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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.
Data in recent AAPPR reports has shown that physicians and clinicians feel more satisfied and confident with their job if they’ve undergone a formal onboarding process. An essential part of creating a formal onboarding experience is by helping physicians navigate the often complex and lengthy credentialing process.
Recruitment professionals can help provide clarity on what physicians can expect during the credentialing process and set them up with the proper support and materials they need to feel confident and energized as they take on their new role. Here are four ways credentialing support can enhance your organization’s onboarding process and reduce the risk of turnover:
In a recent AAPPR report, 94% of respondents said credentialing is a key part of their onboarding process and that assistance with licensing and credentialing processes made the onboarding experience a positive one.
Providing insight and setting expectations for the process can help physicians get certified faster. With the credentialing process taking as long as six months, making this as seamless as possible means that physicians can start their work treating and caring for patients more quickly.
A formal onboarding process that integrates credentialing support leads to happier physicians. In return, this helps healthcare organizations retain skilled professionals and can reduce turnover, contributing to long-term stability and a positive work environment.
Organizations that have effective onboarding processes and support physicians through the credentialing process often see improvements in patient satisfaction. A bottlenecked credentialing process not only hinders physicians from making a living, but also delays patients from receiving the care that they need, which can be damaging to an organization – especially during an ongoing national physician shortage.
Organizations that have taken the time to develop a positive onboarding experience that runs in conjunction with the credentialing process have reported happier patients and physicians, leading to higher retention rates and more satisfied employees.
To improve both onboarding and credentialing processes, organizations can adopt these best practices:
Interested in learning more? The complete AAPPR Physician Credentialing Survey Report is available for download here: aappr.org/research/physician-credentialing-report
Aya Healthcare, the largest healthcare talent software and staffing company in the U.S., has joined the Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR) as a Strategic Partner. Together, the organizations will work to advance the physician and provider recruitment profession by collaboratively exploring how technology can help solve workforce challenges.
AAPPR, the leading authority on physician recruitment, onboarding and retention, launched its Partner program in 2017 to create deeper connections between physician and provider recruitment professionals, the organizations they represent and the companies they rely on for technologies and services to recruit, onboard and retain talent effectively.
The program creates a direct line of communication for AAPPR members to share their challenges and identify solutions that fit recruitment professionals’ needs.
“AAPPR’s partners play a critical role in our work to help recruitment and retention leaders connect, learn and advance their careers,” said Carey Goryl, CEO of AAPPR. “We are thrilled to partner with Aya Healthcare to provide members with the resources they need to strengthen recruitment strategies through the latest technologies and innovations.”
AAPPR will work with Aya Healthcare, along with its existing partners, to support the organization’s mission to impact health care access through education, research, and the elevation of the physician and provider recruitment industry.
Aya Healthcare’s Physician and Advanced Practice Solutions deliver innovative technologies, comprehensive services and dedicated teams to build strong recruitment pipelines and effective retention strategies. Key offerings include:
Each AAPPR partnership is tailored to fulfill the company’s unique business objectives and marketing goals. Partners receive invaluable visibility with nearly 2,400 AAPPR members, including sourcing, recruiting, contracting, credentialing, certifying and onboarding professionals, who play critical roles in influencing the advancement of their health care systems. With the support of Aya Healthcare, the Partner program now includes 11 companies working together in support of AAPPR’s mission.
For more information about Aya Healthcare or the Partner program, visit www.aappr.org or email info@aappr.org. For more information about Aya Healthcare’s physician and advanced practitioner solutions, visit https://www.ayahealthcare.com/physicianrecruitment.
About The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR)
The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR) is a nationally recognized leader in health care provider recruitment, onboarding, and retention. For more than 30 years, AAPPR has empowered physician and advanced practice provider recruitment leaders to transform care delivery in their communities by providing best-in-class practices, up-to-date industry knowledge, and evolving innovative approaches for hiring, onboarding, and retaining exceptional clinical talent. To learn more or to become an organizational member of AAPPR, please visit https://aappr.org/join-now.
About Aya Healthcare
Aya Healthcare is the largest healthcare talent software and staffing company in the United States. Aya operates the world’s largest digital staffing platform delivering every component of healthcare-focused labor services, including locum tenens, travel nursing and allied health, per diem, permanent staff hiring, interim leadership and non-clinical professionals. Aya’s software suite, which includes physician and advanced practice solutions, vendor management, float pool technology and MSP services, provides healthcare organizations greater efficiencies, superior operating results and reduced labor costs. While technology drives efficiency and scale, Aya’s 6,000+ global employees power the company to deliver unparalleled accountability and exceptional experiences for clients and clinicians. Aya’s company culture is rooted in giving back and supports organizations around food security, education, healthcare, safe shelter and equity. To learn more about Aya Healthcare, visit www.ayahealthcare.com.
