats the loudest, bringing to the forefront the pressing issues we face and the collective wisdom we hold. And for anyone seeking a guiding light or looking to be one for others, our Mentor Match program embodies the essence of paying it forward.
This is more than just a strategic plan. It’s a reflection of our shared vision to not just advance in our careers but to do so with a sense of belonging, understanding, and shared purpose. So, let’s take this journey together, with open hearts and minds, ready to support each other every step of the way. Because at AAPPR, we’re not just colleagues; we’re a community, committed to not just navigating but thriving in the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare recruitment.
The process of recruiting physicians and advanced practice providers is highly nuanced. Recruitment professionals must leverage broad skills to attract, hire, and retain clinical talent. Did you know this process has a formal name? At the Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment, we refer to it as the Recruitment Continuum.
By definition, a continuum is a coherent whole characterized as a collection, sequence, or progression of values or elements varying by minute degrees. In other words, it represents a gradual progression from one point to another without distinct, sharp boundaries. Continuums are commonly used in various science, mathematics, and philosophy fields to understand and describe phenomena that vary across a spectrum rather than being discrete or categorical. In the field of physician and provider recruitment it represents the nuanced recruitment process that flows seamlessly from one phase to another.
For recruitment professionals, understanding and using the continuum concept helps them in a process where there is a gradual transition from one phase to another. This means there are no clear breaks or gaps between the different points on the continuum; the process should be smooth and incremental.
The provider recruitment continuum begins with sourcing and ends with retention.
Source: identifying and/or building a provider prospect pool and creating awareness of/interest in practice opportunities.
Screen: the internal process of pre-qualifying candidates to meet organizational/provider expectations, which may include interviews and site visits.
Select, Offer, and Hire: identifying and selecting the best-fit candidate through the extension and closing of an offer.
Onboard: the continuance of the recruitment process to meet onboarding timelines and standards, ensuring successful entry and integration into practice and community.
Retain: data analysis, strategic alignment, and program implementation with the intent of promoting provider satisfaction, resulting in increased retention.
Through a continuum, candidates experience a seamless transition from one phase to another throughout the recruitment process, with no apparent breaks or gaps between the different stages. While recruitment professionals must leverage diverse skills to attract, hire, and retain clinical talent effectively, candidates must have an easy and smooth experience. By looking at the steps in the recruitment process as a continual progression, we can ensure that recruitment professionals can practice to the best of their ability and that candidates have a positive experience.
During such a challenging time for recruitment professionals, with ongoing physician shortages and increased provider turnover, it may be difficult to take a strategic approach to recruitment, rather than just doing whatever it takes to fill an opening. Recruitment may seem as simple as filling an open position, but when done right, it can be so much more and can actually contribute to an organization’s bottom line.
Physicians and providers are healthcare system’s number one source of revenue. They bring in the patients, who pay for high quality care and hopefully become loyal to their physician and regularly return to the system. Because of physician and provider’s direct relationship to an organization’s financial success, recruiting and retaining high-quality physicians is critical for sustained financial health.
However, recruitment is harder than ever based on limited healthcare spending, the ongoing physician and provider shortage and an increased competition for talent. So, how do you recruit strategically in this environment to ensure your efforts align with your organization’s larger strategic plan and ultimately support the bottom line?
The first step is to implement a strategic plan to source, recruit and retain mission-aligned and high-quality talent to ultimately save your organization time, money and resources. Here are some key considerations for developing your recruitment strategy:
To ensure your recruitment strategy is aligned with and working towards your organization’s larger business goals, it’s critical that you first identify and understand those goals. A great way to do this is to have recruitment professionals included in organization wide strategic planning efforts. If you understand the larger strategy, it will be clear where you fit in and how recruitment can support the larger vision.
Based on national averages for physician revenue, days to fill a physician vacancy and number of searches per year, reducing an organization’s average search by just six days can generate more than $4.3 million in additional revenue. That’s why it’s so important you find the right candidates the first time who are a good organizational fit with the potential for longevity. To do this, we recommend developing thorough candidate profiles. Beyond hard skills, what are the characteristics of someone who would thrive within the organization. This will help to ensure you’re attracting the right talent and mitigate the risk of having to re-fill the same role in 6 months.
