Recruiting and HR
Nurse practitioner and physician assistant recruiters for Florida practices
Nurse practitioner recruiters draw from a workforce that has grown fast: the APRNs and PAs billing Medicare's physician fee schedule rose from about 258,000 in 2019 to 348,000 in 2024 (MedPAC). We assist with recruitment, candidate screening and pre-qualification for direct hire.
The short answer
What do nurse practitioner recruiters check before an offer?
Before any offer, check the Florida license and certification, the practice model (a protocol kept on site or autonomous registration for an NP, a supervising physician for a PA) and the OIG exclusion list. Credentialing follows: Medicare's published clocks run 50 to 85 days from a complete application. The Advixor Group assists with recruitment, candidate screening and pre-qualification for direct hire, onto your payroll.
Sourcess. 464.012s. 464.0123s. 458.347First Coast timeframes
Direct Hire
How our nurse practitioner recruiters work: direct hire onto your payroll
The NP or PA you choose joins your payroll, and hiring, pay, classification and every other employment decision stays with you. Level 2 screening (how it works) and exclusion checks for every role are on Recruiting and HR. We recruit nurse practitioners and physician assistants for the specialties and markets you need. Before we present a candidate, we check the Florida license, the certification and the exclusion list and give you the dated results.
NP and PA recruiting
Beyond the search, we:
- Develop and update the job description
- Support onboarding and orientation (HR and staff training)
Before the Offer
What a nurse recruiter checks before an APRN offer
Check each license on MQA License Verification and run the OIG exclusion check before the offer.
| Item | Nurse practitioner (APRN) | Physician assistant (PA) |
|---|---|---|
| License | A Florida RN license or an active multistate RN license, plus the Florida APRN license | A Florida PA license, renewed every 2 years |
| Certification | Specialty-board certification, required for initial licensure and every renewal | The national certifying exam passed; a master’s degree if they entered the program after Dec 31, 2020 |
| Practice model | A protocol kept on site, or autonomous registration | A supervising physician |
| Enrollment | NPI; CMS-855I with reassignment to your group and a PTAN; Florida Medicaid, where a sole proprietor (alone or in a group) files Form 5000-1067 unless autonomous | Same, with Form 5000-1067 |
| First claims | Medicare: 85% of the physician fee schedule amount under the NP’s own NPI; Florida Medicaid: 80% under the NP’s own number when the physician isn’t in the building | Same; PAs may “bill for and receive direct payment” |
Sources ss. 464.012 and 458.347, F.S.; CMS Claims Processing Manual, ch. 12; AHCA Provider Enrollment Policy (Feb 2026) and 2026 Practitioner Fee Schedule.
Practice Model
Nurse practitioner recruiters in Florida: protocol or autonomous practice
An APRN works within a protocol that “must be maintained on site at the location or locations at which an advanced practice registered nurse practices,” unless registered and practicing as autonomous (s. 464.012(3)); the supervising physician files notice with the board within 30 days of entering into the protocol and again within 30 days after ending it (s. 458.348(1)).
Autonomous registration takes 3,000 clinical practice hours in the past 5 years under a physician’s supervision, shows on the DOH practitioner profile and covers primary care only, with no surgery beyond subcutaneous procedures and a written disclosure to each new patient (s. 464.0123). How a protocol is written into a contract is a question for your attorney; NP autonomy in Florida has the rest.
PA Supervision
Physician assistant recruiters in Florida: supervision and prescribing
The supervising physician’s capacity is part of a PA hire.
A physician providing primary health care may supervise no more than 4 offices besides the primary practice location where an APRN or PA works with no supervising physician on site; the limit is 2 for specialty health care and 1 for dermatologic and skin care (s. 458.348(3), which lists exceptions). Prescribing is delegated: the physician notifies DOH on its form before delegating, the PA must clearly identify as a PA and complete 10 continuing education hours at each renewal, 3 on controlled substances (s. 458.347(4)(e)). More in scope of practice in Florida.
“A physician may not supervise more than 10 currently licensed physician assistants at any one time.”
Controlled Substances
NP recruitment and controlled substances: DEA, E-FORCSE and the CE hours
- DEA registration. One is required for each principal place of business or professional practice where controlled substances are dispensed, except an office where a practitioner registered elsewhere in the same state only prescribes and keeps no supply (21 CFR 1301.12(b)(3)); the fee is $888 for 3 years (1301.13(e)).