While Mental Health Awareness Month is behind us, the importance of mental health and wellness is a year-round priority. When it comes to mental health in physician and provider recruitment, one of the main challenges is burnout, which can have extensive effects on everyone in the healthcare community, from clinical staff to recruitment professionals.
At AAPPR’s 2024 Annual Conference, Advancing Connections, members Jennifer Scherer, CPRP and Becky Trujillo, CPRP dove into “Navigating Burnout in Physician Recruitment” and the impact burnout has on the healthcare community. According to a recent American Medical Association survey, more than 50% of physicians across nearly all experience levels feel at least one symptom of burnout while those who are 6-10 years post-residency are the group most likely to feel burnt out. However, this is not only an issue among clinical staff. In physician and provider recruitment, more than 50% of professionals experience symptoms.
What Does Burnout Look Like?
Contrary to popular belief, burnout is not just stress. Stress is a response to a perceived threat, while burnout is a state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion caused by prolonged and excessive stress and can occur both in the workplace and in personal lives. The causes and symptoms of burnout are wide ranging and can be difficult to pinpoint unless you are intentionally looking for them. If you’re experiencing lack of energy and trouble sleeping along with physical symptoms, such as stomach issues, muscle tension and headaches, you may need to ask yourself if you’re feeling burnt out.
Why is Burnout so Common in Recruitment?
The significant and continuing physician shortage in the United States is expected to increase in the coming years, placing high demand on recruitment professionals. Recruitment teams are pressured to do more with less and face a range of factors outside of their control, from organizational decision-making processes to candidates opting for competing positions. All that to say, it’s very likely these conditions can cause prolonged and excessive stress to the employees in the work environment, which can eventually lead to burnout.
How to Effectively Manage Burnout
Many healthcare organizations and recruitment departments stress how important their teams’ mental health is. While wellness programs can be a key component of a recruitment strategy for retention, recruitment professionals should also “practice what they preach” and prioritize their own wellness.
Recruitment professionals can do this by setting boundaries with their time. A 2023 study from Pew Research Center found that more than half of workers (55%) respond to work emails or other work-related messages outside of their normal hours. While there will always be work to do, it’s important to utilize weekend and evening time for rest and things that you enjoy. This will leave you more refreshed and effective when you return to the office.
In the presentation from Advancing Connections, Jennifer and Becky also suggest setting priorities and sticking to a schedule to better own your time. For instance, spend the morning hours prioritizing sourcing and answering emails, during the lunch hour set aside time to journal or walk and talk to colleagues, and be sure to find time in between work tasks to take a break, even if it’s just for five minutes.
When recruitment professionals prioritize their own mental wellbeing, they are more able to give their full attention and effort to developing and executing successful strategies for potential and current team members.
Recruitment professionals play a vital role in the healthcare community. They help improve access to care, attract and retain staff to improve their healthcare systems and provide opportunities for physicians that fit their needs. However, when we are burnt out, it’s almost impossible to perform to the best of our ability. Prioritizing your own mental health and organizing your time can help you bring your best self to work while helping others find the care and careers they need.
In healthcare, bias can ultimately affect life and death decisions for patients. While artificial intelligence (AI) can help recruitment professionals streamline hiring processes, it must be used responsibly and with health equity in mind. At the recent SHRM Inclusion conference, Tamiko Stanley, Chief Diversity officer & Managing Partner of Elite Executive Strategies and Liz Mahan, AAPPR Director of Professional Development & Solutions, shared their insights on recruitment professionals’ roles in advancing health equity and how they can find a balance between human connection and AI for a more equitable healthcare system.
A diverse workforce in healthcare institutions is essential for addressing the unique needs and experiences of different patient populations and promoting cultural competence in care delivery. Diverse organizations are better positioned to grow, innovate, and to advance along with ever-evolving healthcare demands and emerging medical conditions.
The impact of a representative clinical workforce is significant. In fact, the most diverse organizations are the most successful ones. According to McKinsey, companies in the top quartile for ethnic diversity show an average 27% financial advantage over others, and companies with representation of women exceeding 30% are significantly more likely to financially outperform those with 30% or fewer.
