National Healthcareer Association (NHA), the largest allied health certification agency in the nation, announces a new training eligibility pathway to certification for their employer partners as a way to address critical healthcare recruitment and retention challenges.

As workforce demands and shortages from the global pandemic and the great resignation continue, healthcare employers are finding it difficult to fill in-demand and essential roles. Healthcare education and training are evolving as employers start to lean on internal recruitment and retention methods to meet the new needs of the market.

“NHA makes it a priority to stay abreast of industry challenges and needs and to listen to our customers and partners,” said Jessica Langley-Loep, NHA’s executive director of education and advocacy. “We strongly believe in providing access to training and certification across these different mechanisms, such as apprenticeships, military and career and technical education.”

Langley-Loep explained that by working with their employer partners, NHA has recognized the healthcare skills and labor shortage as major risks to businesses. As an advocate for the health science industry, NHA is working to remove barriers to entry through high-quality training resources and accredited certifications. By providing access to healthcare training and certification in innovative ways, both employers and learners can benefit.  

NHA’s employer pathway program gives healthcare employers the opportunity to support and develop their employees through quality healthcare training and resources. In addition, the program may help employers recruit individuals looking for healthcare education and on-the-job training.

In this program, candidates complete a training program conducted by their current employer or employer sponsor. The program consists of two parts: didactic coursework that aligns with an NHA certification program test plan, along with practical on-the-job training.

As employers are turning more toward internal recruitment efforts and a changing workforce is looking for growth opportunities and stability, this type of pathway may be part of a long-term solution to current healthcare challenges.

For more details on this pathway, please see the updated NHA Candidate Handbook or reach out to your NHA Client Specialist for more information.