OpusVi™ (formerly Dignity Health Global Education), a leading workforce development solutions provider backed by CommonSpirit Health, Providence and Premier Inc., that exclusively enables healthcare systems and organizations to upskill and retain top talent, today announces a scalable, multi-state Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program designed alongside and built for Providence, with systems located across the United States, to tackle its CNA staffing shortage.
An average of 209,400 job openings are projected each year in the United States for nursing assistants and unlicensed assistive personnel, and many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who exit the healthcare workforce. Addressing these vacancies is imperative in bringing new CNAs into the healthcare workforce, allowing clinical baseline positions to enable staff members at all levels of the organization to work at the top of their licenses instead of taking on additional tasks and responsibilities left by these shortages.
“Health leaders are facing historic nursing shortages. To address the challenge and better support our workforce, we must radically overhaul our approach to staff retention and workforce development. We’re excited to partner with OpusVi to support our staff in their career journeys and bring more CNAs on board to support our entire workforce,” says Dr. Sylvain Trepanier, System Chief Nursing Officer, Providence. “This CNA program helps us fill a critical need within our system and will empower our teams in their careers. More importantly, this effort will allow us to improve patient care and better serve our communities.”
“One of the most impactful ways to mitigate the challenges of the healthcare staffing crisis is to focus on the growth of the clinical base with more Certified Nursing Assistants, Medical Assistants and Personal Care Assistants,” says Andrew Malley, CEO of OpusVi. “Building a more robust base to the workforce pyramid with Healthcare Support Workers allows nurses to work at the top of their license while fostering strong staffing pipelines for the future and nurturing a diverse clinical workforce. Work-based, apprentice-style programs like our CNA program, built for Providence, offer a more flexible and rewarding journey for new entrants into the healthcare industry and will enhance retention and expand expertise across the clinical spectrum.”
“The apprenticeship-style training structure in this CNA program lays the foundation for a more sustainable staffing pipeline. The structure of this program also allows health leaders to retain their existing staff while providing them with a flexible, accessible pathway to succeed in the industry,” says Dawna Cato, PhD., RN, NPD-BC, Director of Nurse Residency Programs at OpusVi. “We intentionally created this program with competencies that overlap with skills needed for nurse residencies and further nursing education to not only set up the CNAs for career success but also create synchronization across programs and staff levels – supporting the health system overall.”
This CNA program will begin by rolling out across Providence in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Montana, New Mexico and Texas. The structure has been designed to alleviate administrative burdens and ensure uniformity across multiple sites and aligns with state-specific requirements to ensure learners are prepared for the certification exam in their specific geographic region.
OpusVi’s centralized professional development platform has been meticulously crafted to enhance retention rates among unlicensed assisting personnel and support health leaders in the management of the talent pipeline. To learn more about the CNA program, please visit the program page.
