Healthcare Training Partnerships: How Employers Can Build an Allied Health Talent Pipeline in 2026
Healthcare employers cannot always recruit their way out of a staffing shortage.
When every clinic is competing for the same limited pool of medical assistants, phlebotomists, patient care technicians, pharmacy technicians and administrative healthcare professionals, posting another job opening may produce the same result: too few qualified candidates, longer vacancies and greater pressure on the employees who remain.
Healthcare training partnerships offer a more sustainable approach.
Instead of waiting for perfectly qualified applicants to appear, an employer can partner with a healthcare training provider to:
Upskill existing employees
Prepare entry-level candidates
Support certification readiness
Create supervised externship opportunities
Build train-to-hire pathways
Develop internal career ladders
Connect education directly to workforce needs
Build a recurring allied health talent pipeline
Clinical Skills Institute works with healthcare employers seeking flexible, affordable and scalable training pathways for medical assistants and other allied health roles.
Quick Answer: How Do Healthcare Training Partnerships Address Staffing Shortages?
A healthcare training partnership connects an employer’s staffing needs with structured education, certification preparation, supervised experience and career development.
A practical pathway may look like this:
Workforce need → candidate identification → online training → certification preparation → supervised experience → employer evaluation → potential hiring
Employers can use this model to develop current employees, prepare new hires, host externs or build a continuing source of candidates for hard-to-fill positions.
The strongest partnerships are connected to measurable staffing objectives. They do more than provide course access. They define:
Which positions need to be filled
Which skills employees need
Which credentials are required or preferred
Who will receive training
How practical experience will be provided
How the employer will evaluate participants
Which outcomes will be measured
Why Healthcare Staffing Requires a Pipeline Strategy
Healthcare demand continues to grow while employers also replace workers who retire, change careers or move to other organizations.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects medical assistant employment to grow 13% from 2025 through 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations. BLS projects approximately 109,700 medical assistant openings each year during that period.
Medical assistants held approximately 833,900 jobs in 2025. Physician offices employed 56%, hospitals employed 17% and outpatient care centers employed 10%.
Review the current Bureau of Labor Statistics medical assistant outlook.
These figures demonstrate an important workforce reality: employers are not only competing for newly created positions. They must continually replace people leaving existing positions.
This creates pressure on:
Patient access
Provider schedules
Rooming and intake workflows
Front-office operations
Clinical documentation
Employee overtime
Staff morale
Training capacity
Patient experience
Organizational growth
A vacancy does not affect only one position. An unfilled medical assistant role can influence how many patients a provider can see, how quickly rooms turn over and how much work is redistributed to nurses, providers and administrative staff.
That is why medical assistant staffing should be treated as a workforce pipeline issue—not only a recruiting issue.
Learn more about the medical assistant shortage and seven ways to build an MA talent pipeline.
Traditional Recruiting vs. Healthcare Training Partnerships
Traditional recruiting asks:
Who is already qualified and available to hire?
A healthcare training partnership asks:
Who could become qualified with the right education, certification preparation, supervision and support?
Traditional recruiting remains necessary for immediate openings. However, recruiting alone may not solve continuing workforce shortages.
Healthcare training partnerships expand the potential talent pool to include:
Current employees ready for advancement
Front-office staff interested in clinical roles
New healthcare employees who need structured training
Community members seeking entry-level healthcare careers
College students pursuing clinical experience
Premed and pre-PA students
Career changers
Externship participants
Workforce-development program participants
Candidates who have completed training but need employer connections
The employer is no longer limited to competing for the same experienced applicants. It can help develop talent around its actual workforce needs.
Seven Ways Healthcare Training Partnerships Can Strengthen Staffing
1. Upskill Existing Employees
An employer’s next medical assistant may already work within the organization.
Current employees may understand the practice’s:
Patients
Scheduling system
Culture
Communication expectations
EHR
Policies
Providers
Daily workflows
They may still need medical assistant education, clinical knowledge or certification preparation before pursuing a different role.