In healthcare, a diverse workforce can improve patient experiences and health outcomes and foster a culture of respect and collaboration. Data shows that there is a significant equity gap in both access to care and quality of care. For example, Black patients received lower quality care than White patients for about 40% of health equity measures in most recent studies. Recruitment professionals have a significant role to play in addressing these disparities by developing a diverse workforce within their organization.
Building a diverse healthcare system starts with recruitment professionals, their strategies and their processes. Technology can’t replace people, or the soft skills needed for healthcare. It’s up to recruitment professionals to find the right people with the soft skills needed to build a workforce that truly represents the diversity of their community.
Recruitment professionals can do this by providing clear paths for career advancement to all employees, establishing a reputation for genuinely supporting diversity as well as building strong connections – not only within the organization but in the broader community as well. Other powerful ways to attract diverse talent include developing diverse and inclusive sourcing and screening strategies, being an active advocate for proactive recruitment and retention strategies and understanding your candidate through active listening and asking the right questions.
Although AI comes with some challenges, it also has some benefits when used responsibly. It can help physician and provider recruitment professionals streamline the hiring process through resume screening, candidate matching, predictive analytics, automated scheduling and more.
To use AI responsibly and avoid bias, recruitment professionals should:
Teaching AI how to be human is an impossible task, so it’s essential you incorporate AI into your organization responsibly, using it to supplement, rather than to replace, human expertise and intentionality.
Effective DEI is heavily rooted in intentionality. As long as your organization prioritizes DEI in all aspects and incorporates AI in responsible ways, you are on the right path to ensuring equity for any patient that walks through your doors. Because after all, healthcare is all about humanity. To grow in your DEI journey and become aware of your own bias, check out AAPPR’s DEI Virtual Resource Center and DEI Micro-Certification. This topic will also be one of the sessions at the 2025 Annual Conference, Advancing Connections, in Phoenix, Arizona. Registration opens Dec. 3, so be sure to secure your spot for the opportunity to hear from and network with industry professionals.
The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR), has released its annual Internal Physician and Provider Recruitment Benchmarking Report, highlighting search dynamics and trends within physician and provider recruitment and their impact on recruiting and hiring in health care. AAPPR’s research identifies the critical variables that affect search success rates and time-to-fill metrics. The report found that for the first time in five years, the percentage of filled searches increased.
The report, which provides industry data to help inform health organizations’ workforce planning and growth management, also found that the number of active physician searches for organizations per year continues to increase. Advanced practice provider (APP) searches also continue to increase as the physician shortage grows, and make up more than half of all searches per department. At the same time, the number of recruitment staff decreased for the first time since 2020, and nearly one in five recruiters left their positions in 2023.
“For the first time in five years, we’re seeing an increase in successful physician searches – a testament to our recruitment professionals’ resilience amid an ongoing physician shortage,” said Carey Goryl, CEO of AAPPR. “Our data clearly shows that properly staffed and resourced recruitment teams reduce time-to-fill, yet high turnover and fewer recruiters in the field pose significant challenges to healthcare organizations’ ability to secure talent and maintain quality patient care. We must invest in recruitment professionals and adapt our strategies, as they are crucial to our health care system’s success.”
Nearly 150 member health organizations of AAPPR, the leading authority on physician recruitment, onboarding and retention, participated in the extensive annual research study representing more than 17,000 searches, 58% of which were specific to physicians.
Additional notable report findings include:
The industry-level data in AAPPR’s Benchmarking Report helps recruitment professionals and departments prepare, plan and forecast to meet the challenges of an evolving healthcare landscape where every unfilled position directly impacts patient care delivery. This report consists of two chapters representing different type of survey results, one regarding compensation and one regarding searches.
Organizations that participate in the annual survey gain free access to AAPPR’s benchmarking portal, where they can run custom benchmark comparisons to other organizations and departments similar to their own. The benchmarking portal includes time to fill and compensation calculators and enables users to compare a range of data, including organizational profiles, search information, recruiter profile data, and recruiter compensation figures, helping them make more informed decisions.
The complete 2024 AAPPR Internal Physician and Provider Recruitment Benchmarking Report is available to organizations for sale online. To order, visit https://aappr.org/research/benchmarking/.
About The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR)
The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR) is a nationally recognized leader in health care provider recruitment, onboarding, and retention. For more than 30 years, AAPPR has empowered physician and advanced practice provider recruitment leaders to transform care delivery in their communities by providing best-in-class practices, up-to-date industry knowledge, and evolving innovative approaches for hiring, onboarding, and retaining exceptional clinical talent. To learn more or to become an organizational member of AAPPR, please visit https://aappr.org/join-now.