- 8-hour training. Since June 27, 2023, a practitioner’s next DEA registration or renewal asks them to affirm a one-time 8-hour training on treating patients with opioid or other substance use disorders.
- E-FORCSE. For a patient 16 or older, the prescriber or a designee must consult Florida’s prescription drug monitoring program before prescribing a controlled substance (Schedule V nonopioids and hospice patients excepted); if it is down, the reason goes in the record and the supply is capped at 3 days (s. 893.055(8)).
- CE and limits. An APRN completes at least 3 hours on safely prescribing controlled substances each renewal (s. 464.013(3)(b)), as a prescribing PA does; the 2-hour course s. 456.0301 sets for DEA registrants “does not apply” where the practice act requires at least 2 such hours. Schedule II is held to a 7-day supply for APRNs and PAs, with psychiatric exceptions, and an APRN prescribes controlled substances only with a master’s or doctoral degree in a clinical nursing specialty (ss. 464.012(3)(a), (6)(a), 458.347(4)(f)). Psychiatric NPs have their own rules.
Miami Pay
What a physician assistant recruiter benchmarks: Miami pay and demand for NPs and PAs
The metro employed 5,810 NPs and 2,190 PAs, and DOH counted 54,783 active in-state APRNs and 13,340 PAs in fiscal 2025-26. In MGMA’s 2026 compensation report (2025 data), primary care NP pay rose about 22% over five years and PA pay about 27%, against about 15% for primary care physicians.
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, read Oct 20, 2026.
Credentialing Clock
After the offer: the credentialing clock a nurse practitioner recruiter plans for
Cigna adds about 10 business days to load a provider; UnitedHealthcare asks you to allow up to 60 days after approval and a signed contract. The filings: NPI and CAQH, Medicare, Florida Medicaid and each commercial plan; what plans ask to see is in medical credentialing explained.
Sources First Coast (Feb 18, 2026); Cigna; UnitedHealthcare; Humana credentialing policy; AHCA Florida Medicaid readiness tool; read Oct 20, 2026.
What’s included
What our nurse practitioner recruiting service includes
HR and staff training
Job descriptions, onboarding and orientation for the NP or PA you hire.
Learn moreVerify a Florida license
How to check an APRN or PA license, certification and board orders on MQA before the offer.
Learn moreOIG exclusion checks
How to run the OIG exclusion check on a candidate before the offer and every month after.
Learn moreNP autonomy
Protocol or autonomous registration, and how to find a collaborating physician.
Learn moreNP and PA credentialing
Enroll each NP and PA with Medicare, Florida Medicaid and commercial plans.
Learn moreScope of practice
What APRNs and PAs may do in Florida, and the limits on supervision and prescribing.
Learn moreQuick answers
Nurse practitioner recruiters: what practices ask before hiring
The hiring steps, licenses from other states, PA supervision, malpractice limits and what to ask any recruiting firm. Bring the details of your own hire to a consultation.
How do I recruit a nurse practitioner in Florida?
Does an NP from another state need a Florida license?
What counts as supervising a PA in Florida?
What malpractice coverage does an NP or PA need?
What should I ask a nurse practitioner recruiting firm before I sign?
Talk to an advisor
You care for patients. Who’s taking care of the business?
Tell us where your practice is today. We will tell you what we would do first.
Official sources
Read Oct 20 and 21, 2026.
- Florida Statutes (2026): ss. 456.0301, 458.347, 458.348, 464.012, 464.013, 464.0095, 464.0123, 893.055
- eCFR (current as of Oct 19, 2026): 21 CFR 1301.12 and 1301.13; 42 CFR 424.521
- DEA, 8-hour training letter; Florida DOH, E-FORCSE and MQA Annual Report FY 2025-26, Table 1
- BLS wages (May 2025, through its API); MedPAC, March 2026, ch. 4; MGMA Stat (Aug 19, 2026)
- CMS, Claims Processing Manual, ch. 12; AHCA, Provider Enrollment Policy and 2026 Practitioner Fee Schedule
- Payers: First Coast timeframes (Feb 18, 2026), Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Humana policy, AHCA readiness tool