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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
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.
Annual Benchmarking Report Provides Industry Data from Internal Physician and Provider Recruitment Professionals
OKEMOS, Mich., Oct. 24, 2023 — The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR) has released its annual Internal Physician and Provider Recruitment Benchmarking Report, highlighting the increasing physician shortage in the United States and the impact on recruiting and hiring. The report found organizations are searching for more physicians than ever before amid historic labor shortages for the second consecutive year.
More than 150 member health organizations of AAPPR, the leading authority in the physician and provider recruitment to retention continuum, participated in the extensive annual research study representing more than 19,000 searches, 60 percent of which were specific to physicians. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 24,200 openings for physicians and surgeons each year, on average, over the decade, meaning the data from AAPPR’s Benchmarking Report represents close to half of all physician searches in the United States.
The report, which provides industry data to help in-house recruitment professionals in workforce planning and growth management, found that active physician searches per year have more than doubled since 2017. Data also shows that 2022 marked the fifth straight year in which the percentage of searches filled decreased, as the demand for physicians remains competitive and labor remains scarce.
“While the data from this year’s survey is not surprising, it does highlight a concerning trend for the entire healthcare industry and a need for collaboration within our industry to address the growing challenges in physician and provider recruitment,” said Carey Goryl, CEO of AAPPR. “For the fifth year in a row, we are seeing less and less open physician positions being filled despite the number of active searches increasing. This starkly highlights the depth of the physician and provider shortage our country is facing. Every day these positions remain open, is a day patients aren’t being seen and revenue is lost.”
The report did highlight some reassuring progress in the healthcare staffing landscape. For the first time in four years, the number of physician searches to replace departing physicians declined from 48 percent in 2021 to 44 percent in 2022, suggesting more physicians stayed with their organizations in 2022 rather than sought new opportunities.
Other notable report findings include:
The industry-level data in AAPPR’s Benchmarking Survey helps recruitment professionals and departments establish target productivity levels, set goals and expectations, and grow their teams.
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 2023 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.
Mentorship. It is a familiar word, but what does it mean? When you think of a mentor, who comes to mind? A teacher? A coach? Perhaps a benevolent boss or a trusted colleague?
A mentor is “a trusted counselor or guide,” and mentorship is “the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor.” When we think of mentorship and its benefits, most think of the Three C’s: Counsel, Candor, and Confidence. Mentorship encourages participants to improve both personally and professionally. It fosters a collaborative environment where a free exchange of viewpoints and ideas can help build diversity of thought.
Mentorship programs, like AAPPR’s Mentor Match, make it easier for mentors and mentees to find each other and support a learning culture. Mentors feel satisfaction in sharing their wisdom and experiences with others and experience the opportunity to reflect on their goals and practices. In addition, mentees gain an insider perspective on navigating their chosen careers and access to resources.
AAPPR is relaunching the Mentor Match program in a cohort format this summer. Unlike the previous user-driven platform, the cohort format will offer participants a more structured program to meet, connect, and grow. In addition, the cohorts are planned to target members in specific career phases, such as those who are newer to the provider recruitment profession or looking to develop specific skills, such as those who are hoping to advance to a leadership role.
The cohorts will start with a kickoff call where mentors and mentees can meet one another and other members participating in the cohort. Mentor Match pairs will meet one on one up to six times over eight weeks and can earn up to six continuing education credits for participating in the program.
Mentors and mentees can apply to participate in a cohort by completing a brief application. After completing the application, mentees will be matched with a mentor who has the skills and experience to help them achieve their goals. If you are interested in applying for an upcoming 2023 cohort, just follow the links below.
Mentorship offers numerous benefits for both mentors and mentees. Mentees can tap into the expertise, experience, and knowledge of their mentors, while mentors can guide mentees in developing new skills, expanding their knowledge, and gaining insights into specific areas of interest, helping mentees accelerate their learning and professional development.
Mentors frequently provide guidance and support to mentees, helping them navigate challenges, make important decisions, and set meaningful goals by sharing their own experiences, offering different perspectives, and providing valuable advice, which can enhance the mentees’ personal and professional growth. Having a mentor who believes in their abilities and offers constructive feedback can boost a mentees’ confidence and empower them to take risks, pursue new opportunities, and achieve their goals.