With the ongoing national physician shortage, physician and provider recruitment professionals are well aware of how it will continue to impact the workforce. The American Association of Medical Colleges projects a national shortfall of anywhere between 37,000 to more than 100,000 physicians over the next decade, meaning effective recruitment strategies are extremely vital to healthcare systems’ ability to provide quality care to future patients. As the search for talent becomes increasingly competitive and challenging, first impressions are critical, and this often comes in the form of a job posting.
What do physicians want?
At AAPPR’s annual conference, Advancing Connections, Jacob Simon of The Medicus Firm shared valuable insights on physician preferences and the type of information that affects their career decisions.
According to the firm, the top three motivating factors for both physicians and APPs to make a career change are work/life balance, compensation and location. Another common factor that motivates physicians – especially those early in their career – is the opportunity to grow within an organization. Recruitment professionals should consider these motivating factors within recruitment and retention strategies.
Five things to include in a job posting
It’s important to prioritize physicians’ motivating factors when considering the details to include in a job posting. To catch candidates’ eye and gain their interest in an opportunity, job postings should be transparent and include the following:
There is an immense amount of competition for talent in the healthcare community. Recruitment professionals need to put their best foot forward in job postings in order to grab candidates’ attention and support them in taking the next step in their career.
By aligning job posting details with physicians’ interests, recruitment professionals can not only attract high-quality candidates, but ensure that candidates are well-informed in their decision to apply to organizations that align with their own unique needs and values.
Recruitment is a fast-paced industry. Especially healthcare recruitment where there is a shortage in supply of candidates while the demand is extremely high. Healthcare recruiters often have no choice but to answer that physician candidate after 6pm or on a Saturday when the candidate is finally free from patient care. Never mind recruiters have a family of their own and well deserved precious personal time to enjoy.
This is why it is so important for all of us to work on Self-Care.
Remember, self-care is not selfish; it’s essential for your long-term well-being and success as a recruiter. By prioritizing your physical and mental health, you’ll be better equipped to handle the demands of your job and achieve greater job satisfaction.
Every person has a different approach to listening, learning, and working. Having different thought processes, different backgrounds, and different ways of communicating is essential in the workplace. When we talk about diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace, many people immediately think about diversity in race, age, or gender. Today, I would like to talk about diversity in thought and information processing and how to make sure we are inclusive to everyone.
For the first 17 years of my life, I did not know that I had ADHD. I knew that I was not like all my classmates and teammates and that I processed information differently. However, I thought it was my fault and that I just needed to try harder. At the time, people were not aware of how ADHD can present in various ways, so it was assumed that I did not have it. After receiving my diagnosis, I panicked and thought my dreams might be unreachable because of it. Over the next few months, I learned more about how people receive and process information, as well as how these differences can lead to some amazing successes in life. There are amazing people who have had success and are navigating the world with ADHD, such as Simone Biles, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Michael Jordan, and more.
There are barriers to achieving this success and actions we take each day can make it easier for people to overcome those barriers. It is important to remember that when you are communicating with others, you may be giving them the same message, but it may need to be delivered differently. Clear and personalized communication benefits everyone, especially those who may be neurodiverse.
Some strategies to clarify your communication and help accommodate the neurodiverse population include:
1. Reflect on the appropriate method of communication. There are multiple methods of communication, and while a text message might be great for one person, a meeting might be better for another. People feel supported and heard if you ask what their preferred method of communication is.
2. Identify your purpose or call to action. With this communication, what are you trying to accomplish? Is it informative or is there a task that needs to be completed? Clearly identifying the call to action or purpose and highlighting that early in the communication can help people know what to keep in mind when reviewing the information.
3. Provide written deadlines and expectations. Even if you initially have a phone conversation with someone, following up with written deadlines, expectations, and instructions can help ensure that everyone is working towards the same goal and timeline.
4. Reduce stigma. Many people with ADHD struggle with whether they should disclose their diagnosis in the workplace out of fear it could lead to stigma and discrimination. You can work to promote a sense of inclusivity and openness within your workplace.
It is essential as working professionals, but also as those in healthcare and recruitment, that we increase our inclusivity and promote diversity in thought.
In the busy summer season for Physician Recruitment, it’s crucial to find a balance between productivity and well-being. Work-life balance is not just a trendy term; it’s essential for maintaining high performance and preventing burnout in this fast-paced industry. Here are some effective strategies for maintaining balance, boosting productivity, and promoting resilience during this important time:
First, make sure to discuss the expectations with leadership about the summer recruitment season. Keep senior management updated on market conditions and the need to promptly respond to candidate inquiries. Emphasize the importance of setting clear hiring goals to make decision-making processes more efficient and ensure timely engagement with candidates.
