How Healthcare Training Partnerships Can Help Address Staffing Shortages
Healthcare staffing shortages continue to make it difficult for employers to fill essential roles. Healthcare training partnerships can help by preparing new candidates, developing current employees, and creating more direct pathways into hard-to-fill positions.
Rather than relying only on traditional recruiting, employers can use training partnerships to build talent around their workforce needs.
Here’s how these partnerships can help address staffing gaps and support long-term workforce development.
What Is a Healthcare Training Partnership?
A healthcare training partnership is an arrangement between a healthcare employer and an education or training provider to prepare people for specific workforce needs.
Employers can use these partnerships to train current employees, prepare prospective hires, or give students a clearer pathway into healthcare roles that are difficult to fill.
Depending on the organization, a partnership may include job-specific training, certification preparation, employee upskilling, clinical experience, or programs designed around particular allied health positions.
How Training Partnerships Differ From Traditional Recruiting
Traditional recruiting and healthcare training partnerships address the same staffing problem in different ways.
Find Qualified Talent
The employer looks for candidates who already have the skills, training, and credentials required for the position.
Develop Qualified Talent
The employer works with a training provider to help prepare current employees, candidates, or students with the skills and credentials needed for specific roles.
Employers do not have to choose one approach over the other. Recruiting can help fill immediate openings, while training partnerships can help develop additional talent for current and future workforce needs.
Why Are Healthcare Employers Facing Staffing Shortages?
Healthcare employers are dealing with several workforce pressures at the same time. Demand for care is growing, while many organizations are competing for a limited pool of workers with the right training, experience, and credentials.
Average healthcare job openings are projected each year from 2025 to 2035, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics .
Projected growth for healthcare support occupations from 2025 to 2035, making them one of the fastest-growing occupational groups in the economy. BLS
Growing Demand for Care
An aging population and the continued need to manage chronic conditions are increasing demand for healthcare services and the workers who provide them.
Competition for Qualified Workers
Employers may be competing for the same candidates, particularly in occupations where demand is growing faster than the available local workforce.
Turnover and Workforce Exits
Employers must replace workers who change occupations, leave the labor force, retire, or move to other organizations while also hiring for newly created positions.
Hard-to-Fill Allied Health Roles
Some positions require specific clinical skills, education, or credentials, which can narrow the pool of candidates who are ready to step into the role.
Training and Credential Requirements
Employers may need candidates with particular training or certifications before they can perform certain responsibilities, depending on the role and applicable requirements.
Local Talent Gaps
Staffing conditions can vary significantly by region. Rural areas, smaller communities, and competitive healthcare markets may have fewer qualified candidates available locally.
The American Hospital Association’s 2026 Health Care Workforce Scan notes that hospitals and health systems are responding to continued workforce changes by redesigning staffing models, redefining workforce needs, and upskilling existing team members.
Employers cannot always recruit their way out of a limited talent pool. When qualified candidates are difficult to find, developing current employees and creating new pathways into needed roles can become an important part of the staffing strategy.
How Can Healthcare Training Partnerships Help Address Staffing Shortages?
Healthcare training partnerships give employers more ways to respond to staffing shortages than recruiting alone. By connecting workforce needs with education and training, employers can develop current employees, prepare new candidates, and create more consistent pathways into hard-to-fill healthcare roles.
Develop Talent From Within
Employers may already have employees who are interested in advancing but need additional training before moving into a new role. A training partnership can help identify relevant programs and give those employees a structured way to build the skills needed for the next step.
Depending on the employee’s background, the position, and applicable requirements, training could support development in areas such as:
Prepare Candidates for Hard-to-Fill Roles
When an employer regularly struggles to find qualified applicants for the same positions, a training partner can help connect education more closely with those workforce needs.
Instead of waiting for candidates who already meet every requirement to enter the job market, employers can help create a pool of people who are being trained for roles the organization needs to fill.
Create Train-to-Hire Pathways
Train-to-hire programs start with the employer’s workforce needs and work backward to determine what training candidates need before they are ready to be considered for employment.
This approach does not guarantee employment or replace an employer’s hiring requirements, but it can create a more direct connection between training and positions the organization needs to fill.
