Amidst a Dire Workforce Shortage, Healthcare Systems Cut Contract Labor Costs and Close Talent Gaps by Investing in Internal Talent

Guild, the leading talent development company, marked five years of healthcare sector impact. Through deep partnerships with leading healthcare organizations, Guild delivers measurable business outcomes, including stronger talent pipelines, improved retention, cost savings, and a workforce equipped for the future.

Guild helps healthcare workers unlock new earning potential by making previously undefined career paths visible and attainable—powered by innovative education and skilling programs that meet them where they are and support where they want to go. Critical career pathways are designed using labor market data, employer talent priorities, and emerging workforce needs. The result: a more resilient healthcare ecosystem, better prepared to serve the communities that rely on it most.

“The momentum is undeniable: sustainable talent development isn’t just smart business — it’s a national imperative,” said Hanna Patterson, Senior Vice President of Healthcare and Applied Learning at Guild. “Hospitals across the country are grappling with severe burnout, an aging workforce nearing retirement, and fragile talent pipelines, and they have been for quite a while. When education and skilling translates to saved lives, we can’t afford to treat talent as an afterthought. By investing in the people who power our healthcare system, we can build stronger hospitals, healthier communities, and a more resilient future.”

Developing skilled talent to fill critical roles

Along with its partners, Guild has helped move more than 11,000 employees into high-demand healthcare roles like registered nurses and medical assistants through partnerships with leading healthcare organizations, including recent additions like Walgreens, and U.S. Renal Care.

Over the last five years, these career moves into high-demand positions like RNs, medical assistants, and nursing assistants generated an estimated collective change of $125 million in new earnings. This significant workplace transformation comes as healthcare systems face a projected annual shortfall of 160,000 healthcare workers until 2030.

Wellstar Health System, which operates in a state with one of highest workforce shortages, emphasized the importance of investing in internal talent strategies through Guild, “Workforce development and employer-funded education isn’t a ‘nice to have’ employee perk- it is a business imperative. We can’t recruit our way out of the problem. We literally don’t have the workforce unless we build it,” said Laura Dannels, Chief Talent Officer at Wellstar. “Part of what makes this partnership with Guild so special is that the moment I have a new need, say I’m starting to see gaps, or we’re building a new hospital and I know that I’m going to need X number of surgical technologists or phlebotomists, I can call my partners at Guild and we can immediately scale and launch targeted programs within weeks. It’s been a game changer.”

Through these targeted programs, healthcare organizations are creating previously unavailable career pathways beyond roles like home health aide, registrar, and more. Despite their vital work, personal care aides remain some of the lowest-paid professionals in healthcare, earning just $34,900 annually while facing physically demanding duties with no clear career path.

Guild is helping change that trajectory and the economics of care, working alongside innovative organizations to create defined pathways into sustainable, higher-wage roles.

Learners who move from personal care aide roles to RN positions see an average annual wage increase of $58,700 per person, unlocking new economic stability for individuals and families—and ultimately, delivering critical talent to a system in crisis.

Business Impact: Lower Nursing Turnover, Contract Labor Savings, 3x ROI

As hospitals simultaneously grapple with increases in the average cost of turnover (the turnover cost for one staff RN is up 8.6% to $61,110) and median hourly wages for contract nurses more than doubling, Guild’s healthcare partners are proving that developing talent from within is the key to long-term, sustainable staffing.

Health systems that work with Guild observe that nurses enrolled in a Guild program average 50% lower turnover rates than their peers. For one employer, this equated to up to $100 million in estimated savings from avoided contract labor like temporary agency nurses.

Another Guild employer partner, OSF Healthcare, saw $82.4 million in savings across their recruiting, onboarding, and training costs.

“Since launching our program with Guild, for every dollar we’ve invested in education benefits, we’ve seen a $3.11 return—especially in our clinical roles,” said Shelley Parn, Chief Human Resources Officer at OSF Healthcare. “These outcomes speak to the power of investing in people. By removing barriers to education, we kicked off a wave of positive impact that has uplifted our business, our Mission Partners, and our ability to better serve our communities.”

Community Uplift: Career Mobility Leads to Improved Patient Care, Economic Opportunity

Studies have shown that high reliance on agency labor can negatively impact hospital quality metrics, particularly those related to patient care, while full-time, stable staffing increases both clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. These findings underscore the need for long-term workforce strategies that reduce dependence on temporary staff and invest in sustainable, internal talent pipelines.

By creating structured, supported mobility from entry level, non-clinical roles into clinical pathways, Guild is helping employers rethink their frontline workforce as talent to be nurtured. Unlike costly temporary contract labor, these learners are employees, already within the workforce, trained, and ready to step into roles that directly impact patient care.

“Our partnership with Guild is helping us build a more inspired and capable workforce by expanding access to education that directly improves patient care,” said Greg Till, Chief People Officer at Providence. “By equipping our caregivers with the skills they need for today and tomorrow, we’re enabling them to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time connecting with patients—delivering the kind of compassionate, high-quality care our communities deserve.”

Schuyler K., an ER nurse who earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with the financial support of her employer, Texas-based CHRISTUS Health, exemplifies how her new skills are already directly impacting her community, while creating greater economic opportunity for her and her family.

“The new skills I gained from my program inspired me to lead the creation of a new critical care committee that I now chair,” said Schuyler. “Together, we’re creating new protocols, staying up to date on the latest from our colleagues across the country, and most importantly, saving more patients. I’m personally telling every coworker I can about this opportunity. Now we have hundreds of nurses who are going for their BSN, receptionists starting their path to a nursing role, and we need them. We need them to keep our level 2 trauma certification. We need them to serve this community.”

“The CNL (Clinical Nursing Leader) of the hospital recommended me for a new leadership role. While I like to feel like I’ve always been a leader, I’m not sure I’ve ever believed it. This program helped me realize I do have those qualities.”

Over the past five years, Guild healthcare learners like Schuyler experienced more than a 20% increase in salary within 12 months of enrollment, setting them on the path to greater economic opportunity.

Innovation to Tackle Pressing Workforce Challenges

Guild continues to evolve its Learning Marketplace to meet skilling needs across the healthcare industry, rapidly deploying innovative solutions designed to address critical talent gaps head on. Guild’s Learning Marketplace offers more than 400 healthcare, allied health and nursing degree and certificate programs from 39 academic providers, ranging from entry level Medical Assistant certification programs to Healthcare Administration and Doctor of Nursing degrees.

To help combat the growing pharmacist shortage, Guild has teamed up with Walgreens, the nation’s largest independent community pharmacy provider, to launch PharmStart, a first-of-its-kind, fully funded online education program designed to help eligible team members meet the prerequisite requirements for pharmacy school. The program aims to eliminate barriers to pursuing a PharmD degree, tapping into a new pool of talent while addressing critical challenges in the pharmacist talent pipeline.

These outcomes demonstrate that the future of healthcare depends on the people who power it. Learn more about how Guild is transforming career pathways and improving care, one learner at a time: guild.com/guild-for-healthcare.

About Guild

Guild partners with employers to build the talent they need today — and the workforce that can take on tomorrow. In partnership with employers like Chipotle, Discover, Hilton, Target, and healthcare systems like UCHealth, Guild helps to identify untapped talent and fuel organizational growth. Through Guild Talent Advantage™, Guild offers a versatile set of education and skilling offerings, actionable talent insights for employers, and personalized coaching for employees, translating learning investments into sustainable talent pipelines that propel businesses forward. For more information, visit https://www.guild.com.

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