A training partnership can give eligible employees a structured pathway to develop professionally while continuing to work.
Potential internal candidates may include:
Medical receptionists
Patient service representatives
Administrative assistants
Uncertified medical assistants
New clinical support employees
Employees transferring between departments
Internal advancement can preserve institutional knowledge and show employees that the organization is willing to invest in their development.
Training does not independently authorize an employee to perform new responsibilities.
Duties must remain consistent with applicable law, employer policy, demonstrated competency and proper supervision.
2. Standardize Medical Assistant Knowledge
Healthcare employees may enter an organization with very different educational backgrounds.
One person may have completed formal medical assistant training. Another may have learned through previous employment. A third may be completely new to healthcare.
A structured training pathway can help establish a more consistent foundation in areas such as:
Medical terminology
Anatomy and physiology
Patient intake
Vital signs
Infection prevention
Clinical documentation
EHR workflows
Patient privacy
Professional communication
Examination-room preparation
EKG fundamentals
Phlebotomy fundamentals
Legal and ethical responsibilities
Recognition and escalation of patient concerns
Employers must still provide site-specific orientation and competency validation. However, standardized education can reduce the amount of foundational content that managers must create independently.
3. Create Train-to-Hire Programs
A train-to-hire program begins with an employer’s anticipated openings and works backward.
The employer and training provider identify:
The position that must be filled
The knowledge required for the role
Applicable certification expectations
The candidates who may be suitable
The training pathway
The supervised-experience process
The employer’s assessment and hiring process
A train-to-hire pathway may be useful for organizations that regularly hire:
Medical assistants
Patient care technicians
Phlebotomy technicians
EKG technicians
Pharmacy technicians
Medical administrative assistants
Medical billing and coding professionals
Completing training does not guarantee employment. Participants must still satisfy the employer’s hiring, competency, background and onboarding requirements.
The advantage is alignment. Candidates are trained with a clearer understanding of the role they are preparing to pursue.
4. Use Externships as an Early Talent-Identification Strategy
Externships should not be viewed only as a student benefit.
A well-managed externship can give an employer an opportunity to observe a prospective entry-level candidate in a real healthcare environment.
Employers may be able to evaluate:
Reliability
Professional communication
Coachability
Patient interaction
Attention to detail
Teamwork
Adaptability
Workplace maturity
Attendance
Response to feedback
Interest in the organization
Ability to follow policies
A résumé and interview provide limited information. A supervised externship may give the practice a more complete understanding of how a student behaves in a professional environment.
Hosting an extern does not create an obligation to hire. It gives the employer an early connection with developing healthcare talent.
Clinical Skills Institute coordinates externship placements for eligible students and can work with qualified healthcare organizations interested in becoming clinical partners.
Read about the Clinical Skills Institute training-to-externship process.
5. Make Training Accessible to Working Employees
Traditional classes may be difficult for healthcare employees who work variable schedules, evenings or weekends.
Online, self-paced training may allow employees to study:
Before or after work
During approved professional-development time
On weekends
On days off
Around rotating schedules
Without commuting to a classroom
Without attending required weekly Zoom meetings
Flexible education can reduce scheduling friction and make employer-sponsored development available to more employees.
Online education does not eliminate hands-on training, employer competency assessments or state-specific requirements. Employers should determine how each employee will safely apply and demonstrate practical skills.
6. Build Internal Career Ladders
Training partnerships can help employers create visible advancement pathways.
One possible medical assistant pathway is:
Front-office employee → medical assistant training → CCMA certification preparation → supervised competency development → medical assistant position
Other potential pathways include:
Medical assistant → phlebotomy or EKG upskilling
Entry-level clinical employee → patient care technician preparation
Pharmacy support employee → pharmacy technician certification preparation
Administrative employee → medical administrative assistant or billing and coding training
A career ladder can help employees understand what they must accomplish to pursue advancement. It can also help managers connect tuition support with actual organizational needs.