Upskill Current Healthcare Employees
Training partnerships can also support employees who need additional skills or credentials for their current position or a future role. Employers can match training opportunities with specific workforce gaps instead of offering education without a clear connection to organizational needs.
A structured healthcare employee upskilling strategy can help employers develop more talent internally while giving employees additional opportunities to learn and advance.
Expand Access to Healthcare Training
Traditional classroom schedules can be difficult for employees who are already working. Flexible and online training can make coursework more accessible to employees balancing shifts, family responsibilities, or other commitments.
Online education does not eliminate hands-on, clinical, certification, or other requirements that may apply to a particular occupation. Employers should make sure the training model fits the role and any applicable state, employer, or certification requirements.
Build a More Consistent Talent Pipeline
Hiring becomes more difficult when employers have to start from scratch every time a position opens. An ongoing training partnership can create a more consistent connection with employees, students, and candidates who are developing skills for healthcare roles.
Externship partnerships can also give employers an opportunity to provide hands-on experience while connecting with students before they enter the broader job market.
Healthcare training partnerships will not eliminate every staffing challenge. They can, however, give employers additional ways to develop talent rather than relying entirely on a limited pool of workers who are already trained, credentialed, and actively looking for a new job.
Which Healthcare Roles Can Training Partnerships Help Employers Fill?
Healthcare training partnerships can be especially useful for allied health positions where employers need candidates with specific clinical, technical, or patient-care skills. The right training pathway depends on the role, the employee or candidate’s background, and applicable employer or state requirements.
Medical Assistants
Medical assistants support both clinical and administrative work in physician offices, clinics, and other healthcare settings. Training can help prepare candidates for responsibilities such as taking vital signs, assisting with examinations, updating patient information, and supporting front-office operations.
- Patient intake and vital signs
- Clinical assisting skills
- Medical terminology
- Administrative procedures
Employers interested in developing candidates for this role can explore ACT’s Medical Assistant program .
Strong demand: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of medical assistants to grow 12% from 2024 to 2034, with about 112,300 openings projected each year. View BLS data .
Patient Care Technicians
Patient care technicians can support nurses and other clinical team members with direct patient-care responsibilities. Training may cover skills such as measuring vital signs, assisting with activities of daily living, infection control, patient safety, and other foundational clinical tasks.
- Basic patient care
- Vital signs
- Patient safety
- Clinical support skills
ACT’s Patient Care Technician program provides training and preparation for the NHA Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant (CPCT/A) exam.
Important: Patient Care Technician is not reported as a standalone occupation by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, so employers should avoid using statistics from related occupations as though they apply specifically to PCTs.
Phlebotomists
Phlebotomists collect blood samples used for testing, transfusions, research, and other medical purposes. Training can prepare candidates in blood collection procedures, specimen handling, infection control, patient identification, and safety.
- Venipuncture procedures
- Specimen collection and handling
- Patient identification
- Infection control and safety
ACT’s Phlebotomy Technician program combines online coursework with preparation for national certification.
Workforce outlook: BLS projects employment of phlebotomists to grow 6% from 2024 to 2034, with about 18,400 openings projected each year. View BLS data .
Pharmacy Technicians
Pharmacy technicians work under the supervision of pharmacists to help prepare and dispense medications and support pharmacy operations. Training can cover medication terminology, prescription processing, pharmacy calculations, safety, and applicable laws and procedures.
- Prescription processing
- Pharmacy calculations
- Medication terminology
- Pharmacy law and safety
ACT’s Pharmacy Technician program prepares students for both the NHA and PTCB national certification exams.
Workforce outlook: BLS projects employment of pharmacy technicians to grow 6% from 2024 to 2034, with about 49,000 openings projected each year. View BLS data .
Foundational Healthcare Training Can Also Fill Skill Gaps
Not every workforce need requires training for an entirely new occupation. Employers may also use shorter programs to strengthen skills employees need across multiple healthcare settings.
For example, Medical Terminology training can help employees build a stronger understanding of healthcare vocabulary, documentation, anatomy, and terminology used in clinical environments.
Training and certification requirements vary by occupation, employer, and state. Completing a training or certification program does not automatically qualify an individual for every position or responsibility.
What Types of Healthcare Training Partnerships Can Employers Use?