In today’s recruitment world, there are so many different avenues to find talent. It’s important to understand where the candidates you described in your candidate profiles search for jobs. As part of your recruitment strategy, it’s important to ensure you’re on the right channels and using the right methods to reach your target candidates. What works for one specialty might not work for another, so optimizing channels and taking a robust approach to sourcing is critical.
The selection process can be overwhelming, especially when you are desperate to fill an opening. In cases like this, it’s more important than ever to have very clear criteria for a right fit candidate and that you’re sticking to it when making a decision. This will give you and other decision makers clear guidelines to follow and ensure you’re prioritizing filling the position with a good fit that will be more likely to stay at the organization for a long time, rather than just filling the position as soon as possible.
Current physicians are the most important asset to your organization. They are ambassadors of the organization and should be included in the recruitment process whenever possible. Current physicians can provide great insights into the priorities of potential candidates. As a recruiter, you can play an important role as the coach of a larger team during the sourcing, recruiting and interviewing process. Remember to involve other team members including physicians and ensure they are playing the right role (like talking to the candidate about company culture or allowing the candidate to shadow them for a day).
Developing and implementing a strategic recruitment plan is only the first step in tracking ROI. Data is essential to measure ROI and ultimately determine the effectiveness of your strategic recruitment program. However, to be able to determine whether your recruitment strategy is effective, you need to be intentional about the metrics you choose to track and ensure they are telling the right story.
Some important metrics to track to measure ROI of your recruitment program include:
Without taking an intentional and strategic approach to recruitment, there is no guarantee that your efforts are moving the most important needles at your organization or supporting the company’s bottom line. But it’s not enough to just develop and implement a strategy, you have to be intentional about the metrics you track and data your measure to be able to tell the story of your work and make the case for why strategic recruitment is essential.
The cost of provider turnover can amount to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars in lost revenue. Retaining top talent in a competitive provider recruitment market is more important than ever. Here are five strategies your organization can implement today.
A positive onboarding experience can be critical to a provider’s long-term relationship with an organization. Statistics show that providers make the decision to stay in the first 90 days of a job, so use it well. Onboarding goes beyond the HR paperwork and IT training, past the first week of employment, through the first year of employment. It ensures that a new provider integrates into the culture of an organization and community. Ensuring providers understand and connect with the company’s mission, vision, values, and colleagues can contribute to a sense of purpose and engagement and build loyalty. If your organization struggles with an onboarding process, AAPPR offers a Certificate course in Onboarding and Retention you can explore.
A huge driver of provider stress and burnout stems from a lack of support staff. Front desk representatives, RNs, and MAs help visits go smoothly for patients and providers. These support staff ensure a practice is well run, and when fully staffed, it can make a significant difference in the day-to-day satisfaction of a provider. In a 2022 survey conducted by AAPPR, adequate administrative support staff ranked number one in importance in retention strategies, followed closely by clinical teams to support call coverage.
A stay interview is a process conducted by employers to engage and retain their current providers. Unlike exit interviews, which are conducted when a provider leaves a company, stay interviews are carried out while providers are still working at the organization. A stay interview aims to gather feedback and insights from providers about their job satisfaction, career aspirations, and overall experience within the company. This information helps employers understand what motivates their providers, identify areas for improvement, and implement changes that can enhance provider engagement and reduce turnover. If stay interviews are new to your organization, AAPPR has a simple guide to help you get started.
Mentorship programs offer significant benefits to both the mentee and mentor. Provider mentees can work to develop skills through the guidance of a mentor. They can also generate insights into career paths and strategies for advancement. Most importantly, they can build a professional network through mentor/mentee connections. Provider mentors can polish their skills, gain a fresh perspective, and increase professional satisfaction by working with colleagues. These programs play a pivotal role in personal and professional development, creating a ripple effect that extends to individuals, organizations, and communities by fostering growth, learning, and collaboration.
