Abernethy Laurels, a subsidiary of Newton, NC-based EveryAge (formerly United Church Homes and Services), is tackling the workforce shortage by training its own certified nursing assistants in-house in exchange for a one-year commitment to work at the continuing care retirement community.
The 40-year-old not-for-profit CCRC offers skilled nursing, assisted living and independent living on its campus of approximately 160 acres.
Abernethy Laurels Executive Director Amber McIntosh told the McKnight’s Business Daily that the CCRC didn’t lose CNAs early on in the pandemic. As time wore on, however, she said, staff members began to experience fatigue, and many left the profession.
“That adrenalin wasn’t there anymore, and people started jumping ship,” she said.
Instead of waiting for a new crop of CNAs to be ready from community colleges, where it often can take years for students to complete a course due to other commitments and needing to work as well, Abernethy Laurels devised an in-house CNA training program that takes four weeks (full-time, days) or eight weeks (part-time, evenings) for participants to become state-certified. During the training period, the would-be CNAs are paid more than minimum wage for their time, and they receive a wage increase once they become certified, McIntosh said. In exchange, the students agree to work for the CCRC for at least a year after completing the program.
“The class, for us, has been just the perfect thing,” McIntosh said. “Because we’ve had so many openings, it’s been a win-win for [CNA candidates].”
It took about six months to develop the program and receive approval from the state of North Carolina in February, she said. Abernethy Laurels nurses Linda Goble and Susan Young teach the classes, which are capped at 10 students in each of the four or eight-week sessions. The program has trained 20 CNAs to date.
“We get calls every day with people wanting to get on the waitlist to do the CNA training,” McIntosh said.
Once Abernethy Laurels fills its staffing needs, the executive director said, the CCRC can offer its in-house CNA training to other communities that might want to pay Abernethy Laurels to have students participate.
“We’ll probably keep providing the classes to help everybody out, because there’s such a shortage [of CNAs],” McIntosh said.
