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Healthcare staffing is at a unique moment. We’re dealing with high demand and a staffing shortage—but at the same time, there have never been more opportunities for recruiting. Many people are leaving work voluntarily and a shocking number of Americans are looking for a whole new career in a different industry. Healthcare leaders can take advantage of the current mood with job-seekers by offering a free CNA training program.

Benefits of In-House CNA Training

On-the-job CNA training isn’t a new idea. In fact, in-house career training has its historical roots in healthcare. So, is this something you should consider? We think so. Here are some of the reasons why offering your own CNA training program could accelerate your hiring. 

1. Free Training Helps Build a Workforce From All Walks of Life 

Offering free CNA training is a huge step toward making the industry more accessible for everyone. By removing the barrier of costly education you’re creating more equitable opportunities for the people who want to enter the healthcare workforce. And with greater equity comes greater diversity. That means you can appeal to more candidates, including the ones who might be struggling to get to work, like parents and primary caregivers.

2. You’ll Access Well-Prepared Candidates

Your free CNA training program won’t just give you more applicants. It will also guarantee that the candidates you’re seeing are qualified. Typically, when you offer free CNA training, participants will sign onto a 12-month work commitment, helping you increase retention. 

This is your chance to have a direct impact on your candidates’ education. You’ll be able to get to know your candidates well while they’re still in training, and they’ll get to know you. Because of this, you’ll be able to anticipate your new hires’ strengths, and they’ll have time to familiarize themselves with your facility.

If that’s not compelling enough, there’s evidence that on-the-job training is actually more effective than classroom learning. Self-directed and problem-based learning has been shown to have strong results in healthcare. In this kind of education, trainees are asked to apply theory immediately and ground their lessons with on-the-job success.

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3. It’s Free PR 

Free training gives you a competitive edge over other recruiters, and not just because you’re attracting more candidates. It’s also PR gold. 

A free training program is promotable, shareable, and of interest to a wide range of people. If you start a program like this, you may even be able to promote it with local news. There’s a good chance that passive candidates will stumble across a well-promoted training program, even if they weren’t considering a nursing job.

4. It’s the Right Moment

Right now, about half of Americans are thinking about changing industries. Many of these job seekers aren’t feeling great about their prospects.

This is exactly the kind of environment where free training programs can take off and thrive. People are looking for their next steps—and healthcare is looking for people. If you’re thinking about offering on-the-job CNA training, there has never been a better time.

Better Healthcare Staffing With Apploi

Apploi is here to simplify your healthcare staffing. We help employers source candidates, streamline hiring, and onboard new recruits ahead of the competition. 

Interested in learning more about how you can recruit, hire, and onboard healthcare staff quickly? Contact us today for a free demo of our end-to-end talent management solution.

Pritma Chattha, DNP MHA RN

Pritma is a Yale-educated nurse executive with 18 years of experience advocating for patients at the bedside and in the boardroom. She currently serves as the Head of Healthcare Innovation at Apploi—healthcare's leading recruitment and credentialing platform. Over the last decade, Pritma has honed her expertise as a health informaticist, building and improving electronic health records and credentialing platforms. She is the immediate former Executive Director of Electronic Quality and Safety for Alberta Health Services, the largest health system in Canada. Pritma enjoys rethinking healthcare processes to provide safer, better, and more accessible healthcare. https://www.linkedin.com/in/pritma/