Let’s face it: the last three years have been extremely hard on healthcare workers. Being recognized and thanked for your work feels good, but public recognition helps others know when team members are appreciated. Studies have shown that providers who are recognized for their work and their efforts are not only more likely to stay long-term but will also work harder and be more productive.
Provider retention is critical to maintaining a stable and productive workforce and ensuring quality care in the community your organization serves. Retention programs don’t need to be costly or complicated to be effective. To learn more about what drives turnover in the provider space, check out AAPPR’s white paper on Increased Provider Turnover and Inadequate Retention Programs.
Diversity in the healthcare workforce is not just an ethical goal but a strategic necessity that improves patient care and advances community health. Healthcare providers from diverse backgrounds are better equipped to identify and address disparities in healthcare outcomes, offering culturally sensitive care that meets the needs of all demographics. As gatekeepers of workforce composition, recruitment professionals play a crucial role in creating an inclusive healthcare environment that serves our communities.
Elevating Retention Through Inclusive Environments
For AAPPR members, the balance between recruiting and retaining talent is paramount. Creating an inclusive workplace is critical; without it, healthcare organizations may face a costly cycle of turnover. Fostering a welcoming atmosphere that celebrates diversity is vital to ensure new professionals feel valued and engaged.
2. Cultivating Leadership from Within
It is essential to provide clear and accessible paths for career advancement to all employees working in your organization. Members of AAPPR can play a crucial role in promoting a transparent promotion process during interviews, ensuring the development of workflows that emphasize the importance of avoiding biases and creating an inclusive environment for hiring the best clinicians for your organization. This process starts by confirming diversity awareness and goals with all parties involved in making decisions related to job offers. An organizational-wide posting system is an excellent tool to democratize information about career advancement opportunities.
3. Crafting a Diversity-Friendly Brand
It’s important to remember that how people perceive your healthcare organization can have a big impact on how successful you are at recruiting new staff. In addition to formal advertising, members of AAPPR should also think about how the reputation of their organization spreads through word-of-mouth. Establishing a reputation for genuinely supporting diversity can be a powerful way to attract diverse talent.
4. Expanding Networks for Diverse Talent Engagement
Networking plays a vital role in creating successful diversity recruitment and retention strategies. As AAPPR members, it is essential to build strong connections not only within the organization but also in the broader community. Do you have access to networks that can provide information about emerging talent among family members or those who have recently acquired new skills? These relationships are crucial for creating a diverse pool of candidates and should be a priority for AAPPR members who want to improve the diversity of their healthcare teams.
5. A Proactive Approach to Diversity
AAPPR members are uniquely positioned to advocate for proactive recruitment and retention strategies. They can achieve this by encouraging diverse workplaces, ensuring that advancement opportunities are visible and accessible, building strong networks, and enhancing their organization’s reputation. By doing so, AAPPR members can steer their organizations toward a future with a dynamic and inclusive workforce.
Diversity plays a crucial role in driving innovation, as it brings in a range of experiences and ideas, leading to improved problem-solving and medical breakthroughs. Recruitment professionals can promote fair hiring practices and implement intentional strategies that create a healthcare system reflective of the society it serves.
AAPPR has a strategic plan in place to educate recruiters on diversity best practices, equipping them to attract and retain a diverse workforce. Our members play a pivotal role in this mission by ensuring that the workforce reflects and embraces the patients in the communities they serve.
Through our strategic plan, AAPPR is leading by example, demonstrating that the commitment to diversity is more than just a strategic priority—it is a defining principle for the future of healthcare and recruiting the Clinical Provider workforce of tomorrow.
You have been working as a provider recruitment professional for a few years. While you know what the job entails; just how deeply do you understand your role? How well do you know the roles others play in your success? How confidently do you represent physician and provider recruitment when working with the C-suite?
Reviewing these questions, could you confidently say you are strong in all these areas? If so, maybe you have completed the Certified Physician Recruitment Professional course through the Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment.
There is good news, however, if you cannot positively say you are proficient in all these areas. AAPPR is able to help you to develop into a stronger and more confident physician and provider recruitment professional through our CPRP certification program. The CPRP certification program encourages professionals to develop the skills they already have in the field of physician and provider recruitment and to provides them with additional knowledge.