Review your recruitment workflows regularly to identify any bottlenecks and inefficiencies. It’s important to note that summer vacations can disrupt timelines, so it’s a good idea to implement strategies to maintain momentum during this time. Consider utilizing analytics from recruitment platforms such as PracticeLink and Doximity to optimize your job postings and outreach efforts. These tools can provide valuable insights into candidate preferences and market trends, giving you a competitive edge in recruitment.
Remember to fully embrace technology tools to increase productivity and streamline recruitment processes. Automated scheduling tools for emails and texts enable seamless communication, even when team members are unavailable. Platforms like PracticeMatch provide comprehensive data analytics to refine recruitment strategies and effectively target specific candidate demographics.
Maintain ongoing communication with past recruits to gather feedback on their experience and insights into workplace dynamics. Use these conversations to assess retention factors and identify areas for improvement. Building strong relationships fosters trust and loyalty, enhancing the organization’s reputation and attractiveness to prospective candidates.
Encourage team members to prioritize mental health by scheduling regular breaks and engaging in activities that promote relaxation and rejuvenation. Incorporate mindfulness practices into daily routines to alleviate stress and maintain focus. A refreshed mind contributes to sharper decision-making and sustained productivity throughout the recruitment process.
It’s crucial to acknowledge the significance of balance and resilience in retaining talent within the competitive physician recruitment industry. Organizations can reduce turnover rates and ensure long-term success by giving priority to employee well-being and operational efficiency. Investing in professional development and creating supportive work environments enhances employee engagement and organizational resilience.
As we dive into the summer recruitment season, it’s important to approach it with a good balance of productivity and well-being. To make the most of this season, recruitment professionals can focus on open communication with leadership, streamlining processes, making the most of technology, nurturing relationships, prioritizing mental well-being, and building long-term resilience. These strategies will help us achieve our goals while also taking care of ourselves.
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) play an important role in healthcare providers’ ability to deliver care that meets their communities’ needs. Building a diverse healthcare system starts with the provider recruitment professionals, their strategies and their processes. With DE&I embedded in workforce strategies, recruitment professionals can help foster more inclusive, representative hiring practices and ultimately, clinical staffs that are more reflective of the communities they serve.
While the ever-changing recruitment landscape requires continuously evolving tactics, these four practices act as a crucial foundation for sourcing, screening and hiring diverse candidates into the workplace.
Building a diverse healthcare system isn’t possible without developing diverse and inclusive sourcing and screening strategies. First, it’s important to evaluate your current recruitment strategies, such as where positions are posted and how positions are being promoted, to understand what’s working well and which methods can be improved. By implementing a diverse and inclusive mix of sourcing channels and an equitable screening process, you’ll be able to reach a wider variety of backgrounds and experiences, adding diversity to the candidates you’re interviewing as well as a broader set of skills and knowledge.
Active listening is a crucial aspect of the recruitment process. One of the first questions you should ask during the conversation should be about the candidate’s motivators, their interests and what is important to them – both professionally and personally. The answers to these questions will allow you to better understand your candidate and how they fit into your community and the organization. It will also help recognize potential barriers as well as any implicit and unconscious bias types. It’s important to hire individuals that recognize the significance of DE&I and ones that will prioritize these practices within their workplace.
Part of leadership’s role is to coach internal hiring authorities and recruitment professionals on inclusion and diversity policies within the healthcare industry. However, it’s also important for provider recruitment professionals to put in time outside of the workplace to stay up to date on DE&I industry standards and best practices through opportunities like conferences, memberships and certifications.
Professional certifications can give recruitment professionals added credibility within their organizations and the expertise to create more effective strategies. Certifications typically represent a higher level of expertise and require 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.
In April 2022, AAPPR launched the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Micro Certification Course, specifically to help recruitment professionals advance their DE&I strategies. This advanced certification for those already holding a current CPRP certification provides recruiters with tools they need to create a more diverse and inclusive environment within their respective organizations.
Recruitment professionals have the opportunity to help shape the future of healthcare and advance diversity and inclusion within our community. With a national physician shortage continuing to create challenges in recruitment, it’s crucial to invest in building a diverse healthcare system, and these four approaches are a great first step in doing so.
If you’re an AAPPR member, our organization offers various resources to support your recruitment strategies, and if you’re not an AAPPR member, you can become one today by visiting https://aappr.org/join-now/.
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