Bridging the Healthcare Workforce Gap: How Hospital-Based Training Programs Are Solving the Labor Shortage
Meet Sarah. She’s a dedicated nurse manager at a mid-sized hospital in Missouri, and lately, she’s been struggling with something that’s becoming all too common: a serious shortage of entry-level healthcare workers.
Many hospitals across the country rely on medical assistants, phlebotomists, and other allied health professionals to keep things running smoothly. However, with fewer students entering the field and an aging workforce retiring, the pipeline of new hires has slowed to a trickle. Open positions can stay vacant for months, patient care teams are stretched thin, and employee burnout is on the rise.
At this year’s National Consortium for Health Science Education (NCHSE) Annual Meeting, industry leaders like Jill Williams, VP of Workforce Development at the Missouri Hospital Association, confirmed that the massive shortage in entry-level healthcare workers is only expected to grow over the coming years.
Hospitals Are Taking Training Into Their Own Hands
With local education programs unable to keep up with demand, hospitals like Sarah’s are creating their own solutions—in-house training programs that take promising candidates and train them on-site. These programs give hospitals complete control over how new employees are prepared for real-world healthcare settings and specifically for their current place of employment.
Instead of waiting months to fill a position, hospitals can now:
✔️ Train employees in-house with hands-on learning tailored to their specific needs.
✔️ Ensure consistency in skills and patient care by teaching to their own standards.
✔️ Provide job opportunities to local community members who might not otherwise have access to formal education programs.
But Training Is Only Half the Battle—Certification Matters
Many hospitals find that while their training programs produce highly skilled workers, these employees still need national certification to meet industry standards and employer requirements. That’s where AAH comes in.
Through AAH’s in-house certification process, hospitals can seamlessly transition their trainees from learning to nationally recognized certification—all under one roof.
Why Hospital-Based Training + AAH Certification Makes the Perfect Pair
✅ Immediate Workforce Impact
Hospitals don’t have to wait for new graduates from traditional programs—they can train and certify employees in-house, filling vacancies faster.
✅ Quality Control
Hospital-led training ensures workers learn the exact skills needed for their facility, and AAH certification validates their expertise with an industry-recognized credential.
✅ Better Retention
Employees who train and certify within the same system are more likely to stay, reducing turnover and strengthening the hospital’s workforce.
✅ Greater Operational Capabilities
Certified workers gain compliance with CMS's regulation for those entering EHR's, expanding the capabilities and job roles that entry-level workers can perform.
Partnering With AAH is A Simple, Scalable Solution
For hospital systems running their own training programs, AAH offers an easy pathway to in-house certification.
By creating a Partner Account with AAH, hospitals gain access to:
🔹 Bulk certification registration for trainees
🔹 Streamlined eligibility verification
🔹 Certification Renewal Management for employees
🔹 Access to AAH's built-in system to earn and apply CE's for renew
🔹 Custom support from our team
The Future of Entry-Level Healthcare Starts Here
The demand for skilled, certified healthcare workers continues to rise, and hospitals that are taking training into their own hands will be the ones to thrive. By partnering with AAH, they can ensure that their workforce is not only well-trained but also nationally certified and ready to provide top-quality care.
If your hospital is struggling to find and keep qualified entry-level healthcare workers, now is the time to act. Partner with AAH today and start building a stronger, more resilient workforce from within.
Interested in setting up an in-house certification program? It is easy to get started. Create a Partner Account today to learn more, and we will connect you with our development manager to answer all your questions.