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Allied Services combats healthcare workforce shortage with paid CNA training

A cohort of Allied Services' new CNA hires pose with their instructor, Roy Harrity, shortly after completing their CNA certification exam.
Lydia McFarlane
/
WVIA News
A cohort of Allied Services' new CNA hires pose with their instructor, Roy Harrity, shortly after completing their CNA certification exam.

Sofia Gutierrez graduated from high school last year. She wanted to go to college but did not have the financial resources.

A family member told her about Allied Services. Now, she is a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and plans to continue her nursing education — which Allied will pay for.

Allied Services pays new hires like Gutierrez to complete their CNA training, combatting a declining national trend in the nurse assistant workforce.

A recent healthcare workforce projection from management consulting firm Mercer projected a deficit of 73,000 nursing assistants nationally by 2028. Mercer projects a shortage of 100,000 healthcare workers in that timeframe.

“There's a huge need in the community in healthcare,” said Roy Harrity, an instructor for the program. “As our population is getting older, [with] the boomers aging out, it's only going to get more of a demand for healthcare needs.”

Allied offers classes in both Wilkes-Barre and Scranton at Allied’s various skilled nursing facilities.

Once hired, the company also offers full tuition coverage at Lackawanna College for select associate and bachelor degree programs for both full and part time employees.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the median CNA salary is $38,130 per year, or $18.33 per hour. The average cost for CNA training in Pennsylvania is about $800 to $1,200. That cost could be a barrier.

Training costs are covered

Allied not only covers the cost of the training and exams but pays new hires $17 an hour during training. Once their training is completed, they increase to $18 an hour as they wait to pass the state board exam. Once they pass the exam and become CNAs, they make $22 an hour base pay, plus shift differentials.

The CNA training program is attracting new workers, according to Harrity.

Kayla Gowka, who was in Harrity’s class, said she was drawn to a healthcare career because of the paid training.

“If I didn't find out about the class, I would have never went and tried to get my CNA, just because I don't have the money to pay for it,” Gowka said.

Harrity has been teaching the classes for the past two-and-a-half years. Later this month, he will take on his 13th cohort of new hires. His classes are typically about 10 people, and he has a 90% pass rate for first-time exam takers.

Photos of Allied Services' Meade Street facility show updates and new amenities, like a game room and movie theater, for residents.
Submitted by Allied Services
New hires take CNA classes at Allied Services' Meade Street location in the Heights neighborhood of Wilkes-Barre.

His most recent cohort took the exam on Jan. 16. He found out the next day that all six of his students passed.

However, the prospective CNAs have up to three tries to pass the state board, all of which Allied will pay for.

'I walked the mile in their shoes'

Harrity agreed to being an instructor because of how he started his own career in healthcare.

“I was a CNA before I was a nurse, so I walked the mile in their shoes,” he said. “I know what they're going through. I could relate. I think the nurses that were aced nurse aides before nursing are much better. They see the whole puzzle.”

Like Gutierrez, Blake Murphy is a recent high school graduate. The covered costs and the hourly wage helped solidify his decision to get his CNA certification right after high school.

“I think it's really good they're paying for it because I'm fresh out of high school, so I don't have a lot of money to my name,” Murphy said.

Kelly Graham, 29, said she was the oldest of her cohort. Graham holds a degree in sports medicine but has been working in the service industry for the past eight years. She felt called back to healthcare and feels fortunate to be with Allied.

“I was willing to do anything and pay anything to change my life up,” Graham said. “The fact that they paid was a huge bonus, and the fact that they will continue to pay for any schooling that I need after, it makes you want to stick with the company and really give back.”

Referrals are key

Many new students come from referrals. Bobbilynn Komrowski completed her training in February 2024 and now works as a CNA at Allied’s Center City location in Wilkes-Barre. She took the training and made a career change after moving back home from Florida, where she worked for an airline.

Komrowski said she would "highly recommend" the program for anyone looking to become a CNA or break into the healthcare industry.

Allied Services CNAs (from left to right) Bobbi Lynn Komrowski, Cheyenne Reese and Awilda Cuello all received their CNA certifications through Allied.
Lydia McFarlane
/
WVIA News
Allied Services CNAs (from left to right) Bobbilynn Komrowski, Cheyenne Reese and Awilda Cuello all received their CNA certifications through Allied.

“I came in never working in healthcare, so I had absolutely no clue what I was signing up for,” Komrowski said. “Now I love it. I feel like I've been doing it for 20 years. So it's a great training program.”

Allied partnered with United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA (UNC) to help employees, including new hires still in training, overcome other barriers to employment.

“We want people to be successful in the class,” said Judy Oprisko, Allied’s chief human resources officer. “We also realize that there's a lot of things that people deal with in their personal life that they need to get taken care of. Child care, transportation, housing, things like that. We offer the service from day one in the class, going through the class and making sure that home life is taken care of, along with the work life.”

The goal in offering these services is to help employees meet personal and company goals.

“With offering these supports, along with the paid training and paying for the testing, the whole program together just tries to tee people up to be so successful.”

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