From Staffing Crisis to Sustainable Talent Pipeline
Emplify Health built a grow-your-own model to train, hire, and retain medical assistants; powered by Penn Foster’s online education.
How Emplify Health Rebuilt Its Medical Assistant Pipeline from the Inside Out
A grow-your-own model that turned a staffing emergency into a sustainable workforce strategy.
In healthcare, staffing shortages often feel like an unavoidable reality. But at Emplify Health, a bold idea took root: what if, instead of waiting for the talent pipeline to recover, they built their own?
Through a partnership with leading healthcare education provider Penn Foster, Emplify Health created a sustainable, scalable model to train and certify medical assistants in-house. As a result, vacancy rates have dropped from nearly 30 percent to under 10 percent.
Here’s how Emplify Health turned a staffing emergency into a thriving talent pipeline.
Unprecedented Staffing Challenges Reach a Tipping Point
In the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare systems across the country faced unprecedented staffing challenges. At Emplify Health, a newly formed system created by the merger of Gundersen Health and Bellin Health, the shortage of medical assistants reached a tipping point.
The local technical college had discontinued its Medical Assistant program, and traditional recruiting methods were falling flat. With over 80 open Medical Assistant positions and no reliable stream of incoming candidates, clinics were struggling to maintain basic operations.
“One of our providers was rooming their own patients,” recalls Craig Masters, HR Program Consultant at Emplify Health. “That’s when we knew something had to change.”
The organization needed a new approach, and fast. But instead of doubling down on recruitment or waiting for external programs to restart, Emplify Health took a different route. They built a solution from within.
New Talent Pipeline Designed for Medical Assistants
Emplify Health created a dedicated team focused on high-priority, hard-to-fill roles. Craig and his colleague, a program manager, were tasked with designing and maintaining talent pipelines, starting with medical assistants.
The concept was simple but powerful: pair on-the-job experience with accredited, flexible online education to create a hybrid “learn and earn” model. Learners would be hired into MA trainee roles, complete a four-week bootcamp led by internal staff, and continue working in their departments while completing their education through Penn Foster.
“We weren’t asking people to choose between school and work,” Craig says. “We let them do both, and we paid them for it.”
Trainees were hired as 0.9 FTE employees with 8 hours of protected study time every two weeks, built right into their schedule. No homework. No unpaid extra hours. Just a clear, supported path into healthcare.
How Partnership with Penn Foster Provides Flexibility, Structure, and Accreditation
To bring this model to life, Emplify Health partnered with Penn Foster to deliver education to its Medical Assistant trainees. Penn Foster’s online Medical Assistant Program provided the flexibility, structure, and accreditation Emplify Health needed, with modules that were intuitive, self-paced, and designed for adult learners.
The internal professional development nurses who oversaw the bootcamp and training were immediately impressed.
“The course design is intuitive,” Craig notes. “Learners aren’t just memorizing; they’re practicing real skills they’ll use on the floor.”
Penn Foster’s online program complemented Emplify Health’s onsite learning perfectly. While learners gained hands-on experience in their departments, Penn Foster provided consistent, high-quality instruction and exam preparation. Together, the two created a seamless learner experience.
New Pipeline Leads to >20% Decrease in Vacancy Rate
Two years into the program, the numbers tell a powerful story. What started as a response to a crisis has become a cornerstone of Emplify Health’s workforce strategy.
The Medical Assistant vacancy rate has dropped from around 30 percent to under 10. Departments that once scrambled to cover shifts are now fully staffed, and many are requesting to host new trainees. Former learners have become preceptors. Some have even gone on to apply to nurse practitioner and physician assistant programs.
“We used to advertise like crazy to fill these roles,” says Craig. “Now the program fills itself.”
And the ripple effect extends beyond just MA staffing. With medical assistants handling rooming, vitals, and patient flow, nurses and providers are now working at the top of their license. Patient access has improved, team efficiency is up, and internal morale has followed.
“The difference is clear,” Craig says. “The patient experience improves, the care team flows better, and learners are thriving.”
A Program That Opens Doors for New Healthcare Professionals
One of the most remarkable elements of Emplify Health’s model is who it serves. While many internal development programs focus on existing employees, Emplify Health’s MA pipeline draws talent from across the community. About 75 to 80 percent of trainees are external candidates, many with no prior healthcare experience.
Learners have included restaurant managers, military veterans, recent graduates, and parents returning to the workforce. Ages range from 18 to over 60. Some see it as a lifelong career, while others use it as a stepping stone to more advanced roles.
“We’ve had learners go from zero healthcare background to becoming the person training the next cohort,” Craig shares. “It’s incredible to see that come full circle.”
By lowering barriers to entry, removing education costs, offering paid training, and creating a supportive learning environment, Emplify Health has opened the door to a new generation of healthcare professionals.
Investment in People Means Reduced Turnover, Stronger Retention, and Faster Staffing
Of course, launching a program like this requires meaningful investment. Paying trainees to study, covering certification exam costs, and dedicating staff time to mentor and support each learner isn’t inexpensive. But for Emplify Health, cost was never the real question.
“We asked ourselves, where do we want to spend our money?” Craig says. “Do we want to spend it on job boards, overtime, and staffing agencies? Or do we want to invest it in people who want to grow with us?”
The answer was clear. The return on that investment, through reduced turnover, stronger retention, and faster staffing, continues to grow.
What’s Next: Scaling What Works
With the medical assistant pipeline running smoothly, Craig and his team are already thinking ahead. They are exploring similar models for other high-need roles, including dental assistants, surgical technologists, and paramedics. They are sharing best practices across regions and working to build leadership support for internal training as a strategic priority.
“We’re trying to plan for the future,” Craig says. “We don’t want departments scrambling again next year. We want to build something that lasts.”
A Blueprint for Healthcare Workforce Transformation
Emplify Health didn’t solve its staffing crisis by posting more jobs. They didn’t wait for external programs to restart. They didn’t outsource the problem. Instead, they partnered with Penn Foster, a trusted education and training provider with over 130 years of experience, invested in their community, and built a program that treats learners like the professionals they’re becoming.
It’s a model that proves what’s possible when healthcare organizations rethink the pipeline, not as something they wait for, but as something they actively create.
“This program works because it’s grounded in empathy and flexibility,” Craig says. “And that’s how real change starts.”