7. Build a Repeatable Community Talent Pipeline
Employers with recurring staffing needs can build relationships with:
Healthcare training providers
Workforce-development organizations
Community groups
High schools
Colleges
Premed organizations
Pre-PA organizations
Career-transition programs
Externship candidates
Instead of beginning from zero whenever a position opens, the organization develops a continuing network of people preparing for healthcare employment.
Which Allied Health Positions Can Training Partnerships Support?
Medical Assistants
Medical assistants perform both clinical and administrative responsibilities, depending on the employer and applicable state law.
Training may cover:
Patient intake
Vital signs
Medical histories
Examination preparation
Clinical documentation
EKG fundamentals
Phlebotomy fundamentals
Infection prevention
Medical-office workflows
Patient communication
BLS reports that employers may prefer or require medical assistant certification even where state law does not universally require it.
Clinical Skills Institute provides online medical assistant training and preparation for the NHA Certified Clinical Medical Assistant examination.
Phlebotomy Technicians
Phlebotomy technicians support blood-collection and specimen workflows.
Training may include:
Patient identification
Venipuncture fundamentals
Capillary collection
Order of draw
Specimen labeling
Infection prevention
Sharps safety
Specimen processing
Patient communication
Practical requirements and certification eligibility must be verified for the applicable state and certification organization.
Patient Care Technicians
Patient care technicians may support nurses and other licensed clinicians in hospitals, long-term care facilities and other patient-care environments.
Training may include:
Activities of daily living
Vital signs
Patient mobility
Infection prevention
Patient safety
EKG fundamentals
Phlebotomy fundamentals
Communication and documentation
Permitted responsibilities vary by employer, setting, state and supervision.
EKG Technicians
EKG technicians support cardiac diagnostic workflows by preparing patients and obtaining electrocardiogram recordings.
Training may address:
Cardiovascular anatomy
Patient preparation
Lead placement
EKG acquisition
Rhythm fundamentals
Artifact recognition
Infection prevention
Patient safety
Explore the Clinical Skills Institute EKG Technician program.
Pharmacy Technicians
Pharmacy technicians work under pharmacist supervision and support pharmacy operations.
Training may cover:
Pharmacy terminology
Prescription processing
Medication safety
Pharmacy calculations
Inventory
Pharmacy law
Insurance and billing workflows
Certification preparation
Medical Administrative Assistants
Medical administrative assistants support scheduling, patient registration, records, insurance workflows, office communication and healthcare administration.
This pathway may be appropriate for employees seeking a healthcare role that does not primarily involve direct clinical care.
Medical Billing and Coding Professionals
Billing and coding education may help employees prepare for responsibilities involving:
Medical terminology
Diagnosis and procedure codes
Claims
Reimbursement
Revenue-cycle processes
Compliance
Healthcare documentation
These roles can support revenue-cycle capacity without requiring a clinical position.
Surgical Technologists
Surgical technology requires specialized preparation and supervised clinical experience.
Employers considering surgical technology partnerships must carefully evaluate education, clinical requirements, certification eligibility and state-specific standards.
What Should Employers Look for in a Healthcare Training Partner?
A training provider should offer more than access to recorded lessons.
Employers should evaluate:
Clear Program Outcomes
The provider should clearly explain what the program teaches, which certification it prepares students for and what the program does not guarantee.
Flexible Delivery
Working employees may need self-paced coursework without fixed weekly attendance requirements.
Certification Preparation
If certification is relevant, determine whether the program includes:
Exam-aligned coursework
Practice examinations
Readiness assessments
Exam support
The certification examination fee
Transparent Pricing
Employers should understand:
Tuition
Examination costs
Materials
Clinical-kit expenses
Retake costs
Background or onboarding expenses
Group pricing
Payment requirements
Hands-On and Externship Support
Ask who coordinates clinical experiences, when coordination begins and what eligibility requirements apply.
Student Support
Determine whether participants receive academic, technical and exam-readiness assistance.
