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Demand for docs is higher than ever, but physicians are fleeing burnout
A report from the Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment found that organizations are searching for more physicians than ever before amid one of the largest shortages. Data showed that 48% of physician searches in 2021 were to replace departing physicians, and 33% of physicians cited burnout as the reason for leaving.
“These two data points surrounding burnout and departing physicians illustrate a challenging industry cycle,” said Carey Goryl, CEO of AAPPR, in a statement. “Physicians depart, whether to alleviate feelings of burnout or for greater compensation and recruitment teams may be in a perpetual search for a replacement. Every day a provider position remains open, is lost patient care and revenue. Although time to fill has decreased for some specialties, it can still take recruitment and onboarding teams nearly a year to fill an open position and complete the required credentialing process for the new physician, adding stress for remaining physicians and continuing the cycle of burnout.”
The AAPPR notes that after a physician candidate signs, they must complete three or more months of credentialling before actually starting in their new position. This means organizations can suffer from a lack of staff for up to a year while recruiters work to fill a single open position, increasing the risk of turnover. AAPPR is seeing a growing number of health care organizations rely on PAs and NPs because there are more candidates, and credentialing is faster.
Other notable report findings include: