VIDEO | Attracting and Retaining Physicians in Pediatric Organizations

Advances in treatments for children with complex needs have increase the demand for subspecialty care.

However, the number of physicians looking to specialize in pediatric care is not keeping pace – resulting in a highly competitive recruitment environment.

In our latest video, SullivanCotter’s Clara Hurtt shares how some pediatric organizations are responding by:

• Developing annual physician recruitment plans
• Conducting provider needs assessments to quantify future access gaps
• Increasing sign-on bonuses, relocation assistance and student loan repayment
• Evaluating compensation competitiveness and design
• Optimizing team-based care models to support physicians

Video Transcript

Hi, my name is Clara Hurtt. I’m a Principal with SullivanCotter in our Physician and APP Workforce Practice. I’ve been helping pediatric organizations assess and design physician performance and compensation strategies for almost 10 years.

The physician recruitment environment in pediatrics is highly competitive. Advances in treatments for children with complex needs have increased the demand for subspecialty care – resulting in nearly 40% of children in middle childhood and adolescence having at least one chronic condition.

However, the number of physicians who wish to specialize in pediatric care isn’t keeping pace with the demand. The pediatric residency match in 2024 was the worst in match history with only 92% of available slots filled versus 97% in 2023. While there was a rebound in 2025 with the largest number of future pediatricians in match day’s history, the number of residents interested in pediatrics still isn’t enough to keep pace with the growing demand.

Given the mounting market pressure and high demand for services, what are pediatric organizations doing to recruit and retain physician talent? Based on data gathered by SullivanCotter, as well as our experiences in the market, we are seeing organizations take multifaceted approaches.

First, there’s been a slight increase in the number of organizations creating and utilizing annual physician recruitment plan. Some organizations are completing provider needs assessments to support organizational strategies and reinforce the recruitment plan. As an example, one pediatric organization was able to quantify the potential impact on patient access through projected provider deficits in its geographic area within a three year timeframe based on anticipated clinician departures. This allowed the organization to create a succession plan and targeted recruitment plan to avoid future care gaps.

Second, the competition for talent is causing organizations to invest in recruitment strategies. We’ve seen an increase not just in the use of relocation assistance and sign bonuses but also in the value of these payments. In addition, we are hearing from more organizations that are considering student loan repayment and recruitment strategies as well.

Third, organizations are assessing the overall competitiveness of their compensation program. Many organizations start with an evaluation of available pediatric market survey data sources as they are doing their best to keep pace with market movement. Recognizing that it’s not just about the actual compensation, but how the compensation is delivered, organizations are also reviewing compensation design strategies to ensure that the resulting compensation balances retention with compliance.

Finally, organizations are assessing care teams to ensure that all providers, physicians, and advanced practice providers are working to the top of their license and appropriately building incentives to drive and reinforce team-based behaviors – which helps alleviate some, but not all, of the pressure on the number of physicians needed to meet patient demand.

By making decisions based on available data, pediatric organizations are better positioned to recruit and retain physician talent and, more importantly, to better meet patient care needs.