Employer Communication
A partnership should have an identified contact and a clear process for enrollment, learner support and escalation.
Scalable Enrollment
The provider should be able to support one employee, multiple participants or continuing cohorts.
Documented Outcomes
Ask how completion, certification and employment figures are defined. Reported results should be accompanied by appropriate methodology and limitations.
Multiple Allied Health Pathways
A provider with several programs may help an employer address workforce needs across clinical, pharmacy and administrative departments.
Why Clinical Skills Institute Is a Strong Healthcare Training Partner
Clinical Skills Institute provides an affordable, flexible and employment-focused allied health training model.
For medical assistant workforce development, the program includes:
Online, self-paced coursework
No required weekly live Zoom classes
Approximately eight-week standard coursework pathway
Faster progression for qualified learners who complete all requirements
Up to 12 months of program access
NHA CCMA certification preparation
Six NHA practice examinations
Initial NHA CCMA exam fee for eligible students
Included medical-assisting reference materials
Virtual patient simulations
Interactive EKG lab
Optional at-home venipuncture practice kit
Academic and exam-readiness support
Coordinated externship placement for eligible students
Résumé and interview preparation
Career coaching
Employer introductions when available
Medical assistant tuition is $900, with a $810 pay-in-full option currently offered. Employer and group-enrollment arrangements may be available based on the partnership.
Employers can explore Clinical Skills Institute CCMA training for healthcare organizations.
Clinical Skills Institute’s Reported Outcomes
Clinical Skills Institute reports:
More than 9,000 students served
A 97% first-attempt NHA CCMA certification examination pass rate
95% employment within two months among the graduate population defined in its methodology
Nationwide externship-partner coverage
Training, certification preparation, externship coordination and career support
These reported historical outcomes are not guarantees of an individual participant’s completion, certification, externship placement or employment.
Review the definitions, population and limitations on the Clinical Skills Institute outcomes methodology page.
How a Clinical Skills Institute Employer Partnership Can Work
Step 1: Identify the Workforce Problem
The employer identifies:
Current vacancies
Anticipated openings
High-turnover positions
Difficult-to-fill locations
Departments experiencing staffing pressure
Current employees interested in advancement
Step 2: Define the Target Role
Determine which role the organization needs and distinguish among:
Legal requirements
Employer-required qualifications
Preferred qualifications
Trainable job skills
Site-specific competencies
Step 3: Select Participants
Participants may include:
Existing employees
New hires
Conditional candidates
Externship students
Community candidates
Workforce-development participants
Selection criteria should be consistent, job-related and compliant with applicable employment law.
Step 4: Enroll Participants in Training
Clinical Skills Institute can support individual or group enrollment in applicable allied health programs.
Employees complete online coursework around their schedules while the employer determines whether to provide protected study time, tuition assistance or other support.
Step 5: Monitor Progress
Depending on the partnership arrangement and applicable privacy requirements, employers can establish participant milestones such as:
Enrollment
Course participation
Coursework completion
Practice-exam readiness
Certification-exam eligibility
Certification completion
Employer competency validation
Step 6: Connect Education With Supervised Experience
Current employees may apply knowledge within their existing workplace under appropriate supervision and employer policies.
Eligible students who are not employed may pursue coordinated externship placement.
Step 7: Evaluate Candidates
The employer independently evaluates whether a participant satisfies its:
Job qualifications
Interview standards
Background requirements
Competency expectations
Schedule requirements
Hiring policies
Step 8: Measure Workforce Results
The partnership should be evaluated against the staffing problem it was created to address.
A 90-Day Healthcare Training Partnership Pilot
Employers do not need to launch an organization-wide initiative immediately.
A focused pilot can begin with one role, one department and a small participant group.
