Critical Care: Increasing the Capacity of Allied Health Training Programs

Effective higher education–employer partnerships are central to improving student employment outcomes, ensuring workforce needs are met, and boosting the state’s economic strength and competitiveness. As efforts and investments to build bridges between higher education and employers grow, this brief shares the main factors that hinder meaningful engagements and sets the foundation towards actionable solutions.

In this report, we analyze the barriers limiting our supply of allied health professionals and offer solutions for addressing an anticipated annual shortage of up to 37,000 workers. Among the most significant challenges at hand are pipeline “bottlenecks,” wherein more students are trying to fulfill their required clinical hours than there are clinical hours available. The report identifies key strategies to meet the need for clinical placements as well as solutions specific to the bottleneck issue.

Californians with postsecondary degrees have consistently fared better than those without college credentials, and that’s especially true now during the Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, because of their sustained employment, college-educated Californians have helped buoy the state’s economy.