A key benefit of AAPPR membership is the incredible network of colleague’s members have access to, but building that network can sometimes feel overwhelming. Working with a mentor can help newer members expand their professional network and gain access to new opportunities. In addition, experienced members who serve as mentors in the program often have extensive networks and can introduce mentees to their professional contacts and help them to build relationships within the industry.
Mentors can also help mentees identify resources for professional growth and offer insights into the provider recruitment industry.
The benefits of participating in a mentorship program can positively impact mentees’ personal and professional lives well into the future. Mentorship often leads to long-term relationships built on mutual trust and respect. AAPPR mentors have become lifelong advisors and advocates for their mentees, even after the formal mentoring relationship ends. These relationships can provide ongoing support, guidance, and opportunities throughout the careers of both the mentor and mentee.
AAPPR research has shown that the provider recruitment industry has grown significantly in the last two years. The first cohort will focus on mentees with a year or less of experience to help those recruitment professionals who are newer to the provider recruitment industry and pair them with mentors who have three years of experience or more. The cohort will kick off with a welcome call for all participants on July 17, 2023! Applications are open for both mentors and mentees until July 3. Here are some key dates for the first cohort:
• Applications Open: June 19, 2023
• Applications Close: July 3, 2023
• Matches Notified: July 10, 2023
• Kickoff Call: July 17, 2023
• Cohort Ends: September 11, 2023
The second cohort will focus on our members who have been working in the provider recruitment industry but are hoping to grow in the profession. If you have a goal of advancing into a management or leadership role in 2024, this is the cohort for you! Applications will open on September 18, and the cohort will kick off on October 16! Mark your calendars with the key dates for the second cohort:
• Applications Open: September 18, 2023
• Applications Close: October 2, 2023
• Matches Notified: October 9, 2023
• Kickoff Call: October 16, 2023
• Cohort Ends: December 11, 2023
May 5, 2023 (Okemos, Mich.) – The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR), the nation’s leading authority on physician recruitment, onboarding and retention, has released its Recruitment Process Report.
The report, which is based on a survey of 241 internal physician and provider recruitment professionals, highlights trends in how health care organizations manage the sourcing, interviewing and onboarding process for physicians and providers. The Recruitment Process Survey is the eighth form in a series of Specialized Surveys published by AAPPR, highlighting the advantages of a specialized in-house team of recruitment professionals.
While health care organizations have found success and cost efficiencies through utilizing and empowering their in-house physician and provider recruitment teams, approximately one third of respondents across organizations of all sizes indicated that the recruitment department is not involved in medical staff workforce or service line planning. By including recruitment teams in these types of planning, organizations have an opportunity to improve long-term stability and vertical communication.
Incorporating recruitment teams into strategic planning becomes especially important in organizations that cannot afford a gap in service during a physician candidate search. The report found that while 60.2% of organizations received a signed contract from a physician candidate within two weeks of an offer, physicians’ start dates are an average of 120 days after accepting the position. This is largely due to the credentialing and privileging process, which takes between one and three months for the majority of participating organizations.
“The need for efficiency in the recruitment and onboarding process is becoming increasingly important for health care organizations as more physicians reach retirement age,” said Carey Goryl, CEO of AAPPR. “In-house recruitment teams have unique expertise on the most effective recruiting, onboarding and retention processes and can play an important role when involved in organizational workforce planning. However, in many cases, these teams are underutilized.”
The Recruitment Process Report provides benchmarks on internal recruitment processes, enabling health care organizations to self-assess and self-correct elements within their control. The organizations with the most successful physician and provider recruitment programs are those who work collaboratively with clear communication, role clarity, and measurements of success.
While internal recruitment teams often have the responsibility to fill positions with quality candidates faster than ever, these professionals do not work in isolation from the rest of their organization. Data in the report provides insights on broader improvements that can be made to address common challenges facing recruitment professionals, such as the ongoing workforce shortage, provider maldistribution and ongoing malaise and burnout among physicians and recruitment professionals.
