Hiring the right nurse practitioner has become a major priority for healthcare systems facing rising patient demand, workforce shortages, and expanding care models.
Demand for NPs is rising rapidly. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects nurse practitioner jobs will grow nearly 46% from 2023 to 2033, which translates to roughly 135,500 new roles.
As this demand increases, nurse practitioners now comprise nearly 47% of U.S. primary care clinicians. And play a central role in addressing gaps caused by physician shortages and uneven provider distribution.
This growing reliance on NPs has made effective recruiting more complex and more critical.
Recruiters and staffing agencies help healthcare teams connect with qualified NPs who meet specific clinical and geographic needs.
This guide breaks down the top nurse practitioner recruiters and staffing agencies. We focus on what each firm actually delivers, how they support hiring teams, and which partners make the most sense for different staffing needs.
What is a nurse practitioner recruiter?
A nurse practitioner recruiter is a specialized hiring partner that helps healthcare leaders and HR teams fill NP roles faster and with less risk. These firms focus specifically on advanced practice staffing, where the scope of practice, state regulations, and clinical experience matter as much as speed.
This support is increasingly important as NPs take on more responsibility across care settings. Today, 27 states and Washington, D.C., grant nurse practitioners full practice authority, which means increased competition for experienced talent across primary care, urgent care, behavioral health, and acute care.
NP recruiters typically handle sourcing, screening, reference checks, and the credentialing process, while guiding teams through licensure and role alignment. Healthcare systems, urgent care operators, telehealth organizations, and long-term care providers rely on these partners when internal teams are stretched. This reliance continues to grow as nurse practitioner employment is projected to grow much faster than average through 2032, by 35%.
For a practical overview of what nurse practitioners do across different care settings, this short video provides helpful context:
Benefits of working with a nurse practitioner recruiter
Working with a nurse practitioner recruiter helps healthcare leaders hire faster, reduce risk, and maintain consistent clinical coverage as demand for advanced practice providers continues to rise.
For example, 4 million nurses are expected to retire by 2030, which increases competition for experienced nurse practitioners and shortens acceptable vacancy timelines.
Below are some of the key benefits of working with a specialized NP recruiter.
Shorter vacancy periods for critical roles
Open clinical positions create measurable operational strain. A single provider vacancy can lead to lost productivity, delayed patient care, and increased workload for existing staff. This pressure continues to intensify as workforce gaps widen.
By 2030, 42 out of 50 U.S. states are expected to experience nursing staff shortages, which increases competition for qualified clinicians and shortens acceptable vacancy timelines.
A specialized nurse practitioner recruiter helps limit this exposure by accelerating sourcing and screening for high-demand NP roles, particularly in competitive markets.
Stronger hiring outcomes through specialization
Advanced practice roles come with more complex licensing, credentialing, and scope of practice. Recruiters who focus specifically on nurse practitioners improve fit by screening for clinical readiness, specialty experience, and care-model alignment before interviews even begin.
Support when hiring pressure is high
Hiring pressure mostly peaks during periods of rapid growth, provider turnover, or service expansion. In these situations, staffing gaps tend to widen faster than internal teams can respond.
Recent workforce data shows how common this pressure has become. In 2024, hospital turnover reached 18.3% overall, while registered nurse turnover stood at 16.4%, which tightens recruiting timelines and increases the risk of coverage disruptions.
A nurse practitioner recruiter provides added capacity and market reach, which helps organizations maintain coverage standards without rushing hiring decisions or increasing compliance risk.
TL;DR Top Nurse Practitioner Recruiters and Staffing Agencies
- AAG Health: AAG Health delivers license-ready nurse practitioners fast and takes full ownership of credentialing, compliance, and onboarding so imaging departments stay fully operational without adding strain to internal teams.
- Healthcare Recruiters International (HCRI): HCRI uses healthcare-only experience and national market insight to help organizations secure long-term NP hires aligned with the scope of practice and care models.
- Insight Global: Insight Global offers large-scale nurse practitioner recruiting with a pay-on-hire model.
