By Alka Bhave, President of Fearless Digital
Healthcare workers in nursing homes provide essential care to our most vulnerable community members while building meaningful, sustainable careers. With projections showing a shortage of about 100,000 critical healthcare workers by 2028, including a potentially severe shortage of nursing assistants, creating pathways into healthcare careers is more crucial than ever.
A transformative initiative from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is addressing this challenge by creating new pathways into these vital roles, addressing both the critical need for skilled nursing home professionals and the broader goal of expanding economic opportunity. At Fearless, we’re proud to support CMS in building these pathways to healthcare careers. This work embodies our fundamental belief that technology should break down barriers and create opportunities for economic mobility, particularly for those who have historically faced obstacles to entering healthcare professions.
Breaking Down Barriers to Healthcare Careers
The path to a healthcare career can have significant obstacles — from the high cost of training programs to the complexity of certification requirements. Many talented individuals who would excel in healthcare roles face practical barriers: balancing current jobs with training schedules, managing family responsibilities while studying, or simply affording the upfront costs of education. CMS’ Nursing Home Staffing Campaign tackles these real-world challenges through two key approaches. First, the program offers financial incentives, including tuition reimbursement, to encourage Registered Nurses to work in nursing homes and state agencies. Second, it streamlines the process for becoming a certified nursing assistant, or CNA, by making paid, on-the-job training available, creating a more accessible entry point into the nursing workforce.
Working alongside CMS’ Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, we’ve developed digital resources that make these opportunities more accessible. Our team built an intuitive platform connecting people directly with local training programs and also provides straightforward information about certification requirements and career growth. This isn’t just about posting information online — it’s about making the path to a healthcare career clear and achievable for everyone who wants to pursue it.
For workforce development initiatives to succeed, they need sustained investment and coordinated support across multiple levels. When federal policy changes are combined with state-level workforce development efforts, we create a powerful engine for economic mobility. This comprehensive approach — aligning policy, funding, and implementation — can transform individual lives and strengthen entire communities.
Critical to this success is ensuring that information about these opportunities reaches the people who could benefit from them. The best programs and policies can only create change when people know about them and can easily access their benefits. This is where technology and thoughtful digital solutions play a vital role.
Working alongside CMS’ Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, we’ve developed digital resources that make these career pathways visible and accessible. Our team built a section of CMS.gov that connects people directly with state-specific information about training programs and career opportunities. The platform clearly outlines available roles, from entry-level positions to specialized and leadership opportunities, ensuring that anyone interested in a nursing home career can understand their options and next steps.
Building Career Pathways
Successful workforce development isn’t just about entry points, it’s about creating clear paths for growth and advancement that help people build lasting careers. The nursing home field offers multiple routes for professional development, each supported by specific training and certification opportunities.
Through our work with CMS, we’ve created resources that showcase the full spectrum of nursing home careers, from direct care roles like CNAs and nurses, to specialized positions in areas like infection prevention and wound care, to leadership opportunities in nursing administration and healthcare policy.
The new CMS resources bring together all the essential information needed to start and advance a nursing home career. Potential nursing home employees can find local CNA training programs, understand the requirements for different roles, access step-by-step certification guides and explore various career advancement pathways. This comprehensive approach ensures that people entering the field can see not just their next step, but their potential long-term career journey in healthcare.
Creating Lasting Impact
These workforce development efforts strengthen both individual careers and community health. This comprehensive approach means more skilled professionals caring for our parents, grandparents and neighbors, while building rewarding careers that support families and strengthen local economies.
As healthcare needs in our communities continue to grow, the importance of supporting and expanding our nursing home workforce becomes increasingly vital. CMS’ initiative demonstrates how removing practical barriers and providing clear information can help meet this challenge. By combining financial incentives for nurses with streamlined training pathways and accessible career resources, we’re building a stronger foundation for nursing home care.
Fearless is proud to support CMS in making these career opportunities more visible and accessible. Together, we’re helping ensure that anyone interested in a nursing home career can find their path forward and understand the steps needed to build a meaningful career in healthcare. This work exemplifies how thoughtful collaboration between government and industry can create lasting positive change: strengthening our healthcare system while opening doors to sustainable careers that benefit both individuals and communities.
