Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Healthcare Upside / Down: The Connection Between Clinical Education & Workforce Strategy
Mar 9, 2026
Jessica Wells, Principal at ECG with 25 years in academic health and operations, and Katrina Anderson, SVP of Strategic Growth at Clinician Nexus, who built platforms for clinical placements, discuss aligning clinical education with workforce strategy. They cover student placement as pipeline-building, preceptor support and teaching culture, scaling learner management, and the role of tech and regional collaboration.
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Student Placement As Workforce Strategy
- Clinical learning placements must be treated as a workforce strategy, not just an academic accommodation.
- Jessica Wells explains systems should align placements with service-line growth, high-need specialties, geographic access, and conversion metrics to hire internally.
Make Precepting A Valued Job Duty
- Support and value preceptors as part of their job to reduce burnout and increase retention.
- Jessica Wells cites research showing supported preceptors experience greater professional fulfillment, which boosts learner engagement and conversion to hires.
False Assumptions That Block Scaling Learners
- Three common false assumptions block scale: education is only a university problem, learner types can't be managed together, and software alone solves it.
- Katrina Anderson describes how these beliefs create vendor sprawl, data fragmentation, and administrative complexity.