Florida-based MorseLife Health System Inc. has announced the first cohort of graduates from its inaugural certified nursing assistant (CNA) program.

Each of the six CNA graduates have achieved board certification and are now employed at the nonprofit health system, including some who entered its hospice and palliative care workforce.

The CNA program is designed to strengthen recruitment and retention, as well as help to improve quality, MorseLife indicated.

“This is a major milestone in MorseLife’s ongoing investment in workforce development and clinical education,” a MorseLife spokesperson told Hospice News in an email. “By training CNAs directly within the environment where they will eventually work, MorseLife ensures that caregivers are fully aligned with its standards, workflows and patient expectations, ultimately raising the quality of care. The model supports stronger workforce retention by offering paid training, clear career pathways and guaranteed employment; factors that help attract and keep dedicated caregivers.”

The CNA program is a “fully immersive” and “unique” model that allows students to receive paid training while gaining hands-on experience, the MorseLife spokesperson said. Students in the CNA program receive training across the health system’s continuum of senior care services.

MorseLife provides home health, hospice, palliative care and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). The nonprofit health system also offers rehabilitation, long-term, independent and assisted living services, as well as Parkison’s and cannabis-based therapies.

The organization serves more than 3,600 seniors daily. MorseLife’s hospice program includes services designed to address the unique needs of Jewish families who represent a large portion of its patient population across West Palm Beach, Florida.

“Beyond the organization itself, these efforts strengthen the region’s caregiving talent pipeline, helping address workforce shortages and support the growing senior population,” the MorseLife spokesperson said.

MorseLife established the new program to expand career pathways as part of the health system’s strategic clinician recruitment and retention efforts.

Having nurses train in different environments not only builds broader clinical competency, but also creates a “direct pipeline to employment,” the MorseLife spokesperson said. Graduates are guaranteed roles at the health system and receive help preparing for state certification board exams.

Educating CNAs on MorseLife’s campus helps ensure that graduates are familiar with the organization’s culture, workplace environment and standards of care prior to employment. This strategy will hopefully be key to stronger retention, the health system told Hospice News.

Several considerations were involved in the launch, accessibility and sustainability of the nurse training program, the MorseLife spokesperson indicated. The paid training model covered tuition costs and involved weighing financial, operational and staffing aspects. Clinical staff were needed to provide classroom education and supervision upon graduating into their roles at the organization.

Clinical education often comes at a high expense, and covering these costs represents an investment in removing this barrier, according to MorseLife President CEO Keith Myers.

“By removing financial barriers and providing real-world, on-site training, we are helping more individuals enter this profession, while equipping them with the skills and compassion to make an immediate impact,” Myers said in a statement shared with Hospice News.

Plans are underway to expand the CNA training program in 2026. MorseLife has built the operational and staffing infrastructure to increase cohort sizes and program frequency.

The CNA program may serve as a foundation for future workforce development efforts such as exploring opportunities in various other clinical career pathways, the MorseLife spokesperson stated. The organization will determine the scope of any new training programs depending on evolving staffing and patient needs.

The organization envisions the CNA program as an avenue to improve not only recruitment and retention, but also onboarding experiences. A main goal is to ensure care continuity throughout a patient’s health trajectory, according to the MorseLife spokesperson.

“Graduates emerge prepared to deliver high quality care from day one, reducing onboarding time and increasing initial competency,” they told Hospice News in an email. “In addition, the program’s rotation through all service lines establishes consistency across the continuum of care and fosters a deeper understanding of seniors’ evolving needs.”