Before understanding why professional certification matters, we must understand what it is and how it differs from a certificate.
The key difference between a certification and a certificate lies in the level of recognition and the requirements involved. Certifications typically represent a higher level of expertise and requires meeting specific standards, often set by professional associations such as AAPPR. Typically, certifications require continuing education to maintain the certification and require those who hold the certification to periodically renew it. On the other hand, certificates signify the successful completion of a training program, course, or workshop without necessarily meeting the stringent criteria associated with certifications such as an examination or continuing education. Both can be valuable in different contexts, depending on the individual’s goals and the industry’s requirements.
At its core, the Certified Physician Recruitment Professional program has an instructional design based on the AAPPR Competency Model’s technical and cross-cutting domains. Each competency has learning objectives based on physician and provider recruiters’ roles. The course breaks down the tasks recruitment professionals must be proficient in and provides the knowledge needed to fully understand the learning objectives.
The course provides an in-depth view of recruiting basics such as sourcing, screening, and interviewing, as well as delving deeper into advanced topics such as interpreting benchmarking metrics and understanding/implementing medical staff development plans. Recruitment professionals who pass the exam at the end of the course to earn the CPRP certification are equipped with resources, best practices, and cutting-edge training that are used every day to recruit and retain top candidates for their hospital and health systems and influence hiring practices in the provider workforce.
AAPPR is committed to continually advancing the recruitment profession and addressing the entire continuum of physician and provider recruitment. To acknowledge changes the recruitment profession has undergone, and to focus its professional development efforts in the future, AAPPR developed a competency model. This model then used to develop the CPRP program.
The competency model defines the skills and knowledge required for recruitment professionals to be successful now and in the future. It serves as the foundation of AAPPR’s core curriculum and illustrates what recruitment professionals need to know now and in the future.
Source: identifying and/or building a provider prospect pool and creating awareness of/interest in practice opportunities.
Among the tasks in Source are researching specialty trends and market data and recommending and implementing a broad-based diverse sourcing strategy to identify a pool of qualified candidates. The learning objectives include identifying requirements for physician and advanced practice provider education, credentialing, and licensing and knowing the sources of specialty trends and market data applicable to sourcing strategy.
Screen: the internal process of pre-qualifying candidates to meet organizational/provider expectations, which may include interviews and site visits.
The tasks for practicing recruitment and retention defined under this objective include adherence to legal and regulatory requirements and organizational policies, the recommendation of whether or not to proceed with the prospect as a candidate, and coordination of the candidate’s site visit itinerary. The learning objectives include identifying critical elements involved in and appropriate approaches to evaluating the applicant’s application for fit to the position and identifying the essential elements involved in and proper procedures to verify licenses and credentials. You must also assess whether screening approaches comply with key laws and regulations.
Select, Offer, and Hire: the process between identifying and selecting the best fit candidate through the extension and closing of an offer.
Tasks under this objective include gathering evaluations from interviewers and the candidate and summarizing and sharing the evaluation feedback with decision-makers. Learning objectives include identifying the critical elements involved in and appropriate approaches to the verbal officer, letter of intent, contract, and service agreement.
Onboard: continuing the recruitment process to meet onboarding timelines and standards, ensuring successful entry and integration into practice and community.
The tasks are to coordinate the handoff of the selected candidate with responsible onboarding contacts and to ensure the timely completion of onboarding tasks with the selected candidate.
Learning objectives include applying IRS regulations regarding physician and provider relocation and evaluating whether onboarding approaches comply with critical laws and regulations while also meeting the needs of the candidate to successfully integrate into the organization.
Retain: data analysis, strategic alignment, and program implementation with the intent of promoting provider satisfaction, resulting in increased retention.
Tasks under Retain are to support and implement organizational provider retention strategies as defined by recruitment and retention leadership. Learning objectives include identifying sources of specialty trends and market data beneficial to retention strategy.
Plan for Workforce Succession: data analysis, strategic alignment, and program implementation to create a viable pipeline for workforce succession.
These tasks are to alert recruitment and retention leadership to potential staffing needs and market influences. Learning objectives are to identify sources for trends in the labor market and workforce planning and to identify critical elements of a medical staff development plan.