- NOW Healthcare Recruiting: NOW Healthcare Recruiting focuses on permanent NP and PA placements. They combine quick candidate delivery with retention-backed guarantees to reduce hiring risk for hard-to-fill roles.
- Barton Associates: Built for rapid locum tenens nurse practitioner coverage. They help healthcare organizations fill short-term and interim gaps with experienced NPs while managing licensing, travel, and credentialing end-to-end.
Top 10 Nurse Practitioner Recruiters and Staffing Agencies
Now let’s take a look at 10 of the best nurse practitioner recruiting partners out there and what makes them stand out.
1. AAG Health
At AAG Health, we help hospitals, clinics, and healthcare systems hire nurse practitioners who are ready to step in, meet scope-of-practice requirements, and contribute from day one.
Our nurse practitioner recruiting services are designed for organizations managing coverage gaps, rising patient demand, regulatory complexity, and extended hiring cycles that strain internal teams. AAG Health is an accepted member of the American Staffing Association (ASA). This reflects our alignment with national staffing standards and ethical recruiting practices.
We built our NP recruiting model to respond to these realities with predictability and accountability. AAG Health manages sourcing, screening, and credentialing end-to-end, which reduces administrative burden and shortens time-to-start.
Average placement timelines typically range from 55 to 90 days, compared with industry averages that often exceed 120 days for advanced practice placements. Placement success rates reach approximately 80% on exclusive searches, supported by a proprietary sourcing platform that generates 400+ healthcare candidate inquiries daily.
Organizations engaging AAG Health exclusively often report 50–70% cost savings compared with contingent or locum-first models. Plus, all placements are backed by a 90-day replacement guarantee.
Key services
- Direct hire and locum tenens nurse practitioner recruiting across primary care, urgent care, behavioral health, women’s health, and acute care
- Targeted sourcing based on specialty, scope of practice, and facility requirements
- End-to-end credentialing process managed by our dedicated credentialing team
- Reference checks and license verification completed before candidate submission
- Support for short-term coverage, long-term hires, and workforce stabilization needs
- Ongoing coordination through onboarding to reduce delays and early turnover
Why work with AAG Health
We stand out by combining fast, data-driven NP sourcing with full ownership of credentialing, compliance, and screening. We allow internal HR and clinical teams to focus on onboarding and patient care rather than administrative backlogs.
2. Healthcare Recruiters International (HCRI)
Healthcare Recruiters International (HCRI) is a healthcare recruiting firm with a dedicated focus on nurse practitioner recruitment. HCRI concentrates on permanent and long-term NP placements rather than short-term staffing. Their recruiters focus on aligning role expectations with what experienced nurse practitioners care about most, including scope of practice, patient load, clinical autonomy, and support structure. This approach helps employers reduce misalignment and avoid repeat searches.
HCRI also brings national market visibility to NP hiring. Their team tracks regional supply and demand, compensation ranges, and relocation trends, which is valuable for healthcare systems hiring in rural, underserved, or highly competitive markets.
Key services
- Direct hire nurse practitioner recruiting
- NP placement across primary care, urgent care, behavioral health, and acute care
- Nationwide sourcing and relocation support
- Candidate screening for clinical fit and care model alignment
- Reference checks and credentialing support
- Market insight on compensation and regional talent supply
Why work with Healthcare Recruiters International
HCRI is well-suited for organizations seeking permanent nurse practitioner hires, backed by decades of healthcare-only recruiting experience and nationwide market insight.
3. Insight Global
Insight Global recruits nurse practitioners across a wide range of care settings, including primary care, urgent care, behavioral health, acute care, and allied health environments. Their NP recruiting process emphasizes rapid turnaround. The firm handles job description creation, candidate sourcing, screening, and interview coordination, then supports onboarding once a hire is made.
Insight Global’s scale is one of its defining traits. With a database of millions of pre-screened professionals and broad distribution across job boards, they are well-positioned for healthcare systems that prioritize reach and fast pipeline generation. Their no-fee-until-hire pricing model also lowers the barrier to starting a search.
