Dozens of individuals have become licensed practical nurses in New York in recent years, thanks to a unique partnership between a nursing home provider and the nation’s largest healthcare union.
Syracuse-based Loretto, a major provider of skilled nursing care in central New York, and 1199SEIU, have partnered together to fund the first federally recognized LPN apprenticeship program in the nation. In late August, the latest class of 13 completed the 11-month LPN program, making a total of 49 individuals who have graduated from the program since its inception in 2018. Another new cohort of 15 students recently started.
Johaun Jackson, RN, director of nursing education, research and development for Loretto, said the successful program was founded to fill a need for trained nurses at their facilities.
“LPNs are in high demand, especially in long-term care, but the impetus for the apprenticeship was to provide enough work-life balance so that students could get through school without the burden of crushing debt or having to work full time,” he said.
Loretto and SEIU provide funding for the 11-month apprenticeship program, which costs about $65,000 per student. That covers tuition, salaries and other expenses. Students attend OCM Boces for the apprenticeship training and, upon graduation, Loretto helps prepare them to take the NCLEX exam. So far, about 96% of those who have completed the program have passed the exam and gone on to become LPNs with Loretto.
Jackson said students are only required to work part-time at Loretto while going through the program so they can focus on their studies and manage their work-life responsibilities. He said all of the students that go through the program have worked at Loretto in other capacities, such as certified nurse aides or in housekeeping or food services.
Among them is a husband-and-wife wife team who staggered their program completion to ensure they could divide and conquer at home, too.
About 70% of the graduates who completed the LPN apprenticeship program since its inception continue to work at Loretto, which has helped strengthen the organization’s nurse retention efforts, Jackson said.
Capitalizing on LPN potential
Loretto officials say that the LPN program will help them meet the requirements of both New York’s staffing mandate and the new federal minimum staffing rule.
Joelle Margrey, chief nursing officer for Loretto, noted that LPN staffing is figured into the state’s minimum staffing requirement of 3.5 hours of direct nursing care per resident per day.
“In addition, given the expected numbers of older adults requiring post-acute care and the national staffing shortages, healthcare facilities will not be able to rely on only RNs to complete all care and services that patients require,” she said.
Jackson said Loretto encourages and will continue to support their employees who want to continue their training to get their associate’s or bachelor’s degrees and become RNs. But he noted that the need for LPNs is not going away.
“They’re going to be around for a long time. We’ve been dealing with these shortages of nurses for the past four or five decades with no end in sight,” he explained.
Jackson added that they are hoping to eventually get federal funding to expand the number of LPNs in the apprenticeship program. The cost of the program is roughly $900,000 for a typical cohort of 15 students, so federal funding would help increase the number of students they would be able to train through the program.
In addition to the LPN apprenticeship program, Loretto also offers a five-week CNA training program in its Syracuse and Auburn facilities. This program offers classroom learning, clinical training and prepares them for the New York State Certified Nurse Aide exam. Students who complete training and pass the exam are offered full-time certified nurse aide positions at Loretto.