The full Recruitment Process Report is available for purchase here.
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/.
A recent focus group conducted by the Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR) uncovered troubling themes of operational and physician candidate pipeline challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and exacerbated by weary recruitment leaders and departments met with decreasing funds and limited resources. Findings from the focus group, made up of the nation’s leading physician and provider recruitment experts, are now available in AAPPR’s newly released white paper entitled: From Healthcare’s Front Lines: Industry Experts Sound Alarm on Concerning Physician Recruitment Trends in Coming Months.
The industry white paper indicates significant changes will be required to help address an already depleted and decreasing physician workforce. Industry experts suggest the research findings should serve as an imperative directive to healthcare operational leaders to maintain up-to-date recruitment market intelligence to quickly and successfully pivot both short- and long-term workforce strategies.
“The insights we received in the focus group on trends in physician recruitment in the wake of COVID-19, help shine a light on both new challenges and even some unexpected benefits,” said co-author and AAPPR CEO Carey Goryl, MSW, CAE. “It is our hope that this document may serve as a foothold to better understanding future physician recruitment cycles as competing organizations expand efforts to help stabilize an uncertain physician supply and demand market.”
Specific topics covered in the AAPPR white paper include:
“The physician recruitment industry is facing what’s being called, ‘The Great Resignation’ as an increasing number of physicians opt for early retirement citing increasing burnout and an unhealthy work/life balance and the consequences across healthcare will be significant,” said co-author and AAPPR President Emerson R. Moses, MBA, CPRP. “Today’s healthcare organization leaders need to be vigilant in reviewing and revising their onboarding and retention plans to offset continued unanticipated turnover.”
In the latest Physician and Provider Job Satisfaction and Search Report published by AAPPR, a reported 30% of physicians will retire between the ages of 60 to 65. With over one in three respondents from the report considering early retirement because of physician burnout, recruitment leaders are auditing their practices’ physician age demographics and sounding alarming fears of tenured physicians at their organizations expressing exhaustion and frustration. The national focus group also concurred with an earlier survey report that of over half of physician respondents in the market survey (56.72%) are considering or have considered changing employers.
For a copy or a more comprehensive review of the white paper, From Healthcare’s Front Lines: Industry Experts Sound Alarm on Concerning Physician Recruitment Trends in Coming Months visit: https://aappr.org/aappr-white-papers/
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
A recent national study of physician vacancies reports health care organizations nationwide are facing increased challenges and competition for physician talent. The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment — a leading authority in the physician and provider recruitment to retention continuum – reports a 40% increase as compared to the same study the year prior. Days needed to fill positions also rose, but only by an average of 8% across NPs, PAs and Primary, Specialty and Surgical Physicians. The modest increase was unexpected given 44% of all searches were put on hold at the nation’s largest health systems due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 150 national health care organizations and systems participated in the comprehensive annual research study representing more than 17,000 searches, almost two-thirds specific to physician searches. Additional findings from the just-released Physician and Provider Recruitment Benchmarking Report include:
“We fully anticipate physician shortage numbers to rise, as the findings in this report reflect just the tip of the COVID iceberg,” said Emerson R. Moses, AAPPR President. “The industry was trending towards a severe shortage before the pandemic which has only accelerated the desire to retire for some, and a potential loss of employment for a percentage of others who may not comply with the vaccine mandate at federally funded health systems across the US. The field of physician recruitment has never been easy, and it’s about to get a lot harder.”
The pandemic, however, accelerated the evolution of best practices for physician recruitment as organizations embraced technology integration to address stop gaps in the recruitment process. The use of virtual interviewing, electronic signatures, and other technology tools were quickly adopted resulting in increased speed-to-hire and reduction of expenses.
“Conducting research and bringing to light the latest trends in physician and provider recruitment is central to our mission,” said Carey Goryl, CEO of AAPPR. “This latest report speaks to the magnitude of the challenges facing the industry and gives health care organizations insight into how they can better perform in this competitive hiring environment.”