Practice Professionally and Ethically: driving a professional and ethical environment.
Tasks under this section include working within personal and professional limitations and abilities and identifying and taking appropriate steps to maintain and enhance competence.
Learning objectives include recognizing the importance of maintaining and enhancing competence, identifying sources of learning for recruiters, and evaluating whether a situation presents a conflict of interest.
Communicate to Establish and Maintain Relationships: fostering and building trust internally and externally.
Tasks include providing proactive communications to report accurate information and reliable data. Learning objectives are recognizing effective communication techniques to avoid confrontations and resolve conflicts. A second objective is the ability to understand effective coaching and influencing techniques.
Champion Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: activities that create synergy and incorporate diverse provider demographics to create value for internal and external stakeholders.
Tasks include developing diverse and inclusive sourcing and screening strategies and coaching internal hiring authorities and recruitment participants on inclusion and diversity policies and best practices. Learning objectives include recognizing barriers to equity, diversity, and inclusion. They also include identifying and recognizing implicit and unconscious bias types and how they can influence recruitment and retention efforts.
Use Data in Decision Making: research, retrieval, analysis, and reporting relevant facts and figures leading to evidence-based solutions.
The task requires the use of data in decision-making, including using it to remove bias in the screening/interview process (such as objective vs. subjective candidate matrix). Recruiters also will use labor market data to assess external forces on provider recruitment and retention (supply/demand, third-party salary data, and external turnover). Learning objectives include the ability to identify the critical elements involved in and appropriate approaches to converting data points into meaningful measures. Also, recruiters must identify the key factors involved and proper methods for comparing collected data to national benchmarks.
Physician and provider recruitment professionals usually find themselves in the profession because they have specific natural skills that make them a good fit for the job. While some may have a Business Management, Healthcare Administration, or Human Resources degree, there isn’t a formal degree program for physician and provider recruitment. However, this doesn’t mean that individuals aren’t required to have the necessary skill sets to succeed.
As the leader in physician and provider recruitment, AAPPR offers recruitment professionals the opportunity to demonstrate the value of their skills and continually hone their abilities through the CPRP certification program.
The CPRP certification proves that a recruitment professional has acquired the knowledge and skills required to perform their roles to the highest standard. It demonstrates expertise in the field of provider recruitment but also a commitment to the profession.
By obtaining your professional certification, you signal that you are committed to the profession and are dedicated to maintaining a high level of competence. Because the field of physician and provider recruitment is continually the CPRP certificate requires holders to renew their certification every three years through continuing education. By committing to ongoing professional development, those with the certification stay current with the latest industry trends and technologies and demonstrate their commitment to further advancing the profession.
Professional certifications such as CPRP will help you to stand out in the field and industry. It shows that you are committed to the profession and demonstrates your expertise – setting you apart and placing you at the top of the industry.
We can see physician candidates’ priorities evolving, focusing on family time and better work-life balance. Acknowledging and accommodating these needs has become a pivotal aspect of successful recruitment.
Recruiting physicians from out of state, especially those with families, requires a nuanced approach. While understanding the candidate’s professional motivations is important, diving deeper into their family needs is equally vital.
Even if a candidate hasn’t openly shared details about their family, gentle inquiries can be made to accommodate their needs.
When physicians have high school-aged children or family members with special needs, things can become more complex. Spousal career prospects are important as well in the candidate’s decision-making process.
Depending on the family dynamic, being close to a major airport or assessing the potential impact on a spouse’s career might influence the candidate’s decision.
Building connections between the candidate’s family needs and the prospective community is an integral part of the recruitment process. Understanding if they have ties to the area or if they have visited the area before is important.
Beyond organizing the candidate’s visit, including the spouse by offering information about local attractions and amenities adds a personal touch. It makes the family feel involved and valued in the decision-making process.
During in-person interviews, involving the family by arranging community tours or engaging a trusted realtor to showcase the area can help the family imagine their life in the community. Understanding the spouse’s profession can help to tailor experiences that resonate with their interests.
Hosting joint dinners with other physicians and their partners creates a supportive network, showing support and camaraderie.
Success in physician recruitment isn’t just about understanding the provider; it’s about comprehending the dynamics and motivations of their entire family. By holistically addressing their ” why, ” recruiters forge connections and create a path to success for everyone involved.
As the year winds down and the seasons shift, it’s a natural time for reflection, and this year holds special significance for me as my tenure on the Board will soon come to an end. But before we embark on that transition, I’m excited to highlight the victories of this year, driven by our unwavering commitment to our Mission, Vision, and Values, which are charting a course for our future.
Our AAPPR community has surged to over 2,300 members, and we’ve witnessed the formalization of several affiliates into Shared Interest Groups (SIGs). Just last month, we gathered our AAPPR Team, Board, SIG, and Affiliate Leaders in Ft. Lauderdale, not only to ponder the future but also to share the remarkable strides we’ve already made as an Association. And there’s much to celebrate!
At the end of 2022 I shared that we had secured a media relations firm to help further position the Association and our members as THE thought leaders in our space. With that addition, as well as adding a Senior Marketing Manager in Alysia Gradney to the AAPPR team, our media influence continues to grow. As of December 1st, the Association has remarkably secured a 22% market share of voice through our strategic marketing and communication endeavors. This encompasses sharing invaluable research, establishing AAPPR members and staff as distinguished thought leaders, and nurturing connections with journalists to solidify our position as the leading authority in Physician and Advanced Practice Provider Recruitment, Onboarding, and Retention.
AAPPR has expanded our reach into fresh dialogues with C-Suite leaders, healthcare media, and the public. Our AAPPR Benchmarking report has garnered attention from respected publications like Becker’s Hospital Review, Becker’s ASC Review, Staffing Industry Analysts, and Medical Economics, potentially reaching an audience of 168.4 million people! Board members are slated to speak at the 2024 HIMSS Conference, with more speaking opportunities in the pipeline. AAPPR and its leaders are also participating in interviews with several leading healthcare publications, and even being invited to participate in an IMG taskforce recently in Washington, DC.
This year was also a strategic planning year for the Board of Directors, and you can find that Strategic Plan, along with our updated Mission, Vision & Values on the AAPPR website. The strategic planning process entails months of gathering input from and listening to our strategic partners, our volunteer leadership, our members and our staff. The five-year roadmap projects a vision for the future that will serve to inspire us to create a world where everyone has access to care, guided by our core values of Respect, Equity, Collaboration, Responsibility, Understanding, Inclusion and Trust (RECRUIT).
These are just a few of the many accomplishments, initiatives, and visions that have come to life this year. I could fill months with all we’ve achieved. Ultimately, I’m immensely proud of this Association—a Board of Directors who have joined me on this journey with a collaborative line of sight to the future, a CEO and staff who enthusiastically steer this train for us, and our members who, day in and day out, excel in their roles with unwavering passion. My gratitude runs deeper than any words on paper could possibly convey.
With the annual conference just around the corner, my time on the Board will come to an end but AAPPR in 2024 and beyond promises to continue the trajectory of influence, impact and expertise! Anticipate more white papers, an expanded media presence, and an unceasing commitment to delivering the solutions you need to excel and make a lasting impact in your communities. And don’t forget that registration is now open for the Annual AAPPR Conference in Virginia Beach, featuring Keynote speakers Doyin Richards and Amelia Nagoski—don’t miss out on early bird specials!
As we enter this winter season, take a moment to reflect on your own accomplishments and the exceptional work you do. Enjoy time with your loved ones, embrace your traditions, and celebrate yourselves. Because it is all of you who bring AAPPR’s Vision to life.
The inner critic. Most of us have one. That little voice tells us we’re not good enough, not doing enough and don’t have anything of value to contribute. It can stop us from speaking up, pursuing a goal, or moving into a more influential job. The inner critic is a masterful storyteller who can influence every part of our lives.
The inner critic can be especially fierce in a niche profession like physician and provider recruitment. Professionals find themselves explaining what they do, why it matters, and how it differs from talent acquisition. We may struggle to stand out for our achievements within an organization where the need for new providers in a highly competitive market means one success is overshadowed by the pressing need to fill another requisition, where excitement about closing the deal with one provider is followed by another provider declining an offer.