Healthcare training partnerships can take different forms depending on an organization’s staffing needs. Some focus on developing current employees, while others help prepare new candidates, provide hands-on experience, or create a more direct connection between training and hiring.
Employee Upskilling Partnerships
Upskilling partnerships help employers provide current employees with additional training or credentials. These programs can be useful when an organization wants to address skill gaps internally or prepare employees to take on new responsibilities or pursue different roles.
Best for: Developing current employeesCredentialing and Train-to-Hire Programs
Train-to-hire partnerships begin with a specific workforce need. Employers and training providers can identify the skills or credentials needed for a role and prepare candidates before they move through the employer’s hiring process.
Best for: Preparing candidates for identified staffing needsExternship Partnerships
Externship partnerships give students an opportunity to apply what they have learned in a healthcare setting and gain supervised, hands-on experience where applicable. For employers, externships can also provide an opportunity to meet emerging healthcare talent before students enter the broader job market.
Best for: Hands-on experience and early connections with studentsApprenticeship and Workforce Development Partnerships
Workforce development partnerships can bring employers, training providers, and workforce organizations together to create structured pathways into healthcare careers. Depending on the model, this may include classroom or online instruction, work-based learning, apprenticeship components, and preparation for relevant credentials.
Best for: Structured career pathways and workforce development programsStaffing and Recruitment Partnerships
Staffing and recruitment partnerships connect employers with candidates who have already completed relevant training or are preparing to enter the workforce. This can give employers another source of candidates when traditional recruiting channels are not producing enough qualified applicants.
Best for: Connecting employers with trained candidates and graduatesThe right model depends on the workforce problem an employer is trying to solve. An organization may use one type of partnership for an immediate hiring need and another to develop employees or build a longer-term source of healthcare talent.
What Should Employers Look for in a Healthcare Training Partner?
A healthcare training partner should do more than offer a list of courses. Employers should look for a provider that understands healthcare workforce needs and can connect training to the skills, credentials, and roles the organization is trying to develop.
Healthcare-Specific Curriculum
Training should be designed for healthcare settings and reflect the skills employees or candidates will actually use on the job.
Alignment With Workforce Needs
Programs should connect to specific skill gaps, hard-to-fill roles, or internal career pathways rather than offering training without a clear workforce purpose.
Flexible Learning Formats
Online or flexible options can make it easier for working employees to complete training without stepping away from their current responsibilities.
Certification Preparation
Where national certification is relevant, employers should confirm that the program prepares learners for the appropriate exam and clearly explains eligibility requirements.
Hands-On Learning Options
For roles that require practical experience, employers should ask how clinical, externship, or other hands-on requirements are handled.
Multiple Allied Health Pathways
A broader range of programs can make it easier to support different departments, career pathways, and workforce needs through one training relationship.
Individual and Cohort Training
Employers may need to enroll one employee at a time or train larger groups. The provider should be able to support the enrollment model that fits the organization.
Employer Communication and Support
Employers should know who their point of contact is, how questions are handled, and what support is available throughout the training process.
Ability to Scale
A training partner should be able to support changing enrollment needs as the organization adds employees, locations, or new workforce initiatives.
Clear Timelines and Requirements
Employers should understand how long training takes, what learners must complete, which credentials are involved, and whether additional state or employer requirements apply.
Questions Employers Should Ask Before Choosing a Partner
- Which healthcare roles can your programs help us develop?
- Can training be matched to our specific workforce needs?
- How flexible is the program for employees who are already working?
- Which national certification exams does the training prepare learners for?
- How are hands-on or clinical requirements handled?
- Can you support both individual employees and larger cohorts?
- What support will our organization receive during the partnership?
The best healthcare training partner is one that can clearly explain how its programs fit the employer’s workforce needs, what employees or candidates will be expected to complete, and how the partnership can adapt as those needs change.
How to Build a Healthcare Training Partnership
A healthcare training partnership works best when it starts with a specific workforce problem. Before choosing a program or provider, employers should identify what they need, who they want to train, and how training will connect to hiring or advancement.
Identify Your Hardest-to-Fill Positions
Start with the roles creating the most pressure on your workforce. Review hiring data, open positions, turnover, time-to-fill, and expected staffing needs to determine where a training partnership could have the most practical value.
