Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse’s largest nursing home and its union have spent millions of dollars over the past six years training nearly 50 of its own employees to become nurses.
Last month, Loretto celebrated 13 graduates of its newest class of certified nurse apprentices.
Offering promotions to nursing home staff is not new. What’s notable about Loretto’s program is that students are paid a full-time salary and BOCES training is provided free of charge.
What is the cost? Approximately $65,000 per student.
Ms. Loretto pays students full-time salary and benefits for 11 months while they participate in the BOCES program. The program tuition itself is paid by Local 1199 of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
Students who work part-time during their apprenticeship will be better prepared to pass their state’s LPN certification exam. This program has a 96% success rate.
The need is great: Loretto has a shortage of LPNs more than any other level of caregiver, said Kim Townsend, Loretto president and CEO.
Nurses are the most difficult health care profession to hire across Central New York, with 90% reporting problems hiring, according to a survey of nursing homes released by the State Medical Research Group.
LPNs are the nurses who provide most of the day-to-day care. They are needed to administer medications, assist with daily hygiene, monitor changes in a patient’s health status, and communicate with family members, among other daily tasks.
Kevin Lockhart, vice president of SEIU Local 1199, said Loretto’s program is a national pioneer.
Loretto said that when he tried to register his apprenticeship with the federal Labor Department in 2018, no such LPN apprenticeship listing existed. After Loretto started the program, such apprentices were added to the federal list, and Loretto was enrolled in 2020, the nursing home said.
The Buffalo-area nursing home credited Loretto for leading the way in starting its own LPN apprenticeship at SEIU in 2019, according to news reports.
While many nursing homes allow employees time off to attend classes, the idea of paying someone to attend LPN school for free started with Loretto, Lockhart said.
More common in the industry are paid training programs for certified nursing assistants, the backbone of nursing home care.
A year ago, Loretto enhanced its CNA training program and increased salaries for CNAs. These changes helped Loretto fill dozens of vacant CNA positions at various facilities, Townsend said.
This year, Loretto graduated 115 new CNAs through its in-house program.
We also hired 40 LPNs from outside of Loretto.
This means Loretto has essentially ended its practice of using outside staffing companies to fill care gaps, officials said.
The LPN apprenticeship program is highly selective, with more than 200 Loretto employees applying to the program for 14 spots last year.
The full-time starting salary for an LPN is $65,739, more than $20,000 per year more than a CNA.
Syracuse resident Gwen Jefferson started working in Loretto’s kitchen as a teenager. She went through a CNA training program to become a caregiver.
Her husband, Jamel Jefferson, also worked in the kitchen and later as a CNA. They began dating while working at Loretto.
In 2023, Gwen completed her LPN apprenticeship. This year, Jamel followed suit.
“It was fast-paced and intense,” Gwen said of juggling school, work and home life. Their blended family has four school-age children.
In addition to classroom training, Dr. Johaun Jackson, director of nurse education at Loretto, met with Gwen twice a week during her apprenticeship.
Jamel said he benefited from watching his wife go through the program first.
“I knew what I was getting into,” he said.
Gwen and Jamel both plan to stay in Loretto as LPNs. They are now considering going back to school to become registered nurses.
Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or (315) 470-6070.