Key services
- Nurse practitioner recruiting across primary care, urgent care, behavioral health, and acute care
- Rapid candidate shortlists delivered within 24 to 48 hours
- Job description development tailored to current market expectations
- Large-scale candidate sourcing through national databases and job boards
- Interview coordination and onboarding support
- Pay-on-hire recruiting model with no upfront fees
Why work with Insight Global
Insight Global is a good option for organizations that value speed, scale, and cost flexibility when launching nurse practitioner searches. However, healthcare systems seeking deeper specialty alignment and more consultative placement support can turn to AAG Health instead.
4. NOW Healthcare Recruiting
NOW Healthcare Recruiting is a national healthcare recruiting firm that places nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and physicians for hospitals, health systems, and large provider groups across all 50 states. Their model centers on permanent placement, with a strong emphasis on speed, candidate volume, and long-term retention.
They position themselves as a relationship-driven recruiter with a large private candidate database. For employers struggling with long search cycles, NOW focuses on accelerating early-stage momentum by delivering interview-ready NP and PA candidates quickly, often within the first two weeks of a search.
NOW also backs its searches with clear guarantees. They commit to delivering two fully vetted providers within 120 days or refunding the fee, and they offer a multi-year placement protection plan aimed at reducing the risk of early turnover.
Key services
- Permanent nurse practitioner and physician assistant recruiting
- NP placement across primary care, Family Practice, acute care, and specialty settings
- Nationwide candidate sourcing through a private provider database
- Candidate screening and interview coordination
- Offer negotiation support and placement guarantees
- Long-term retention tracking and placement protection
Why work with NOW Healthcare Recruiting
NOW Healthcare Recruiting stands out for its speed-to-candidate delivery and retention-backed guarantees that reduce risk for clients.
5. Barton Associates
Barton Associates is a locum tenens staffing agency that focuses heavily on short-term and interim nurse practitioner coverage. Their model is built around speed and availability.
Barton maintains a large, continuously updated database of nurse practitioners across a wide range of specialties, including Family Practice, urgent care, women’s health, psychiatric mental health, acute care, and specialty services.
The firm assigns a dedicated account manager to each client, who oversees sourcing, screening, reference checks, and coordination with the credentialing team. They also manage licensing, travel, housing, and malpractice coverage.
Barton reports that nurse practitioners make up nearly 29% of providers in their locum tenens database, and that 44% of NPs have completed at least one locum tenens assignment. This shows their ability to supply experienced clinicians for temporary coverage across healthcare systems.
Key services
- Locum tenens nurse practitioner staffing for short- and mid-term coverage
- NP placement across primary care, urgent care, behavioral health, women’s health, and acute care
- Rapid deployment for urgent coverage needs, including same-week starts
- Dedicated account manager for sourcing, screening, and coordination
- Credentialing process, licensing, travel, housing, and malpractice management
- Nationwide database of experienced nurse practitioners
Why work with Barton Associates
Barton Associates is a good option for organizations that need fast, short-term NP coverage and want a locum tenens partner that handles logistics, credentialing, and deployment end to end.
6. SUMO Medical Staffing
SUMO Medical Staffing is a nurse practitioner staffing agency that supports healthcare systems, hospitals, urgent care centers, and long-term care providers with both locum tenens and permanent NP placements. Their model is designed for flexibility, which makes them a practical option for organizations managing variable coverage needs across primary care, women’s health, behavioral health, and acute care settings.
A key part of SUMO’s delivery model is its in-house credentialing team. Rather than pushing paperwork back onto internal staff, SUMO manages license verification, background screening, reference checks, and credential reviews in coordination with the medical staff office. This helps reduce time to start and limits administrative load for HR and operations teams.
Key services
- Locum tenens and permanent nurse practitioner staffing
- NP placement across primary care, women’s health, behavioral health, and acute care
- Rapid coverage using a float pool of pre-approved clinicians
- In-house credentialing process, including license verification and reference checks
- Nationwide staffing support for facilities of all sizes
- Ongoing assignment support and communication
Why work with SUMO Medical Staffing
SUMO Medical Staffing combines a ready-to-deploy nurse practitioner float pool with in-house credentialing support. This allows healthcare organizations to address coverage needs without managing credentialing workflows internally.