Determine Which Skills and Credentials Are Needed
Define the skills employees or candidates need to perform the role successfully. Separate credentials that are legally, professionally, or organizationally required from qualifications that are simply preferred.
Requirements can vary by occupation, employer, certification organization, and state, so they should be confirmed before selecting a training program.
Decide Who You Want to Train
The right training audience depends on the staffing problem. Employers may focus on current employees who want to advance, new candidates who need additional preparation, students entering the workforce, or a combination of these groups.
Select the Right Training Model
Choose a partnership model based on what the organization is trying to accomplish rather than using the same approach for every workforce need.
Establish a Training and Hiring Process
Before launching the partnership, define what the employer, training provider, and participant are responsible for at each stage. This helps prevent confusion about where training ends and the employer’s hiring process begins.
Not every pathway will include every step. Certification and clinical experience requirements depend on the role and applicable requirements.
Measure the Results
Decide how the organization will evaluate the partnership. The most useful measures will depend on the original workforce problem, but employers can track both training progress and staffing outcomes.
- Training completion rates
- Certification outcomes
- Internal promotions
- Positions filled
- Time-to-fill
- Employee retention
A healthcare training partnership should have a clear connection to a workforce need. Starting with the positions that are hardest to fill and working backward to the skills, training, and candidates needed can help employers build a more focused program.
Partner With Advanced eClinical Training to Build Healthcare Talent
When qualified candidates are difficult to find, healthcare employers need more options than posting another job opening. Advanced eClinical Training works with healthcare organizations to help develop current employees, prepare new candidates, and create additional pathways into needed allied health roles.
ACT’s employer and workforce development partnerships can be structured around specific staffing needs, whether an organization is trying to upskill existing staff, prepare candidates before hiring, connect with trained graduates, or build a longer-term source of healthcare talent.
Clinical Staff Upskilling
Employers can enroll current employees in healthcare training that supports new skills, certifications, or responsibilities based on the organization’s workforce needs.
Credentialing and Train-to-Hire
ACT can work with employers to identify needed credentials, prepare candidates through relevant training, and create a more direct pathway from education to the employer’s hiring process.
Medical Assistant Staffing
Healthcare organizations looking for Medical Assistants can work with ACT to connect with trained students and graduates while building a staffing approach around their hiring needs.
Externship Partnerships
Employers can become ACT externship sites and provide supervised clinical experience while connecting with students preparing to enter the healthcare workforce.
Workforce Development Partnerships
ACT works with workforce development organizations and employers that are creating healthcare career pathways, training initiatives, and programs designed around local workforce needs.
Apprenticeship Training Support
ACT can provide Related Technical Instruction for allied health apprenticeship programs, giving workforce organizations and employers an educational component for structured apprenticeship pathways.
Flexible Allied Health Training for Different Workforce Needs
- Online, self-paced healthcare training
- National certification preparation where applicable
- Medical Assistant training
- Patient Care Technician training
- Phlebotomy Technician training
- Pharmacy Technician training
- Medical Terminology training
- Clinical and experiential learning opportunities
ACT currently reports a nationwide network of more than 1,000 healthcare partners. Its online programs span several allied health pathways and prepare learners for nationally recognized certification exams where applicable, giving employers different ways to match training with their staffing and workforce development needs.
Build a Partnership Around Your Staffing Needs
Explore options for employee upskilling, train-to-hire, staffing, externships, and workforce development partnerships with Advanced eClinical Training.
Explore ACT’s Employer Partnership SolutionsFAQs about Healthcare Training Partnerships
A healthcare training partnership connects an employer with a training provider to prepare employees, candidates, or students for specific healthcare roles.
They can help employers fill staffing gaps by training current employees, preparing new candidates, and creating additional pathways into hard-to-fill roles.
Yes. Employers can sponsor training or certification programs to help eligible employees prepare for new roles or responsibilities.
A train-to-hire program trains candidates for specific roles before they enter an employer’s hiring process.
Depending on the program, employers can develop talent for roles such as medical assistants, patient care technicians, phlebotomists, and pharmacy technicians.
Look for healthcare-specific training, flexible formats, certification preparation, clear requirements, employer support, and programs that match the roles you need to fill.
ACT works with employers on staff upskilling, train-to-hire programs, Medical Assistant staffing, externships, and workforce development partnerships.
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