These Goshen High School seniors represent hundreds of students trained this past year through Premier Nursing Academy, based in Fort Wayne with additional locations in Warsaw and Goshen.

WARSAW — Taylor Coulter is a Goshen High School senior who is completing her Certified Nurse Aide certificate while also finishing high school. She has joined hundreds of students who have been trained this past year through Premier Nursing Academy, based in Fort Wayne with additional locations in Warsaw and Goshen.

Coulter plans to enroll as a B.S.N., R.N. student at Indiana University, South Bend and graduate with four years relevant work experience. She is a student in one of the first C.N.A. classes to go through Trilogy Health Services—all expenses (classes, books, licensing fee, scrubs) paid for her C.N.A. classes.

Upon graduating, she has an opportunity for employment in one of over 100 healthcare provider campuses throughout the Midwest. Most importantly, in an environment where student load debt in the U.S. has escalated to $1 trillion, her loan debt will be much less due to tuition reimbursement by her employer.

“Premier Nursing Academy offered me the opportunity to meet residents sooner in the process to better understand their needs,” said Coulter. “My career goal is to become an RN, and this training will help me to become a better one. I know the job market will be competitive once I graduate so figured I’d get a jump on it now. Having my job already set up is a bonus for me.”

According to Chris Palevich, COO, Premier Nursing Academy, its business strategy is to implement an enrollment-to-employment model. This results in its graduates providing elevated levels of care for residents and reduced turnover rates for long-term care. The intention is to provide a bridge, not an end goal.

“Our vision in forming Premier Nursing Academy was to transform the entry level nursing community from the ground up,” said Palevich. “By focusing on students pursuing nursing/healthcare careers and transitioning a freshman pre-nursing/health sciences major into a C.N.A role, we provide a way for the student to earn a license, at no charge, and provide a way to gain valuable workplace experience. Simultaneously, we are providing our employment partners with a far superior employee, enhancing the continuity of care provided to residents, and guaranteeing employment for a period of time.”

“Soft skills, talent development, attraction and retention are keys to a thriving community,” said Karl R. LaPan, President & CEO, The NIIC. “They continue to be a real challenge for Northeast Indiana and our state. Premier Nursing Academy, headquartered here at The NIIC, provides an innovative approach and comprehensive solution for connecting the talent pipeline to important careers with plans for statewide expansion.”

From education, talent recruitment, and talent retention perspective, Jodi Duran, Regional Recruiter, Trilogy Health Services, credits their partnership with Premier Nursing with significantly increasing its talent pool with associates to fill much needed second shift vacancies.

“Premier Nursing has blazed a trail for us with their connections with local high schools and their students,” said Duran. “Working with them has significantly increased our ability to grow the nursing field by offering C.N.A classes to high school students and igniting a passion for working with the elderly at an early stage in their professional career path. Premier has created a streamlined process for the students to receive training, connect with local employers, and gain employment in their field. From first connection to employment can be as little as six to eight weeks. The sky is the limit for these students. They can start with certification and continue to grow with their new employer into the next steps of their nursing careers.”

For more information, including how to enroll as a student, visit the Premier Nursing Academy website.