Healthcare leaders: Here’s a strategic approach for attracting and retaining highly skilled advanced practice professionals for your facility.  

Highly skilled physician assistants and nurse practitioners can add immense
 value for healthcare facilities &ndash; and knowing how to attract them is
 key. When healthcare leaders have an effective plan in place for locating and
 hiring advanced practice providers whose goals align with those of the
 organization, these healthcare professionals are more likely to remain for the
 long term and enhance the quality of the facility moving forward.


<h2>The Toll of Turnover</h2>


 It turns out that turnover is tremendously costly: upwards of nearly
 $85,000-$115,000 per advanced practice provider (APP), according to
 SullivanCotter research published in 2020. And while the turnover rate for
 APPs has dropped from 12.5% in 2017 to 10% in 2019, the numbers are still out
 on the impacts the pandemic may have had on turnover more recently. According
 to a Kaiser Family Foundation released in March 2021, 3 in 10 healthcare
 professionals were considering leaving the field. Therefore, at this time, it
 is particularly critical for leaders to devote resources to strategically
 attracting and retaining top nurse practitioners and physician assistants.


<h2>A Strategic Approach to Attracting Advanced Practice Providers</h2>


 Considering the statistics and cost of APP turnover, it makes sense for
 leaders to allocate resources to conduct a thorough review of the
 organization&rsquo;s existing approach to recruiting and retaining nurse
 practitioners and physician assistants. Organizations can then update outmoded
 or ineffective processes and implement a flexible, forward-thinking strategy
 to attract, hire, and retain high-quality providers.


The following considerations can serve as a starting point:


 Use various channels. Pursue several different routes to
 reach potential candidates, including word of mouth, job boards, email,
 multimedia, staffing agency, in-house recruitment, professional organizations,
 social media, your organization&rsquo;s website, and more.



 Focus on marketing. Make sure the job description is
 enticing. Craft a position advertisement that appeals to your ideal candidate,
 maintains transparency, and emphasizes your differentiators as an
 organization. Include position benefits and perks, describe the work culture,
 and mention the advantages of living in the area. And of course, be sure to
 highlight any of the features listed below you can offer your APPs.



 Partner with academic institutions. Collaborate with research
 and teaching institutions to locate skilled APPs. For example, in
 &ldquo;Incorporating Advanced Practice Providers into Your Practice,&rdquo;
 published on
 <a
 href="https://bulletin.entnet.org/home/article/21247902/incorporating-advanced-practice-providers-into-your-practice"
 target="_blank"
 >entnet.org</a
 >, Yanagisawa says, &ldquo;We offer rotations &hellip; for APP students, which
 serve as an excellent &lsquo;job interview&rsquo; for both parties. We give
 lectures to students at the local PA program. Our existing APPs identify their
 friends and colleagues as new leads as well. Our university job posting site
 has drawn several of our recruits.&rdquo;



 Maximize autonomy of practice. Allow your APPs to have as
 much independence as possible according to state laws. Autonomy of practice is
 among the top reasons nurse practitioners and physician assistants are drawn
 to the field. The more freedom you can give your providers, the better.



 Extend professional development opportunities. Draw in nurse
 practitioners and physician assistants who value professional growth by
 offering in-house training or covering the cost of continuing education
 opportunities. Consider granting financial assistance to APPs who wish to
 pursue specialties or stipends for providers to attend conferences. Where
 possible, allow for lateral movements so APPs can gain exposure to different
 specialties, patient populations, clinical environments, and procedures.



 Feature upward mobility and leadership opportunities. To
 attract APPs who are driven to expand their skills and knowledge base and/or
 to lead others, highlight opportunities for growth. In &ldquo;Satisfaction,
 Burnout, and Turnover Among Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants: A
 Review of the Empirical Literature,&rdquo; Hoff et al. cite the importance of
 expanding skill sets and roles for APPs: &ldquo;upskilling and role expansion
 &hellip; draw from both job enrichment and empowerment theories, and notions
 of expanded roles bringing enhanced self-efficacy to individual workers
 &hellip; NPs and PAs may experience parts of their role expansion in favorable
 ways, suggesting a positive view of upskilling&rdquo; (<a
 href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1077558717730157"
 target="_blank"
 >Sage</a
 >).