A highly active inner critic can affect our emotions and self-esteem. It can trick us into thinking we don’t have the expertise to step forward and speak up in meetings. It can convince us we shouldn’t have a seat at the table during strategic planning. Worst of all, it can prevent us from moving forward professionally because we hear that little voice telling us we aren’t qualified.
Silencing the Inner Critic
Learning how to silence or diminish the inner critic’s power is incredibly important for our personal and professional well-being. However, it is much easier said than done for most of us. Here are a few ways to overcome our inner critics.
Awareness and Recognition: Work to recognize when your inner critic is active. Recognize the negative thoughts and self-judgments as they arise. Simply acknowledging their presence can be the first step towards managing them.
Practice Self-Compassion: Treat yourself with the kindness and understanding you would offer a friend. When negative thoughts arise, counter them with self-compassionate statements. Acknowledge that everyone makes mistakes and has flaws; these don’t define your worth.
Set Realistic Standards: Often, the inner critic emerges when you set impossibly high standards for yourself. Set achievable goals and recognize that perfection is not necessary.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others: In a world and industry of intense competition, it’s easy to begin gauging our worth in relation to others. Engaging in comparisons only fosters the idea that we lack the capacity to achieve what others have accomplished. Remember that each person is distinct, possessing a unique set of abilities. Evaluating your skills through others is an injustice to your own potential.
Celebrate Achievements: Acknowledge your accomplishments, no matter how small they may seem. This can help boost your self-esteem and counteract the inner critic’s negativity. There is a saying that criticism and failure stick to us like glue, but praise and success bounce off us like Teflon. Challenge that and focus on making the successes and praise stick like glue!
Seek Support: Talk to friends, family, or a therapist about your struggles with your inner critic. Sometimes, sharing your thoughts with others can provide perspective and comfort. As a professional association, AAPPR is a wonderful resource to connect with other professionals who can relate to your successes and challenges. Consider finding a mentor or building a network of colleagues to help build you up when you have self-doubt.
Practice Self-Care: Engage in activities that bring you joy and relaxation. Taking care of your physical and mental well-being can help reduce the power of your inner critic.
Ensuring you take the time for yourself helps combat burnout and keep us at our best.
Learning From Mistakes and Putting Criticism to Good Use
Mistakes happen. Criticism will come our way. But don’t let mistakes and criticism define you or your worth – and don’t allow them to fuel the inner critic. It is important to remember that we all make mistakes and learn from them. Rather than seeing them as failures, view them as opportunities to improve and grow.
For high achievers or perfectionists’ mistakes can stick like glue. The very thought of them can be terrifying. Before giving in to the inner critic, consider this: You have the skills and ability to not only fix your mistakes but to learn and grow from them.
Some of the best progress the world has seen has come from a mistake – penicillin, the pacemaker, and even potato chips (yes, potato chips!) were the results of mistakes. And now we can’t imagine a world without them.
Like mistakes, criticism from others can send the inner critic into overdrive, seeming to confirm all those doubts about our abilities. Before you react to criticism, take a moment to acknowledge and reflect.
Reacting quickly can be a recipe for disaster! It is important to recognize that nine times out of ten, the person delivering the criticism has your best interest and well-being in mind, although admittedly, it can sometimes be delivered in a way that is less than constructive.
However, demonstrating that you are open to criticism can lead to success. It can show people that you care about what you are doing personally or professionally and seek to grow. Criticism can also help reduce mistakes or open our eyes to ways to do things differently. We may even be able to learn something new from it. At the root, criticism is a form of feedback. It can allow us to evaluate and find new solutions or identify ways to grow.
The Path to Growth
Silencing the inner critic doesn’t mean eliminating self-awareness or constructive self-reflection. Instead, it involves managing negative self-talk, challenging unrealistic expectations, and practicing self-compassion.
Silencing the inner critic can significantly impact your mental and emotional well-being, personal growth, and overall quality of life. It can increase self-esteem, reduce stress and burnout, increase productivity, and create resilience. Most importantly, overcoming the limitations imposed by the inner critic allows you to step out of your comfort zone, try new things, and embrace challenges. This leads to personal and professional growth and self-development.
Volunteering has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Volunteering was an expectation in my family, and those who volunteered earned the highest accolades from the matriarchs and patriarchs. My grandparents, father, and uncles were all accomplished community volunteers, and it was clear to me early on that I was supposed to volunteer. The sense of accomplishment and, let’s be honest, the recognition from my family, especially my grandmother, began to be what filled my cup. As I began researching current attitudes about volunteering, I realized that my family set me on a path of “volunteer inertia.” [i] Volunteer inertia is a concept in which volunteering becomes a habit. I have a habit of volunteering, saying “yes!” Some might say too much!
Before the pandemic, I noticed that many volunteer organizations I served struggled to engage new volunteers. We seemed to have the same few people doing the lion’s share of the work, and with the same volunteers each year, an agenda set on repeat. Even with the gift of volunteer inertia, I was becoming a bit burnt out and bored. Then COVID hit, and almost all volunteer projects stopped for over a year. Based on the US Census Bureau study, volunteer participation in the United States decreased by 23.2 percent between 2019 and 2021, the most significant decrease since they started tracking in 2002. [ii] Volunteers across America lost their volunteer inertia during that nearly two-year hiatus, and some never got it back.
AAPPR and our affiliate organizations were not immune to this disengagement. During 2021 and 2022, affiliate leaders reported a lack of interest in re-engaging leadership and committee roles. Some affiliate leaders found themselves juggling the pressures of their full-time jobs and more projects and day-to-day affiliate operations due to a lack of volunteers. Burnout was becoming a common theme among affiliate leaders and committee members, many of whom were well past their term limit and no succession in sight. AAPPR staff also noticed a degree of disengagement among committee volunteers and fewer new faces. The AAPPR Board of Directors and CEO Carey Goryl recognized that our membership’s skills, diversity, experiences, and perspectives were our most valuable resource, and we had to act fast to implement a fresh approach!
The AAPPR staff and Board launched some strategies aligned with current volunteerism research and our strategic plan, including our values of Respect, Equity, Collaboration, Responsibility, Understanding, Inclusion, and Trust (RECRUIT).
AAPPR Volunteer Pool: The AAPPR Volunteer pool focuses on the organization’s strategic plan and volunteer satisfaction. Current research shows that volunteer projects must provide a clear understanding of the project, a flexible schedule, a defined time commitment, an equitable chance to contribute, and a meaningful and gratifying experience. AAPPR’s Volunteer Pool allows members to register yearly to participate in various projects and discussions that match their availability and interests. The Pool is inclusive and accessible to all members—a perfect match for our values- RECRUIT.
To join the AAPPR Volunteer Pool, visit https://member.aappr.org/page/volunteer_pool to become a member volunteer.
Regional SIG (Shared Interest Groups): The AAPPR Board of Directors and CEO Carey Goryl recognized that the education, community, camaraderie, and resources provided by shared interest groups are essential to the AAPPR community. AAPPR has always supported regional and state affiliates to various degrees, but some affiliates needed even greater support. The AAPPR Board and CEO Carey Goryl agreed that AAPPR could help by expanding our SIG (Shared Interest Group) model to include regional/state affiliates. This model allows an affiliate to transfer the nonprofit operational duties to AAPPR and affiliate volunteers and members to focus on education and network activities through AAPPR’s resources. Preserving the affiliate’s identity has been of the utmost importance and will evolve as AAPPR members join the group as part of their AAPPR membership. Six affiliates have fully transitioned to a SIG, and several more have indicated their intent to transition in 2024 or 2025.
As life becomes full, l find myself becoming more selective about my volunteer projects and the experience I have as a volunteer. I know I’m excited to volunteer in the new AAPPR Volunteer Pool and a SIG supported by AAPPR.
Happy Volunteering!
[i] https://longevity.stanford.edu/three-reasons-why-people-dont-volunteer-and-what-can-be-done-about-it/
[ii] https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/01/volunteering-and-civic-life-in-america.html
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