Supporting Administrative Time for Advanced Practitioners: A Comprehensive Approach

Advanced practitioners (APs), including nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs), clinical nurse specialists, and pharmacists, are pivotal in health care. Despite their critical role, record numbers of APs are leaving the profession, primarily due to poor work-life balance, which contributes to burnout and high turnover rates. This article explores the impact of administrative time on AP job satisfaction and retention, drawing from recent surveys and case studies. Findings indicate that dedicated administrative time significantly enhances job satisfaction and reduces burnout, with data showing that APs with administrative time are less likely to leave their roles. The Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology (APSHO) prioritized addressing AP burnout in 2024 by advocating for structured administrative time. Following an extensive review of the literature and survey data, the APSHO Administrative Time Subcommittee recommends 8 hours of administrative time per week as reasonable for a full-time AP in clinical outpatient practice. Additionally, this committee proposes a comprehensive model for implementing administrative time. The call to action is clear: to sustain a high-quality health-care workforce, it is essential to support APs through policies that promote work-life balance, retention, and operational efficiency.