Healthcare News and Trends
2020/2021 Sees Highest Demand for Nurse Practitioners
September 08, 2021
By the Merritt Hawkins team
Since early 2020, the global pandemic has
wreaked havoc on medical professionals, health systems and the healthcare
recruiting industry. It has been a time like no other. So it shouldn’t be a
surprise that 2020/2021 saw some changes in demand for nurse practitioners,
other advanced practitioners, and physicians across the United States.
In fact, nurse practitioners (NPs) claimed
the top spot as the most in-demand medical providers over the past year, based
on Merritt Hawkins’ requests from hospitals and healthcare facilities around
the country. These results in the new 2021 Review of Physician and Advanced
Practitioner Recruiting Incentives represent the first time in the report’s 28-year history
that the placement firm conducted more search engagements for nurse
practitioners than for any other type of provider.
“COVID-19 and other forces are changing the dynamics of
physician and advanced practitioner recruiting,” said Tom Florence, president
of Merritt Hawkins. “NPs are coming into their own in a market that puts a
premium on easy access to care and cost containment.”
The 2021 Review indicated that COVID-19 contributed to a 25
percent decline in demand for physicians, as many hospitals, medical groups,
and other healthcare facilities shut down services and lost revenue. Yet, during
this atypical year, the demand for nurse practitioners increased by 24 percent.
Meanwhile, the demand for other advanced practitioners was
down. The number of searches for physician assistants (PAs) was less than half
what it was the previous year. The number of requests for certified registered
nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) was also down year-over-year, likely due to a
reduction in elective surgeries that occurred throughout the country during the
pandemic. Yet, the average starting
salaries for all three advanced practice roles saw an increase this past year.
The demand and starting salaries for advanced
practitioners
NP
starting salaries show increase
Along
with the significant increase in demand for nurse practitioners this past year
(24 percent), the average starting salaries for NPs also showed strong growth
in Merritt Hawkins’ most recent review of recruiting incentives. The average
salary offer for NPs increased 12 percent year-over-year to $140,000 in
2020/2021. These numbers represent base salary or guaranteed income only, not
accounting for any production bonus or benefits.
The
average starting salaries for nurse practitioners over the past five years:
- $140,000
average NP salary in 2020/2021
- $125,000 average NP salary in 2019/2020
- $124,000 average NP salary in 2018/2019
- $129,000 average NP salary in 2017/2018
- $123,000
average NP salary in 2016/2017
Trends
in PA starting salaries
Although
the number of search requests for physician assistants was down significantly
over this past year, the average starting salaries for PAs increased by 14
percent, from $112,000 to $128,000. The 2021 Review noted the following salary
trends over the past five years:
- $128,000
average PA salary in 2020/2021
- $112,000 average PA salary in 2019/2020
- $110,000 average PA salary in 2018/2019
- $101,000 average PA salary in 2017/2018
- $115,000
average PA salary in 2016/2017
Trends
in CRNA starting salaries
Merritt
Hawkins’ data shows that the demand for CRNA placements was down nearly 10
percent year-over-year, but candidates’ average salary offers still saw a small
increase (3.3 percent). Here are the average starting salaries reported for
nurse anesthetists over the past five years:
- $222,000
average CRNA salary in 2020/2021
- $215,000 average CRNA salary in 2019/2020
- $197,000 average CRNA salary in 2018/2019
- $194,000 average CRNA salary in 2017/2018
- $202,000
average CRNA salary in 2016/2017
In
all of the above specialties, these numbers reflect the incentives that advanced
professionals are offered to attract them to new practice settings rather than
what they may actually earn and report on their tax returns. The range of
incentives detailed in Merritt Hawkins’ annual Review may be used as benchmarks
for evaluating which recruitment incentives are customary and competitive in today’s
market.
NPs
and PAs contributing to team-based care
There
are over 270,000 NPs practicing in the United States today, according to the
American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), with 78 percent of them
delivering primary care. By contrast, about one-third of the more than 120,000 PAs
practicing in the United States work in primary care, while two-thirds work in
specialty areas, according to the American Academy of Physician Assistants
(AAPA).
The 2021
Review reports that NPs and PAs are playing a growing role in team-based care,
caring for patients, coordinating the efforts of all members of the team, and
allowing doctors to focus on the most complex patients and procedures. Their
ability to educate patients, ensure patient compliance, reduce costs and
enhance patient satisfaction makes them an ideal resource for value-based
delivery systems. Many NPs and PAs are also growing into leadership positions that
will be critical for the transition to quality-based care.
Want
to learn more about the current recruitment trends, starting salaries and
incentives being offered to physicians and advanced practitioners?
Download
your copy: 2021 Review of Physician and Advanced
Practitioner Recruiting Incentives
Merritt Hawkins has career opportunities for
physicians and advanced practice providers across the U.S.
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