Leaders at most healthcare organizations know how expensive it can be to replace a physician who departs—as much as $1 million or more, research shows. But when you’re a physician in your early career or looking for your first job after residency or fellowship, it’s important to find an employer who puts time and resources behind any reassuring words about retention and turnover.
“We have seen an uptick in organizations reporting that they had a documented retention strategy,” said Carey Goryl, CEO of the Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR), a professional organization of internal physician and healthcare provider-recruitment professionals. “But it's one thing to say that you're doing all these elements [of a strategy]. It's another thing to actually have an impact in the way that you want them to.”
AAPPR data shows that there can be a gap between an organization’s retention strategy and the actual programs they offer. With that in mind, Goryl provided some tips for physicians looking to dig deeper in interviews to get information about the real state of turnover at an organization where they are considering a job.
Turnover a fact of life for healthcare
Research shows that early-career physicians, particularly those in their first roles after training, may not stay long.
AAPPR’s “2025 Physician and Provider Recruitment Benchmarking Report: Search Dynamics and Trends” (registration required) found physician turnover to be at an overall median rate of 7.3%. But those in their first jobs out of residency and fellowship are even more likely to leave. A report from Jackson Physician Search and the Medical Group Management Association shows that nearly 60% of physicians will leave their first post-training jobs within three years. More than 25% said they considered leaving within just one year.
The AMA STEPS Forward® interactive tool “Organizational Cost of Physician Burnout” helps estimate the total financial impact of burnout-related physician turnover for an organization.
So how do organizations try to keep physicians around?
In AAPPR’s “2026 Physician and Advanced Practice Provider Retention Strategy Report” (registration required), 158 recruiters of physicians and other health professionals were surveyed about that very topic. Of those surveyed, 39% reported having a formal retention strategy, and the same share said that they have informal retention-related activities but no formal structure.
However, while 92% of survey respondents said that they included “work-life balance” measures in their retention strategy, 81% had actual “work-life balance” programs or offerings. Of the respondents, 71% had peer support and well-being in their strategies but 61% included it in practice. And 82% said they had compensation and benefit in their retention strategy, but in practice, only 53% of organizations reported offerings in that category.
On the flip side, 50% of organizations featured flexible scheduling in their strategies but 70% used flexible scheduling in practice. Clinical autonomy was in 55% of strategies but 66% of organizations’ regular practice, and mentorship programs were in 55% of strategies but 61% of organizations’ offerings.
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One of these programs is the AMA Peer Support Workshop. The Oct. 28–29 event focuses on helping healthcare organizations build a peer-support system that works.
Turnover types vary
It’s important to remember, however, that turnover isn’t always a negative—for the physician or the healthcare organization—and it’s not always preventable. Life can, and will, happen.
Physician turnover is frequently “a positive pull toward a better personal or professional fit,” Goryl said. “It's not always dissatisfaction, but that decision to move on is a signal for you and the organization to pay attention to what’s working or not.”
In fact, previous AAPPR research explored why physicians and other healthcare professionals said they were leaving their jobs and survey data showed that the most common reasons reported for physician turnover were, in order:
- Retirement.
- Taking a similar role elsewhere.
- Geography.
- Burnout.
- Compensation.
- Advanced learning.
Healthcare organizations cannot do much to change where they are located, and physician compensation can have a ceiling in early career. And healthcare leaders should celebrate when a physician retires in a role after decades of work.
Clearly, physicians should avoid places with high turnover due to burnout and lack of advancement and professional development opportunities. And they need to ensure their pay reflects market value and is commensurate with their skills and training.
“Compensation is the original retention tactic. Organizations have always had that at their disposal, to offer more money, offer retention bonuses, to do more frequent reviews and to be competitive,” Goryl said. “But that just doesn't cut it anymore.”
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Taking the next step on retention
Beyond asking about compensation and well-being, physicians can find out more about where organizational missions align with their efforts. In interviews, some of the questions physician job seekers may want to get answers to are:
- Is there a documented retention strategy?
- Who “owns” retention efforts at the organization?
- Is there high-level buy-in for retention?
- Do they regularly track and analyze retention-related data?
- Do they regularly track usage of and satisfaction in retention programs?
Goryl said that if a physician cannot find specific answers to those questions, that may be a sign that the organization has more work to do on retention. For example, the employer may tout a referral bonus for someone who recommends a physician they wind up hiring.
“We know that physician referral programs, like referral bonuses, are incredibly helpful to both recruitment and retention,” she said. “But what I hear is often that the process to get the bonus is complicated, cumbersome and nobody really knows if it's working.”
There is no “perfect job,” however. What you’re seeking is a role where you will be valued as a physician and your career and personal development can flourish. The rest, ultimately, will remain to be seen.
Learn more on evaluating practice environments to match your priorities with the AMA STEPS Forward® toolkit, “What to Look for in Your First or Next Practice.” It is enduring material and designated by the AMA for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Read up on AMA accreditation.