Days 1–15: Workforce Assessment
Select one hard-to-fill allied health position
Review vacancy and turnover data
Define the required competencies
Identify potential internal participants
Select the training pathway
Assign an employer program owner
Days 16–30: Enrollment and Launch
Enroll selected participants
Conduct employer orientation
Explain training expectations
Establish study-time policies
Define progress checkpoints
Confirm certification and practical requirements
Days 31–60: Training and Support
Monitor participation
Address scheduling barriers
Provide site-specific learning opportunities
Maintain communication with the training provider
Prepare for certification-readiness milestones
Days 61–90: Evaluation and Next-Step Planning
Review participant progress
Identify remaining training needs
Plan supervised experience
Determine eligibility for interviews or advancement
Compare pilot results with baseline staffing measures
Decide whether to expand, adjust or repeat the model
Not every participant will complete training within 90 days. The pilot period is a workforce-development framework, not a universal completion guarantee.
How to Measure the ROI of Healthcare Training Partnerships
A training partnership should produce information employers can use.
Track baseline data before the partnership begins, then review the same measures during and after implementation.
Recruitment Measures
Number of qualified applicants
Applicants per vacancy
Time to first qualified candidate
Interview-to-offer ratio
Offer acceptance rate
Recruiting cost per hire
Training Measures
Enrollment
Participation
Coursework completion
Time to completion
Practice-exam readiness
Certification attempts
Certification outcomes
Workforce Measures
Positions filled
Time-to-fill
Internal promotions
Extern-to-hire conversions
New-hire retention
Employee retention
Vacancy-related overtime
Agency staffing expenses
Manager training time
Operational Measures
Provider schedule capacity
Patient wait times
Rooming delays
Appointment availability
Administrative backlogs
Patient-experience measures
Training should not be credited automatically for every improvement. Employers should compare results carefully and consider other operational changes occurring during the same period.
A Simple Training-Partnership ROI Framework
Employers can begin with:
Estimated annual benefit = avoided recruiting costs + reduced vacancy costs + reduced overtime or temporary staffing costs + value of retained employees
Then calculate:
Estimated ROI = (estimated benefit − partnership cost) ÷ partnership cost × 100
This calculation is only as reliable as the organization’s assumptions.
Avoid assigning unsupported financial values to patient satisfaction, productivity or retention. Use actual organizational data whenever possible.
Why Upskilling May Be Faster Than External Recruiting
External candidates must often learn:
The organization’s EHR
Provider preferences
Internal policies
Patient population
Scheduling processes
Communication standards
Department relationships
Organizational culture
A current employee may already understand many of these elements.
When the primary gap is medical assistant education or certification preparation, upskilling an existing employee may be more practical than waiting indefinitely for an experienced external candidate.
Read more about online CCMA training for healthcare employers.
Upskilling will not be appropriate for every vacancy. Employers should consider the participant’s performance, interest, aptitude, legal qualifications and ability to complete the training.
How Employers Can Support Participant Success
Employer-sponsored education works best when employees receive more than tuition assistance.
Employers can support success by:
Explaining how training connects to a real career pathway
Providing reasonable completion timelines
Offering approved study time when possible
Assigning an internal mentor
Avoiding unnecessary schedule changes
Recognizing milestones
Providing supervised practice when permitted
Giving clear performance feedback
Explaining certification requirements
Defining what happens after completion
Following consistent promotion and hiring standards
Employees are more likely to remain engaged when they understand both the educational expectations and the potential career opportunity.
Common Healthcare Training Partnership Mistakes
Starting Without a Defined Workforce Need
Training should connect to a specific role, skill gap or staffing objective.
Promising Employment Before Evaluation
A train-to-hire pathway can create opportunity, but employment should remain subject to the employer’s hiring process.
Confusing Certification With Competency
Certification demonstrates that a candidate met the certification organization’s requirements. Employers must still provide orientation and validate site-specific competencies.
Ignoring State Requirements
Medical assistant, phlebotomy, pharmacy technician and other allied health requirements vary by state.
Choosing a Program Based Only on Price
Employers should compare total value, including exam preparation, exam fees, learning resources, support and supervised-experience coordination.
Failing to Support Working Employees
Even flexible training requires time, consistency and management support.
