Hospitals and health systems continue to face significant clinical staff shortages, intensifying an already challenging business climate. As a result, successful recruitment, development, and retention of clinical staff requires more than filling roles—it demands an intentional culture that keeps people connected, supported, and engaged.
AP Health is no stranger to the challenges of clinical recruitment. We recruit highly skilled Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) to support the surgical needs of our health system partners. APPs are in high demand and have many career paths to choose from—urgent care, clinics, private practice, or emergency medicine to name a few. Identifying those who are both highly skilled and committed to focusing on surgery requires a targeted search within an already limited talent pool. To attract and retain top surgical talent, AP Health leads with a people-first strategy—one that we hope candidates feel from their very first interaction with us and continue to feel throughout their journey. This isn’t just an HR initiative; it’s a company-wide commitment, woven into our culture and intentionally reinforced at every step.
What Culture-Driven Recruitment Looks Like
Finding the “right fit” is at the heart of our hiring process. As an ever-growing business, we are committed to putting quality first when sourcing and interviewing candidates. When we hire APPs, our clinical leaders work as true partners in the process – from educating our hiring team on what is the best “fit” for their team and playing an active role in the interview process. This isn’t simply about assessing skills; it’s a deliberate way of showing candidates from day one that they are our priority.
Candidates get to see firsthand that our leaders, (even our CEO) are practicing clinicians. That assurance matters: they know they’ll be supported by a management team that truly understands the work because we do it ourselves. This intentional, cohesive approach shows candidates that culture at AP Health isn’t abstract—it’s lived out in every interaction, starting from the very first one.
Streamlined Onboarding Process
Our APPs need to be credentialed at our customers’ hospitals and facilities-a process that can take anywhere from 60 to 120 days. Keeping candidates engaged during this waiting period is critical to retention before their employment even begins.
To support them, our team manages the entire credentialing process and provides regular status updates, sparing providers of the administrative burden that typically weighs down new hires. We’ve built a comprehensive touchpoint system that brings together our recruiting, credentialing, HR, and operations teams to ensure consistent communication and alignment.
In addition, our weekly onboarding meetings guarantee that every hired candidate receives personalized attention throughout their journey. These consistent touchpoints reflect our belief that our role doesn’t end when you’re hired – it’s just begun. People Operations is the keeper of culture, sustaining cohesion and connection from day one.
Collaboration Fuels Retention
Our people-first approach is built around creating a genuine community where clinical and corporate teams operate together rather than separate entities. Our lean corporate structure provides a true partnership, serving as a resource for our clinical staff where we constantly learn from each other. In addition, many mid-level and senior managers are practicing clinicians themselves, closing the gap that often exists between leadership and day-to-day clinical realities.
We foster collaboration and connection through regular team outings, monthly employee communications, social media engagement, and company-sponsored events. While not everyone participates in every opportunity, offering a variety of ways to connect reinforces a culture of inclusion and support.
When employee concerns arise, clinical team leaders are directly involved in the conversation. This ensures staff feel heard and supported by leaders who understand their daily challenges. It demonstrates that clinical and corporate leadership serve together— working to make people feel valued as individuals, not just employees.
The results speak for themselves. AP Health has been certified as a Great Place to Work for five consecutive years. In our most recent survey, 85% of employees said AP Health is a great place to work. In 2024 alone, we hired 40 new team members and saw only 10 departures—most due to retirement or relocation rather than dissatisfaction. That equates to a 7% turnover rate in an industry where rates of 30% or higher are the norm. Our provider-focused, intentionally cohesive team drives both employee satisfaction and long-term retention.
Work-Life Integration Supports the Whole Person
Many of the APPs who join AP Health come from private practice settings, where long 60-hour weeks were common—and often uncompensated. We take a different approach. By offering hourly pay, we ensure our team is fairly compensated for every hour worked, including overtime. This model provides not only financial stability but also the freedom and flexibility to create a healthier balance between work and life.
We believe in life-work balance, not just work-life balance. Work is a meaningful part of life, and our team members put in great effort every day. But it shouldn’t come at the expense of well-being. When people enjoy where they work and who they work with, they can achieve more—together.
We’ve built a culture of trust and support, where team members feel comfortable sharing personal challenges such as family illnesses, emergencies, or major life events. Colleagues step in for one another during these times, knowing that the same support will be there when they need it. That trust is sustained by an intentional people-first framework that prioritizes people’s well-being as the foundation of a cohesive team.
People-First Strategy Produces Results
Our provider-first approach doesn’t just shape culture—it delivers measurable business results. By fostering an environment where clinicians feel valued and supported, we attract and retain top talent. In fact, many of our new hires come through referrals from current employees—proof that our team is proud to recommend AP Health as a place to build a career.
This collaborative culture fuels our growth. Surgeons value the continuity and quality of our APPs so much that when they move to new facilities, they often request to bring our team members with them. Hospitals, in turn, recognize the impact: greater surgeon satisfaction, improved efficiency, and more productive ORs. Ultimately, clinical staffing isn’t just about filling roles—it’s about creating workplaces where skilled professionals choose to build their careers. In an industry where providers have more choices than ever, organizations that intentionally put their people first—through a collaborative work environment that prioritizes culture—will be the ones to secure and sustain top clinical talent.
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