Methodology

To learn more about the availability and characteristics of degree apprenticeships in health occupations in the United States, we supplemented the search we conducted during summer 2025, described in the appendix of Mapping the Landscape of Degree Apprenticeship, with a series of internet searches using Google in March and April 2026.²⁷ We reviewed the first 700 items retrieved using the search terms apprentice and apprenticeship and the title of each occupation determined to be apprenticeable by the Office of Apprenticeship (e.g., “registered nurse”), as well as some variations of the title (e.g., “surgical technologist” and “surgical technician”), and looked for Registered Apprenticeships that were paired with an associate, bachelor’s, or graduate degree. We also reviewed listings in the Partner Finder directory on Apprenticeship.gov,²⁸ as well as directories published on the websites of state apprenticeship agencies. We excluded Registered Nurse Resident apprenticeships from our inventory because the apprenticeship occurs entirely following the award of a nursing degree. We conducted Zoom interviews with 20 leaders of programs we identified through our research, as well as other health care experts who could provide context for the work of the innovators we encountered.