Physician Recruitment Teams Face Consistent Demand and Lengthy Search Times, According to AAPPR Report

Annual Benchmarking Report Provides Industry Data from Internal Physician and Provider Recruitment Professionals

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR) has released its annual Physician and Provider Recruitment Benchmarking Report: Search Dynamics and Trends, offering new insights into physician and provider recruitment activity across the United States. Findings reveal that although recruitment demand remains steady, the time required to secure physicians, particularly in specialty and surgical fields, continues to rise.

While the percentage of physician searches filled improved slightly over the previous year, nearly half of all searches remained open at the end of 2024, underscoring the persistent challenges recruitment professionals face in addressing healthcare workforce needs. These challenges are compounded by the need to fairly compensate recruitment professionals themselves, as outlined in the 2025 AAPPR Recruitment Team Professional Compensation Benchmarking Report. The report underscores that retaining experienced recruitment team professionals is just as critical as filling clinical roles.

"Healthcare organizations are navigating an increasingly complex recruitment landscape where physician searches now average nearly four months to signing, with specialty searches extending to a year or more," said Carey Goryl, CEO of AAPPR. "Our research shows that organizations investing in dedicated physician recruitment expertise and adequate resources consistently outperform those that don't. When healthcare systems treat physician recruitment as just another HR function or reduce staffing during precisely the moment when strategic workforce staffing is most critical, they compromise their ability to serve patients and communities effectively."

Nearly 130 health organizations participated in the 2025 Physician and Provider Recruitment Benchmarking Report, providing data on more than 15,000 searches, 61% of which were for physicians.

Notable findings from the 2025 AAPPR Physician and Provider Recruitment Benchmarking Report include:

• Recruitment demand remains high: The typical organization conducted 96 physician and provider searches in 2024, while recruitment departments at large health systems managed several hundred.
  
  
• Most common physician searches: Hospital Medicine (10.8%), Family Medicine (10.6%), OB/GYN: General (7.8%) and Internal Medicine (5.8%).
  
  
• Search times continue to rise: Median time-to-fill was 118 days for physicians, compared to 77 days for advanced practice providers (APPs). Surgical and specialty searches were longest, with oncology requiring a median of 332 days.
  
  
• Offers and acceptances shifted: Physicians accepted 71% of offers in 2024, down from 83% in 2023, while APPs accepted 80%, up from 71% the prior year.
  
  
• Turnover persists: Median turnover rates for physicians (7.3%) and APPs (7.9%) remain higher than pre-pandemic levels.
  
  
• Technology gaps: Three-fourths of organizations use applicant tracking systems, yet more than two-thirds of recruitment professionals rated their technology as only "average" or below.

The industry-level data equips healthcare organizations with the information they need to refine workforce planning and recruitment strategies. Participants in the survey gain complimentary access to the AAPPR Benchmarking Portal, which includes advanced search tools, time-to-fill and compensation calculators, and customizable benchmarking capabilities.

The complete 2025 AAPPR Physician and Provider Recruitment Benchmarking Report: Search Dynamics and Trends is available for purchase online. The companion 2025 AAPPR Recruitment Team Professional Compensation Benchmarking Report is also available, providing insight into recruiter pay, staffing levels, and team structures that help organizations attract and retain top recruitment talent. To access, visit www.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.

SOURCE Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment