HAP's Latest News

Responding to the ongoing needs of our members, HAP hosted a Workforce Summit that brought together clinical, administrative, and workforce leaders from across Pennsylvania to learn and share best practices for developing and engaging health care teams. We’re highlighting some of the innovative ways Pennsylvania hospitals are addressing the workforce crisis.

Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center developed the Registered Nurse (RN) Ambassadors Program to address nursing workforce shortages through peer leadership, engagement, and recruitment by bedside nurses themselves.

UPMC is expanding workforce development efforts through its “Pathways to Work” program, focusing on creating career “on-ramps” into high-demand health care and skilled trade professions. The initiative combines job navigational support, paid apprenticeships, training programs, mentorship, and collaborations with workforce investment boards.

Hands-on medical training in rural communities builds connections that leaders at St. Luke’s University Health Network are hoping will relieve the doctor shortage commonly found there.

Securing and maintaining a steady and satisfied workforce is every hospital’s challenge, and experts at Jefferson Health are thinking outside the box to find solutions.

Penn Highlands Healthcare is leveraging partnerships with local schools to promote health care careers to the next generation’s workforce. In 2025, the hospital launched its Healthcare in High School program to build a strong local workforce pipeline by introducing students to health care careers early.

Leaders at Geisinger are being proactive in their approach to the ongoing workforce shortage. By creating a clear pathway from education to employment, hospitals can build the future health care workforce, according to Andrew Capalong, MSN, RN, system director of workforce development at Geisinger.

One way to combat the mental health challenges health care professionals face on the job is to address them directly, according to experts at AHN Forbes Hospital, (Allegheny Health Network). Investing in mental health support for their teams can help hospitals reduce stress, burnout, and workplace violence, said Tinamarie Estes-Washington, DNP, RN, PCCN, NEA-BC, during her presentation at HAP’s recent Workforce Summit.

HAP’s Workforce Summit focused on the ways hospital leaders across Pennsylvania are investing in their teams—now and for the future.

Hospitals and medical centers offered 44,344 training positions and filled more than 93 percent of those roles during a record-breaking match day earlier this month.

The American Hospital Association’s (AHA) latest “Cost of Caring” report showcases how hospitals are delivering exceptional care amid significant financial challenges.