In an effort to help health care organizations predict the time it will take to fill a particular physician specialty search, anyone can access the online Days to Fill Calculator. This online predictive tool provides an estimated range of time that it will likely take to fill a specific physician specialty vacancy, based on circumstances such as the organization’s size, geographic area or desirability of location.
The complete 2021 In-house Physician and Provider Recruitment Benchmarking Report is available to organizations for sale online. To order, please visit https://aappr.org/research/benchmarking/ or email info@aappr.org.
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
Purchase 2020 Benchmarking Report
OKEMOS, MI / ACCESSWIRE / October 7, 2020 / According to a recent physician and provider recruitment benchmark study filling Surgery and Primary Care physician positions took less time last year – a five-year low for Primary Care placements. The study, reflecting data just prior to COVID-19, also showed that Health Care organizations continue to grow and seek more physicians. The report comes from the Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR), whose members are the leading authorities in the recruitment to retention continuum.
Nearly 150 AAPPR health organizations participated in the extensive annual research study representing more than 11,000 searches, almost two-thirds specific to physician searches.
Additional findings from the just-released 2020 In-House Physician and Provider Recruitment Benchmarking Report include:
“The time it takes to fill a physician search is a metric tracked by all health organizations and is often the most important data point to healthcare executives. I’m happy to see this number decreasing as it may point to added efficiencies and the leveraging of technology within in-house recruitment teams,” said Emerson Moses, AAPPR Board President-Elect. “It is good to see that organizations continue to add recruitment and talent acquisition staff to their in-house teams, which must almost certainly contributes to increased effectiveness.”
Carey Goryl, CEO of AAPPR stated, “It was a positive sign that so many organizations participated in the study even amid the start of COVID-19 in the U.S. It was important to capture the industry’s data as it was pre- COVID. What we’re seeing and hearing now is that there are more physician candidates in the search pool, especially in rural areas. And from in-house teams to placement firms, many are noting that the time to fill positions is getting even shorter.”
In an effort to help health care organizations predict the time it will take to fill a particular physician specialty search, anyone can access the online Days to Fill Calculator. This online predictive tool provides an estimated range of time that it will likely take to fill a specific physician specialty vacancy based on circumstances such as the organization’s size, geographic area, or desirability of location.
AAPPR also offers a Compensation Calculator that estimates a recruitment professional’s compensation based on factors such as role in the company, years of experience, formal education, organization size, etc. to anyone who purchases the report.
The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR) is a professional organization comprised of nearly 2,000 members focused solely on advancing in-house physician and provider recruitment professionals. AAPPR is the leading authority on physician/provider recruitment and retention.
The complete 2020 In-house Physician and Provider Recruitment Benchmarking Report is available to organizations for $399. To order, please visit https://aappr.org/research/benchmarking/ or email info@aappr.org.
Purchase 2020 Benchmarking Report
For more information, contact:
CAREY GORYL, CEO
517-318-6314; cgoryl@aappr.org
SOURCE: Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment
The high cost of turnover in health care and the ever-present provider shortage validates the importance of strengthening physician and provider retention strategies in every organization. A study by the University of Virginia Health System determined that physicians were more likely to leave their positions if they felt they were spending too much time in a particular area of their jobs. Stay interviews can be one way to review the right balance of patient care, administration, research, and teaching to make or break a physician/provider’s desire to stay with a specific organization.
Download COVID-19 Impact & Response Infographic
Over three months after the United States began restricting movement to flatten the curve of COVID-19, in-house physician recruitment teams are still innovating and adapting to a new form of recruitment and hiring. AAPPR recently queried of its members through both an online survey and personal interviews to hear directly from them on what had changed in their profession.
The data shows a tale of two roads diverging: those who stopped and those who kept recruiting. The impact of those two differing paths remains to be seen. AAPPR surveyed its members in June of 2020 and conducted qualitative interviews that dove deeper into members’ experiences. Interviews were done with members from large and small organizations and from coast to coast. In every member interaction today, AAPPR hears stories of adaptability and resilience. Some don’t wait to be redeployed; they become leaders and share their transferable expertise. Mentoring has grown, especially with or by those who have been furloughed. This has been a time to be reflective and invest in oneself. The stories our members have shared with us are truly inspiring.
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