Bayeda Home Healthcare

Currently, Bayada Home Healthcare has around 33,000 workers in 22 states who provide home health services to approximately 175,000 patients. Over the last five years, the company has trained and recruited over 2,300 nurses through different initiatives.

In 2020, Bayada introduced a paid residency program that offers new RNs and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) training and mentorship in home healthcare — something that is not typically provided by most college nursing programs. Around 2,000 nurses have completed the residency program.

In 2021, the company launched the Advance Through Nursing initiative. The initiative helps home health aides or certified nursing assistants become RNs or LPNs. The initiative provides $15,000 in scholarships or student loan repayments in exchange for staying with the company for two years after graduation. So far, over 300 clinicians have completed the program.

According to Mike LaRosa, Bayada's director of workforce development, the retention rate in its Advance Through Nursing initiative is double the rate of nurses recruited externally. "We get a lot more time with them to get them exposed to and comfortable with the home care setting. That builds a lot more stickiness," he said.

"Our position on this is we have to grow our own nurses," LaRosa said. "There is no other way."

According to Michael Relf, dean of the Duke University School of Nursing, talent development could become more important to healthcare organizations over time as new care options, like telehealth and hospital-at-home, offer nurses more employment options and flexibility, which will spread the healthcare workforce thinner.

"As nurse recruitment becomes increasingly transactional, the advantage shifts to organizations that grow their own nurses within their care model," said Anne Schmidt, director of workforce and health system improvement at Optum Advisory*. "By shaping practice, expectations, and professional identity from the start, they build retention and capability the external market cannot buy."

"Professional identity in nursing is [also] receiving increased attention across education and practice, as growing evidence links a strong professional identity to nurse well‑being, retention, and safe, high‑quality patient care, particularly in early‑career nurses," Schmidt added.

OSF Healthcare

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law last July, allows employers to provide up to $5,250 tax-free in tuition assistance and education loan repayment each year permanently. Starting next year, the spending cap will also be adjusted annually for inflation.

Many providers, including OSF Healthcare, are using the tax incentive to help some of their workers enrolled in nursing colleges. Currently, OSF uses a combination of tuition assistance and tuition reimbursement depending on the nursing student.

According to MedCerts, an online training company, more clinicians who received employer-sponsored training for lower-level roles are now using the tax incentive to attain higher-paying clinical roles. The company has partnered with around 200 health systems to provide online training for their employees.

"We have built a pipeline of medical assistants to RNs at no out-of-pocket costs for the medical learner," said Jennifer Kolb, MedCerts' VP of partnerships and workforce development.

*Advisory Board is a subsidiary of Optum. All Advisory Board research, expert perspectives, and recommendations remain independent.