BAYADA Home Health Care was recently awarded a $650,000 grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s Apprenticeship and Training Office. The funds will be used to support the Nurse Residency Program, which prepares recent nursing school graduates who have limited clinical work experience with the education and training needed to provide care in the home. The Nurse Residency Program was developed to address the nationwide nursing shortage exacerbated by the increased demand for home health care services for adults and children with complex medical needs.
The grant will be used to expand the Nurse Residency Program across multiple counties in PA. The funding will also support a new apprenticeship program that will elevate entry-level home health aides (HHAs) and certified nursing assistants (CNAs) interested in a career pathway to higher-pay, middle-skill, high-demand jobs as licensed practical nurses (LPNs). The emphasis will be on individuals experiencing barriers to employment, family-sustaining jobs, and career advancement.
“In some areas, we are forced to turn away two thirds of our patient referrals due to local shortages of qualified nurses,” said BAYADA Skilled Nursing Practice President Cris Toscano. “This grant will allow us to target a new talent pipeline of young adults who desire career growth and economic advancement opportunities in nursing while at the same time reduce the number of families in PA with unserved, at-home medical care needs.”
The first phase of the program will offer tuition assistance for high-performing, BAYADA-employed HHAs and CNAs in the Philadelphia metro area to obtain their LPN license. The pilot will engage program participants in a supportive pathway that provides job readiness skills and coaching in addition to industry-specific training and skills.
BAYADA will also partner with local community-based organizations, high schools, colleges, and county-level workforce development boards on the program design and implementation.
The BAYADA Nurse Residency Program is the only home care program accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Practice Transition Program for its standards of excellence. The school-to-practice curriculum includes hands-on simulation lab training, classroom learning, precepted clinical rotations in client homes, and one-on-one support from a clinical mentor, register for a free information session today!
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