Georgia is projected to see one of the largest shortfalls of registered nurses in the country over the next decade, according to federal estimates. The state also sees a high percentage of nurses who leave for higher-paying markets.
These workforce dynamics have spurred a shift in how Marietta, Ga.-based Wellstar Health approaches talent development, Laura Dannels, PhD, the health system’s chief talent officer, told Becker’s.
“For cost pressure reasons, we can’t compete with South Florida, Austin, Houston, Chicago, New York or California,” she said. “That’s really pushed our shift from buying talent much more to building talent and doubling down on apprenticeship models both on the allied health and nursing front.”
About a year ago, Wellstar partnered with Guild, a career development platform, to expand job pathways through an apprenticeship model in which participants’ education costs are fully covered. While completing the program, learners receive wraparound support for needs such as childcare and transportation. Upon completion, job placement at Wellstar is guaranteed.
“We wanted to have it based very close to our mission, so that everyone had an opportunity for access,” Dr. Dannels said. “So whether folks didn’t have a GED or just needed English learning skills, all that kind of foundational learning is available to them free of charge.”
The health system currently has 20 pathways participants can choose from, leading to jobs in nursing, allied health and healthcare administration. About 30% of people going through the apprenticeship programs are pursuing a nursing track, 44% are in an allied health program and about 15% to 20% in administration.
Within one week of launching the first apprenticeship programs last year, more than half of Wellstar’s team members in entry-level roles signed up. To date, 800 people have enrolled or been placed in jobs through the program.
“The demand is just so great,” Dr. Dannels said. “Everyone wants to know when’s the next pathway coming; where’s the next area? The response from the community has been so substantial that we’ve started to open these programs up to the external community in a pay-to-train model.”
As part of the apprenticeship program’s next phase, leaders are creating automated advancement pathways so participants can see their career growth mapped out from day one. For instance, someone may enter the program to become a surgical technologist, then automatically be placed into an LPN program, and after that, a nursing track. The development of these automated pathways was sparked by feedback from high school students who want to see a vision of their career five to seven years down the line, Dr. Dannels said.
Given extraordinary demand to participate in the programs, Wellstar created an agile float pool to ensure anyone who wants to advance their career has the opportunity to do so.
“We have an unlimited amount of openings, so if you’re willing to put in the work, you will not be declined from any of these programs,” Dr. Dannels said.
The float pool serves as a transitional workforce model, allowing apprentices to apply their developing skills at various facilities while completing training. Wellstar places participants in high-need areas, such as medical-surgical units, to ease the burden on overstretched teams.
“Somebody going through a phlebotomy program can be taking some work off of our nurses, so it’s actually allowing us to test a bit more in how we innovate our care model,” Dr. Dannels said.
While acknowledging the upfront investment is substantial, Dr. Dannels said it pays to build a predictive workforce pipeline and cut contract labor costs. To ensure the initiative is aligned with operational priorities, leaders evaluate the apprenticeship offerings monthly, based on vacancy trends and long-term strategic needs across 11 hospitals. The system is also leaning on its foundation arm to bring in outside support. Already, Wellstar has secured grants from Georgia Power and Microsoft.
The health system has already seen the model pay off: Individuals who complete a program and are placed in a role at Wellstar are 70% less likely to leave the organization compared to external hires.
“We’re not just looking at this as an employee benefit, but really more of a strategic investment and predictive pipeline,” Dr. Dannels said. “We as HR professionals have to start thinking more about hiring people into long-term careers versus just that job.”