7. Connetics USA
Connetics USA is a healthcare recruiting firm focused on direct hire international nurse recruitment. Their model is built for healthcare systems and long-term care providers that want permanent, full-time nursing staff rather than contract or short-term coverage. Nurses placed through Connetics are hired directly by the facility and receive the same pay, benefits, and employment status as internal staff.
Their approach is designed to address long-term nursing shortages. Connetics sources registered nurses and allied roles from international markets and manages the full recruitment and relocation process. This includes immigration, licensing, credentialing, onboarding, and post-arrival support, which makes them a fit if you’re aiming for workforce stabilization rather than rapid-fill coverage.
Key services
- Direct hire international nurse recruitment for permanent roles
- Full-time placement of Registered Nurse and allied health professionals
- Immigration, licensing, and credentialing process management
- Onboarding and post-arrival support for nurses and families
- Staffing for acute care, long-term care, rehab, and allied roles
- Workforce planning support for sustained nursing coverage
Why work with Connetics USA
Connetics USA focuses on permanent international nursing recruitment and offers structured support for immigration, relocation, and post-arrival integration.
8. National Recruiters
National Recruiters is a healthcare recruiting firm that places nurses and nurse practitioners for facilities that need flexible coverage and dependable hiring support. They work with healthcare systems, infusion providers, and organizations facing growing patient populations, seasonal demands, and unexpected absences that create pressure on nursing coverage.
Their model is built around responsiveness and integration. National Recruiters positions its nurse practitioner recruiters as an extension of the internal hiring team, supporting PRN, direct hire, and on-demand staffing needs. This makes them a fit for organizations that care about continuity in recruiter relationships and consistent communication throughout the hiring cycle.
Key services
- Nurse practitioner and Registered Nurse recruiting
- PRN and direct hire staffing models
- Coverage support for seasonal demands and unexpected absences
- Candidate sourcing and screening aligned to facility needs
- Ongoing recruiter support integrated with internal teams
- Nationwide nursing recruitment services
Why work with National Recruiters
National Recruiters provides nursing recruitment support designed to integrate with internal hiring teams and address PRN and permanent staffing needs.
9. AMN Healthcare
AMN Healthcare supports healthcare systems with both permanent and locum tenens advanced practice staffing. Their advanced practice division places nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists across primary care, urgent care, behavioral health, and acute care settings.
AMN’s scale and infrastructure make it a common choice for large, multi-site healthcare systems. In addition to direct NP placement, they offer managed services, vendor management systems, integrated talent solutions, and recruitment consulting. This broader workforce model is designed to help organizations coordinate staffing across departments, facilities, and regions.
In one example with a Southwest U.S. medical center, AMN Healthcare implemented a centralized managed services staffing model that consolidated clinical staffing under one program. The health system improved compliance, reduced administrative overhead, and gained better visibility into workforce needs across multiple facilities.
Key services
- Permanent and locum tenens nurse practitioner staffing
- Advanced practice staffing for NPs, Physician Assistants, and CRNAs
- Nationwide database of licensed, vetted clinicians
- Multi-state licensure and malpractice coverage support
- Travel, housing, and onboarding coordination
- Managed services, VMS, and integrated talent solutions
Why work with AMN Healthcare
AMN Healthcare is a good fit for healthcare systems that need scalable advanced practice staffing supported by managed services and national infrastructure. However, organizations that need more targeted, consultative NP placement can choose a specialist partner like AAG Health.
10. Hunter Recruiting
Hunter Recruiting’s model focuses on credential accuracy, specialty alignment, and access to passive candidates who are not actively applying on job boards, which helps employers fill roles with less competition and less noise.
A key differentiator here is Hunter’s emphasis on quality screening and retention. Their recruiters manage sourcing, credentialing, and screening across state-specific scope of practice requirements, then support onboarding to reduce early-stage attrition. They support both direct hire and temporary staffing models, which makes them useful for organizations managing patient volume growth, seasonal demands, or coverage gaps tied to unexpected absences.
Key services
- Nurse practitioner staffing for direct hire and temporary roles
- Specialty recruiting across primary care, acute care, women’s health, and behavioral health
- Nationwide sourcing, including passive and quiet-search candidates
- Credentialing process and screening aligned to the state scope of practice
- Onboarding coordination to reduce time to productivity
- Guaranteed contingent search model
Why work with Hunter Recruiting
Hunter Recruiting supports nurse practitioner hiring with a focus on placement speed, access to passive candidates, and retention-focused recruiting processes. Employers seeking deeper consultative support and a market-driven placement strategy often choose a specialist partner like AAG Health.
How to choose the right nurse practitioner recruiter
Choosing the right nurse practitioner recruiter comes down to finding a partner who understands advanced practice realities. The right recruiter aligns clinical scope, staffing flexibility, and compliance ownership with how care is delivered in your organization.
Here are key factors to evaluate during your search.
Scope of Practice Expertise
One of the fastest ways NP searches derail is when candidates are technically qualified but misaligned with how care is actually delivered. A red flag is a recruiter who can’t clearly explain how they screen for scope-of-practice readiness across states.
A smart question to ask early is: “How do you verify that an NP has practiced within the same level of autonomy and patient mix we require?”
Staffing Model Flexibility
Many organizations need a mix of direct hire, locum tenens, or temporary nurse practitioner coverage to manage seasonal demand, service-line launches, or unexpected absences. If a recruiter only operates in one model, that limitation shows up quickly. We’ve seen teams forced into permanent hires when short-term coverage would have been safer.
Ask how they support transitions between temporary and permanent staffing without restarting the entire search process.
Credentialing Ownership
Credentialing delays quietly extend vacancies and disrupt coverage plans. Recruiters who simply pass along paperwork instead of managing the process can slow start dates by weeks. Strong partners manage credentialing workflows directly and clarify where internal teams need to stay involved.
A practical question to ask is: Which parts of the credentialing process do you own, and where does our team step in?
Read Next: Nurse Recruitment: 6 Must-Follow Best Practices
Ready to hire nurse practitioners with confidence? Partner with AAG Health
Throughout this guide, one point is clear: effective nurse practitioner hiring depends on precision. The best recruiters reduce that friction by combining speed, clinical understanding, and accountability.
That’s exactly where we stand apart. At AAG Health, we bring together advanced sourcing infrastructure, proprietary data platforms, and a high-touch partnership model built for healthcare leaders who need results, not resumes.
Our ASA membership reflects our commitment to national best practices and compliance, while our performance speaks for itself: average placements in 55-90 days, an 80% success rate on exclusive searches, 400+ inbound healthcare candidates daily, and a 90-day replacement guarantee that puts real accountability behind every hire.
If your organization needs nurse practitioners who stay, perform, and fit your care model, we’re built for that challenge.
Get in touch with us to discuss your staffing needs, coverage timelines, and compliance requirements.
FAQs
What does a nurse practitioner recruiter actually do?
A nurse practitioner recruiter sources, screens, and places qualified NPs while managing key steps like reference checks, credentialing preparation, and role alignment, so internal teams can hire faster with less risk.
When should a healthcare organization use an NP recruiter?
Most organizations bring in a recruiter when roles stay open too long, internal HR capacity is stretched, or coverage gaps begin affecting patient access, revenue, or clinician burnout.
Can NP recruiters support both temporary and permanent staffing?
Yes. Many recruiters offer direct hire, locum tenens, and short-term coverage options to help organizations manage growth, seasonal demand, or unexpected absences without committing too early.
How do NP recruiters reduce hiring risk?
Strong recruiters screen for clinical experience, scope-of-practice readiness, and long-term fit, which helps prevent mis-hires that lead to early turnover and repeat searches.
How is AAG Health different from other NP recruiting firms?
We focus on precision over volume, combining proprietary data, advanced sourcing infrastructure, and a consultative approach that delivers vetted, aligned candidates.
How quickly can AAG Health place a nurse practitioner?
Our average placement timeline is 55-90 days, significantly faster than typical industry timelines for advanced practice and physician roles.
What kind of guarantee does AAG Health offer?
We back every placement with a 90-day replacement guarantee, which gives healthcare leaders real accountability and confidence in each hire.
