Healthcare workforce strategy has long centered on reducing, responding to and recovering from turnover. That’s certainly true for organizations that employ allied health professionals, where turnover costs amount to $14,200 per medical assistant, amounting to 40% of their salary. Given that, retaining talent is as important as ever. But getting employees to stay in today’s landscape is no easy task. It requires ensuring employees aren’t just happy in their role, but have a clear path to their next one if they aspire to level up.
Career stagnation can be an easy problem to miss, especially when headcount looks stable or vacancy pressure eases. But when workers feel stuck in place, with limited opportunities to advance or deepen their skills, disengagement tends to follow. In allied health roles, where burnout is already high and many touch the patient experience, it is a risk healthcare employers cannot afford to ignore.
Employers need to realize that retention cannot rest on compensation alone. Pay will always matter, but in a low-churn environment where raises are often constrained and upward mobility can feel limited, organizations need a more durable strategy, one that combines career pathways, internal mobility, manager support, and meaningful professional development for maximum workforce impact.
Pay matters, but it is not enough
Medical assistants and other allied health professionals are essential to care delivery, particularly in outpatient settings where they often shape a patient’s first impression of a health system. They keep care moving, support clinicians, and create continuity for patients. Yet too often, these professionals encounter a workplace reality defined by narrow advancement options and unclear next steps. Common barriers include:
- Entry-level wages that don’t support further academic pursuits
- Limited employer reimbursement for advanced training
- A lack of professional development opportunities
- Unclear or nonexistent career pathways
Even if the pay checks a box for employees, these additional factors determine the future they can or cannot build within an organization. When growth is limited, retention can become passive rather than purposeful. Employees stay not because they feel invested, but because they do not yet see a better option.
The hidden cost of quiet stagnation
Healthcare leaders spend a great deal of time worrying about turnover, but quiet stagnation can be just as costly.
Most people enter healthcare because they want to help others. That sense of purpose is real, and it carries many professionals through demanding environments. But intrinsic motivation has limits, especially in a field where stress, emotional strain and burnout are part of daily life. Purpose alone is rarely enough to sustain long-term engagement; employees also need external motivators that include compensation, but also incorporate recognition and the opportunity for personal career growth.
Without those motivators, workers may not quit outright, but they can begin to disconnect from the organization. When that feeling is sustained, declines in morale, engagement, and performance can appear far before a resignation letter. In other words, a stagnant workforce is not a thriving one, no matter how stable it may look on paper.
That stagnation can be especially impactful in healthcare, where the cost of disengagement not only impacts the individual employee but also their teams, workflows, and patients.
Career pathways turn jobs into careers
The organizations that retain talent make growth visible, more structured, and more attainable. That starts with career pathways.
Employees need to understand what advancement can look like, what skills are required to get there, and how their employer will support that journey. Not every worker wants the same next step, and that is exactly the point. A strong workforce strategy does not impose a single definition of advancement but creates multiple pathways for growth.
Career pathways are also gaining traction as a proven retention strategy as 91% of employers believe career laddering programs improve retention and 64% are currently offering internal training and advancement programs.
For some allied health professionals, that may mean gaining expertise in a specialty area they feel passionately about, like pediatrics or orthopedics. For others, it may mean moving into roles with greater responsibility, mentoring new staff, or pursuing adjacent clinical opportunities. Structured professional development, continued education, and industry-recognized certifications help make those moves more tangible, giving employees clear milestones as they build their careers.
That kind of investment pays off in multiple ways for employers. It can:
- Upskill the existing workforce
- Strengthen internal talent pipelines
- Reduce reliance on expensive external hiring
It also reflects a broader shift in the market, as more organizations are investing in formal development programs to build a more resilient, long-term workforce. Ultimately, it sends a clear message to employees: you do not have to leave in order to grow.
Managers are the bridge between intent and impact
Even the strongest career pathway strategy will fall flat if it exists only on paper. Employees experience opportunity through their day-to-day environment, and managers are often the people who determine whether growth feels possible or remote. Regular career conversations, clearer development goals, active recognition, and visible support can all reinforce that an employee’s role is not static.
This is especially important for allied health professionals, who may not always feel their contributions are recognized at the same level as other clinical roles, despite being vital members of the care team. When managers acknowledge those contributions and connect performance to future possibilities, they not only boost morale but help build overall belonging, trust, and retention.
In a low-churn market, growth becomes a competitive edge
A slower-moving labor market can create a false sense of security. Lower turnover does not automatically mean employees are satisfied, engaged, or committed. It may simply mean they are waiting.
That is why investment in career pathways and manager-led development is becoming a competitive necessity. In a market where mobility is lower, the employers that stand out will be the ones that create forward motion internally. They will be the organizations that treat retention not as a defensive tactic, but as a long-term talent strategy.
Healthcare organizations have spent years trying to stabilize their workforce. The next step is to make that workforce feel it has somewhere to go. The organizations with the power to retain their workforce are the ones that give employees a reason to keep growing alongside them.
Photo: Liana Nagieva, Getty Images
Angie Holub is an accomplished allied health education leader with extensive experience in content development, academic leadership, and workforce-aligned training. She serves as Manager of Health Sciences Education at Ascend Learning, where she leads the development of continuing education and certification content across a wide range of healthcare disciplines.
Prior to her current role, Angie served as an Allied Health Content Lead, specializing in certification exam development, instructional design, and training subject matter experts in item writing and editorial standards. Her background also includes significant leadership experience in higher education, having served as Dean of Allied Health at Northeast Iowa Community College. Angie holds a Master of Arts in health education and is board certified by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). She is passionate about advancing allied health education through collaboration, innovation, and a strong focus on preparing learners for real-world clinical practice.
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