Measuring Enrollment Instead of Results
Enrolling employees is not the final objective. Measure completion, certification, advancement, positions filled and retention.
Treating Externs as Unpaid Staffing Replacements
Externships must provide appropriate supervised educational experience and comply with applicable agreements, policies and laws.
Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Healthcare Training Partner
Ask every potential training provider:
Which allied health positions do your programs support?
Which certification examinations do you prepare students for?
Are certification examination fees included?
How long do students have access?
Are there required live classes?
Can working employees learn at their own pace?
What academic and technical support is provided?
How are practice examinations used?
How are hands-on requirements addressed?
Do you coordinate externships?
What must students complete before externship coordination?
Can you enroll individuals and groups?
Is employer pricing available?
What career support do graduates receive?
How are your reported outcomes calculated?
What responsibilities remain with the employer?
How do you support multi-location organizations?
What happens when a participant needs additional time?
A strong training provider should answer these questions clearly before enrollment.
From Repeated Vacancies to a Sustainable Talent Pipeline
Healthcare staffing shortages are unlikely to be solved by a single job advertisement or short-term recruiting campaign.
Employers need several connected strategies:
Recruit qualified candidates
Retain strong employees
Upskill internal talent
Prepare new healthcare workers
Host supervised externships
Build community relationships
Create train-to-hire pathways
Measure workforce outcomes
Healthcare training partnerships help connect these strategies.
Clinical Skills Institute offers employers an affordable pathway to develop medical assistants and other allied health professionals through flexible online training, certification preparation, externship coordination and career support.
Instead of waiting for qualified talent to appear, employers can help build the workforce they need.
Partner With Clinical Skills Institute
Clinical Skills Institute works with clinics, physician practices, urgent care centers, healthcare organizations and workforce-development partners seeking scalable allied health education.
Potential partnership options include:
Medical assistant employee upskilling
New-hire training
NHA CCMA certification preparation
Individual or group enrollment
Externship-site partnerships
Train-to-hire pathways
Allied health workforce development
Connections with trained students and graduates when available
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a healthcare training partnership?
A healthcare training partnership connects a healthcare employer with an education or training provider to prepare current employees, candidates or students for specific workforce roles.
How can healthcare training partnerships reduce staffing shortages?
They expand the potential talent pool by upskilling current employees, preparing entry-level candidates, supporting certification readiness and creating direct pathways from training to employer evaluation.
Can employers train current employees to become medical assistants?
Employers may sponsor eligible employees for medical assistant training and certification preparation. Any new responsibilities must comply with state law, employer policies, supervision and competency requirements.
What is a train-to-hire healthcare program?
A train-to-hire program prepares selected candidates for a specific healthcare role before they complete the employer’s independent hiring process. Training does not guarantee employment.
How can externships help healthcare employers?
Externships provide supervised experience for students and give employers an opportunity to observe developing talent before students enter the broader job market. Hosting an extern does not obligate the employer to hire.
Which allied health positions can training partnerships support?
Programs may support medical assistants, phlebotomy technicians, patient care technicians, EKG technicians, pharmacy technicians, medical administrative assistants, billing and coding professionals and other allied health roles.
Can employees complete Clinical Skills Institute training while working?
Yes. Clinical Skills Institute programs are online and self-paced, allowing employees to study around work and personal responsibilities. Program-specific practical or clinical requirements still apply.
Does Clinical Skills Institute include the NHA CCMA exam fee?
The initial NHA CCMA examination fee is included for eligible medical assistant students, along with certification preparation and six NHA practice examinations.
Does Clinical Skills Institute coordinate externships?
Clinical Skills Institute coordinates optional externship placement for eligible students who complete the applicable requirements. Placement depends on location, site availability, documentation, scheduling and facility acceptance.
Does a healthcare training partnership guarantee certification or employment?
No. Participants must satisfy training and certification requirements, and employers make independent hiring decisions. Training, certification preparation and career support do not guarantee individual outcomes.
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