 Provide effective leadership. According to
 <a
 href="https://www.physicianleaders.org/news/quantifying-the-cost-of-advanced-practice-provider-turnover"
 target="_blank"
 >SullivanCotter</a
 >, &ldquo;Organizations that have a top APP leader with responsibilities such
 as developing overall APP strategy and infrastructure, managing budgets and
 serving as the expert on the APP workforce have 2% lower turnover than
 organizations who do not.&rdquo; Further, &ldquo;APPs who report to an APP
 leader are about 8% less likely to consider leaving the organization in the
 next 12 months than those who do not report to an APP leader.&rdquo;



 Use advanced practice providers effectively.
 <a
 href="https://www.physicianleaders.org/news/quantifying-the-cost-of-advanced-practice-provider-turnover"
 target="_blank"
 >SullivanCotter</a
 >
 also reports, &ldquo;APPs who feel maximally or significantly utilized are 22%
 less likely to consider leaving the organization in the next 12 months than
 those perceived to be underutilized, and APPs who feel maximally or
 significantly utilized are more likely to recommend the organization as a good
 place to work than those perceived to be underutilized.&rdquo;



 Make space for non-clinical activities. APPs who have the
 ability to participate in committees, community outreach, administration,
 research, and process/quality improvement were 17% less likely to leave,
 according to
 <a
 href="https://www.physicianleaders.org/news/quantifying-the-cost-of-advanced-practice-provider-turnover"
 target="_blank"
 >SullivanCotter.</a
 >



 Offer a competitive package. Salary and benefits, including a
 competitive pay package, pay increases, bonuses, moving allowance, retirement
 plan, malpractice coverage, health insurance, travel opportunities, wellness
 program, flexible hours, vacation days, etc. can help attract and retain
 highly qualified providers: &ldquo;APPs who believe their compensation is fair
 or higher than peers are about 33% less likely to consider leaving the
 organization in the next 12 months than those who feel their compensation is
 not fair or lower than peers &hellip; and APPs who believe their compensation
 is fair or higher than peers are more likely to recommend their organization
 as a good place to work than those who feel their compensation is not fair or
 lower than peers&rdquo;
 <a
 href="https://www.physicianleaders.org/news/quantifying-the-cost-of-advanced-practice-provider-turnovery"
 target="_blank"
 >SullivanCotter.</a
 >



 Build a collegial environment. According to
 <a
 href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1077558717730157"
 target="_blank"
 >Hoff et al</a
 >. in &ldquo;Satisfaction, Burnout, and Turnover Among Nurse Practitioners and
 Physician Assistants: A Review of the Empirical Literature,&rdquo; there is a
 &ldquo;potential lack of perceived collegiality in certain NP/PA employment
 settings.&rdquo; This could lead to increased turnover. Advanced practice
 providers value a team-based approach to care and bolstering a positive and
 collaborative work environment can serve to attract and retain APPs.



 Invest in onboarding, training, and ongoing feedback. Develop
 an onboarding program designed specifically for APPs like the evidence-based
 program developed by the
 <a
 href="https://practice.asco.org/sites/default/files/drupalfiles/2021-01/APP-Onboarding-Guide-1-18-21.pdf"
 target="_blank"
 >American Society of Clinical Oncology.</a
 >
 Providing NPs and PAs with onboarding, training, feedback, mentorship,
 recognition, and appreciation can show clinicians how much they are valued and
 help prevent turnover.



 Be innovative. To attract creative, forward-thinking
 individuals, focus on technology and innovation. Consider what advanced tools
 and procedures your facility offers that you can highlight. Create
 opportunities for providers to participate in problem-solving initiatives.
 Offer telehealth opportunities and spotlight technological advancements,
 clinical research, and other cutting-edge developments at your facility.



 Focus on the human element. As you endeavor to attract
 valuable APPs, remember why most of them chose their field. Allow for plenty
 of face-to-face interaction time with patients and focus on treating the whole
 patient. Give APPs the opportunity to volunteer and serve the community. Make
 sure your organization&rsquo;s values and mission are reflected in day-to-day
 operations and focus on family, diversity, equity, and inclusivity.


<h2>How Cross Country Locums Can Help</h2>


 With more than 30 years of experience in a variety of placement options,
 including locum tenens, temporary and temp-to-perm, Cross Country Locums can
 help you find the highly skilled advanced practice providers you need.
 <a href="https://www.crosscountrylocums.com/request-coverage" target="_blank"
 >Speak with one of our representatives today.</a
 >

Attracting Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners to Your Facility