Healthcare organizations are being asked to do more with their clinical workforce: improve access, support growing patient demand, maintain quality, and create sustainable workloads for physicians and clinical teams.
For many organizations, Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and Physician Assistants (PAs) can play an important role in expanding care capacity. But the strongest APP workforce strategies do not start with an open position or a decision to hire an NP or PA.
They start with the care model.
Before adding an APP, healthcare employers should understand what demand exists, where the current team has capacity constraints, what patients need, and how an additional provider can fit into the broader clinical workflow.
The goal is not to use APPs as replacements for physicians. It is to deliberately design a care team in which physicians, APPs, nurses, and other clinical professionals can each contribute effectively.
Demand for advanced practice providers continues to grow.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of nurse practitioners is projected to grow approximately 40% from 2024 to 2034, while employment of physician assistants is projected to grow approximately 20% during the same period.
That growth reflects the expanding role of APPs across healthcare settings and the need for organizations to think strategically about how these providers fit into their workforce.
For employers, the more useful question is not simply:
“Should we hire an NP or PA?”
It is:
“What care capacity are we trying to create, and what team structure will best support it?”
That distinction is important. Hiring an APP without first defining the need can create unclear responsibilities, inefficient schedules, and frustration for both the provider and the existing clinical team.
The first step in APP workforce planning is identifying the problem.
Organizations may be trying to address:
Each of these challenges may require a different workforce solution.
For example, an organization trying to improve access to routine follow-up appointments may design a very different APP role from a specialty practice looking to expand procedural capacity.
The care need should determine the role—not the other way around.
Once the organization understands the problem, the next step is determining how the work should be distributed.
Ask:
This creates a team model rather than simply adding another provider to an existing schedule.
A well-designed APP role should make the entire care team more effective.
NPs and PAs have different educational pathways and may bring different experiences to a clinical environment.
However, workforce planning should avoid treating either profession as a universal solution.
The appropriate choice depends on factors such as:
The question is not which profession is “better.”
The question is which provider profile best fits the work the organization needs accomplished.
APP workforce planning should account for the clinical environment from the beginning.
An APP supporting an orthopedic practice may need significant procedural or surgical experience. A primary care organization may prioritize experience managing chronic conditions and establishing longitudinal patient relationships. A hospital-based role may require a different combination of clinical experience, schedule flexibility, and team collaboration.
Employers should define:
Defining these requirements early helps ensure the recruiting strategy is aligned with the actual position.
APP integration should include a clear approach to physician collaboration and clinical escalation.
The appropriate structure will vary based on the organization, specialty, state requirements, and individual provider qualifications.
Before recruiting, organizations should establish:
The objective is not simply to establish a reporting structure.
It is to create a predictable clinical workflow in which everyone understands how the team operates.
An APP schedule should reflect the reason the position exists.
Depending on the organization, an APP may help:
But additional appointments are not automatically additional capacity.
Scheduling also needs to account for documentation, care coordination, administrative work, collaboration, and the complexity of the patients being seen.
A sustainable schedule should improve access while giving the provider enough time to deliver high-quality care.
Once the care model is established, recruiting becomes more precise.
Rather than asking a recruiter to simply “find an NP” or “find a PA,” employers can define the provider they actually need.
The recruiting profile may include:
The clearer the role, the easier it becomes to identify candidates who are genuinely aligned with the opportunity.
Recruiting is not only about finding candidates. It is also about communicating the role accurately.
Candidates should understand:
A well-positioned opportunity helps candidates determine whether the role is right for them before they enter the hiring process.
That can improve both recruitment efficiency and long-term retention.
Adding an APP should be treated as a workforce investment.
Organizations should establish the desired outcomes before the provider begins.
Depending on the original workforce need, relevant measures may include:
The metrics should connect directly to the reason the organization created the position.
If the goal was to improve access, measure access.
If the goal was to redistribute workload, evaluate physician and APP workload.
If the goal was to support a growing service line, measure whether the new team structure is actually creating sustainable capacity.
The strongest APP strategies do not treat hiring as a standalone activity.
They connect workforce planning to patient demand, physician capacity, scheduling, specialty requirements, and clinical workflows.
That allows organizations to answer three important questions:
When those questions are answered first, the recruiting process becomes much more targeted.
NPs and PAs can be valuable components of a healthcare organization's workforce strategy, but their impact depends on how thoughtfully their roles are designed.
Successful APP workforce planning means:
The goal is not simply to add another provider.
It is to build a stronger clinical team around the needs of the patients and the organization.
How do APPs help with physician shortages?
APPs can extend an organization's clinical capacity by managing appropriate portions of patient care within a team-based model. This can allow physicians to focus more of their time on complex cases and responsibilities that require their expertise.
What is the key to successful APP integration?
Clear role definition is essential. APPs should understand their responsibilities, scope of practice, collaboration expectations, escalation pathways, and how their work fits into the larger care team.
Can APPs help with burnout?
APPs can help distribute clinical workload when their roles are intentionally designed around the needs of the practice. However, APP hiring should be part of a broader workforce strategy rather than treated as a standalone solution to burnout.
How should I structure APP compensation?
Compensation should reflect the provider's specialty, experience, responsibilities, market, and overall role. Employers should consider regional and specialty-specific benchmarks along with schedule expectations, benefits, productivity incentives, call responsibilities, and other elements of the overall compensation package.
The right APP strategy starts with understanding the role your organization actually needs.
Relode helps healthcare organizations connect workforce needs with qualified healthcare professionals as they build flexible, effective clinical teams
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