# From Classroom to Clinic: Pre-Clinical Talent Steps Into Healthcare’s Hard-to-Fill Roles

By Kevin Stevenson · Published 2026-04-23 · Updated 2026-06-08 · Healthcare on MarketScale
Canonical: https://www.marketscale.com/industries/healthcare/from-classroom-to-clinic-pre-clinical-talent-steps-into-healthcares-hard-to-fill-roles
Creator hub: I Don't Care

> Healthcare systems are facing a workforce crisis that’s no longer temporary—it’s structural. Even before COVID-19, staffing shortages across nursing, technical, and administrative roles were already straining capacity; today, those gaps are wider, costlier, and directly impacting patient access. With labor shortages persisting and burnout rising, health systems are being forced to rethink not just…

## Key points

- Healthcare systems are facing a workforce crisis that’s no longer temporary—it’s structural.
- Even before COVID-19, staffing shortages across nursing, technical, and administrative roles were already straining capacity; today, those gaps are wider, costlier, and directly impacting patient access.
- With labor shortages persisting and burnout rising, health systems are being forced to rethink not just…

Block Field

Healthcare systems are facing a workforce crisis that’s no longer temporary—it’s structural. Even before COVID-19, staffing shortages across nursing, technical, and administrative roles were already straining capacity; today, those gaps are wider, costlier, and directly impacting patient access. With [labor shortages](https://nihcm.org/publications/addressing-health-care-workforce-shortages) persisting and burnout rising, health systems are being forced to rethink not just hiring—but the very composition of their workforce.

So here’s the question: What if the solution to healthcare’s staffing crisis isn’t just hiring more experienced workers—but strategically building a pipeline from those who haven’t entered the field yet?

On this episode of [*I Don’t Care*](https://marketscale.com/shows/i-dont-care/), host [Dr. Kevin Stevenson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwstevensondhafache/) sits down with [Brock Hughes](https://www.linkedin.com/in/hughesbrock/) of [Propel Clinical](https://propelclinical.com/) to explore how pre-clinical students—pre-med, pre-PA, pre-nursing—can be deployed to fill critical, hard-to-staff roles across healthcare systems. The conversation dives into workforce innovation, the economics of staffing, and how early-career exposure could reshape both patient care and clinician pipelines.

**This episode breaks down how…**

- **Healthcare systems are shifting toward workforce development strategies** that prioritize pipeline-building over short-term staffing fixes.
- **Pre-clinical students can fill entry-level and support roles effectively,** often improving efficiency and reducing costs while gaining critical experience.
- **“Planned turnover” among these students isn’t a liability**—it’s a feature that enables continuous talent flow and long-term workforce sustainability.

Brock Hughes, MBA, is a healthcare entrepreneur with over a decade of experience building and scaling solutions across clinical and operational domains. At Propel Clinical, he focuses on addressing workforce shortages by integrating pre-clinical talent into healthcare systems through structured, managed programs. Hughes has co-founded multiple ventures—including Chartpro, Chartjoy, and Zup—and previously led strategic expansion as SVP of Strategic Growth at CareATC and as a growth and strategy leader at CareTeam (acquired). His expertise spans business development, healthcare innovation, and building scalable models that improve access, reduce costs, and enhance operational efficiency.

*Article written by MarketScale.*

Tags: clinical staffing, healthcare staffing crisis, Nurse Shortage, patient care access, pre-clinical students, Propel Clinical, talent pipeline

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