The largest nursing home provider in central New York plans to double its paid training program for certified nurse aides, opening up more career pathways for workers amid heavy demand.
Syracuse-based Loretta regularly fills its five-week training programs at its main campus, Loretto Health & Rehabilitation, with 16 to 20 students, said Julie Sheedy, chief marketing and engagement officer.
“Our training program has been a fundamental part of how we operate both in creating entry-level opportunities and also growing our employees’ career pathways,” Sheedy explained in an interview Tuesday with McKnight’s Long-Term Care News.
The second training program will take place at The Commons at St. Anthony, the nonprofit’s Auburn, NY, facility. Sheedy said they have trouble recruiting workers for the 300-bed facility, in part, due to limited public transportation options.
“There’s a great need for us to continue to develop and grow our staff there,” she said.
At the same time students are learning to become CNAs, they are getting practical experience in the facility in which they will work after graduating. There is no requirement for students to work at Loretto, but Sheedy said the company’s benefits package, which amounts to $17,000 in medical and dental insurance, a pension, paid vacation, and other items such as a diaper bank and a vehicle purchasing program, makes it an attractive employer.
Loretto recently concluded negotiations with its union that includes a 36% boost in wages for CNA, Sheedy said. After passing the state exam, for which students do not have to pay the testing fee, they are hired as CNAs with a starting wage of $22 per hour. More experienced CNAs at Loretto can earn up to $27 per hour, she said. Students earn $17.50 per hour during the five-week course.
The company needs approximately 135 CNAs per day at Loretto Health & Rehabilitation, and currently fills 25% of those positions with agency staffers, Sheedy said, adding that a goal of the program is to reduce their dependence on staffing agencies.
In March, Chief Financial Officer John Murray told a legislative forum hosted by 1199SEIU that the company, which has more than 900 nursing home beds at its facilities, had more than 2,400 employees pre-pandemic, many of whom commuted from the poorest areas of Syracuse. He said more recently the company was down to approximately 1,800 employees and had taken 130 beds offline.
In addition to the basic program, CNAs at Loretto can earn an advanced CNA certification and a dementia certification, both of which expand the number and kinds of shifts workers can pick up. They also offer programs to become a licensed practical nurse, a registered nurse, and enter nurse management. There are three certified RN instructors who run the in-house CNA training program along with other educators who support the program through mentoring, coaching and team engagement once a student is assigned to a unit.
The students develop camaraderie and begin learning the rhythm and flow of where they will work after graduating from the program, Sheedy said. The company holds graduations that include formal pinning ceremonies, and the cohorts frequently choose to wear the same color scrubs to show the bonds they have developed. Students also invite friends and family to the graduations.
“It’s really important that we recognize the value of the time they’re committing to us and that they’re starting their journey with Loretto,” Sheedy said.
