How can a practice fund hiring when staff are hard to find?

What does a staffing gap really cost a practice?

The obvious costs are higher: agency rates, overtime, recruiting fees, sign-on and retention bonuses and training time. The hidden cost is lost revenue. An unfilled medical assistant, technician or therapist position can close schedule slots, lengthen wait times, and push patients elsewhere. Counting both sides shows whether funding a hire is worth it.

• A primary care practice closing afternoon slots because it is short two medical assistants
• A physical therapy clinic with a waitlist and one unfilled therapist position
• A veterinary hospital paying relief veterinarians while recruiting an associate
• An urgent care paying overtime to keep evening hours open

Which financing fits staffing costs?

Working capital or a line of credit is the usual fit, because staffing costs are short-term operating expenses rather than long-lived assets. Working capital suits a defined hiring push with a known budget. A line of credit suits ongoing, uneven needs, such as periodic agency coverage. Long-term loans are a poor match for payroll.

See working capital and the practice line of credit. Avoid funding ongoing payroll shortfalls with short-term products that take a daily or weekly payment, since uneven insurance deposits can make those payments hard to cover.

How do I show funders that hiring will pay for itself?

Link the staff cost to revenue. Show how many appointments per week are currently closed or delayed because of the gap, what those visits typically collect in your payer mix, and how quickly a new hire can restore them. A funder sees a short-term payroll rise with a clear recovery plan very differently from rising costs with no end.

Use your scheduling data: slots blocked, patients waitlisted, and wait times for new patients. Then build a simple month-by-month view of added cost against restored collections. That same analysis tells you whether an agency contract, overtime or a permanent hire is the best use of the money.

Are sign-on bonuses and agency staff worth funding?

They can be when they keep revenue-generating schedules open and the gap is temporary. Agency staff cost more per hour but can restore capacity immediately. Sign-on bonuses can speed hiring but may not improve retention on their own. Compare the full cost of each option with the revenue it protects over the same period.

Structure bonuses with your HR or employment advisor, including any repayment terms if the employee leaves early; MedicalBizFunding does not give legal or HR advice. For licensed providers, remember that payer enrollment may delay insurance revenue after they start. See funding the credentialing gap.

How much should a practice borrow for a hiring push?

Size the funding to a realistic hiring and onboarding period, not an open-ended amount. Estimate recruiting costs, bonuses, overlap or training time, and temporary coverage until new staff are productive, then subtract the revenue you expect to restore along the way. Add a cushion for a hire that takes longer than planned or does not work out.

Revisit the plan monthly. If hiring stalls, pause spending rather than drawing more. The goal is a short-term bridge back to a fully staffed schedule, not a permanently higher payroll paid for with borrowed money.

When should a practice fix something other than cash?

If turnover is the root cause, funding more hiring treats the symptom. Look at pay compared with local competitors, scheduling, workload and management before borrowing. Sometimes the cheaper fix is technology that reduces front-desk load, better scheduling, or cross-training. Funding works best when a clear hiring plan meets a gap with a visible end.

When the plan is ready, apply online and describe the positions, timeline and expected impact on scheduled visits. For specialty examples, see therapy clinics and behavioral health practices.

Updated September 14, 2026 · MedicalBizFunding Team