Treasure Coast Hospice’s New CNA Training Program a Staffing ‘Game Changer’

Florida-based Treasure Coast Hospice has launched a new certified nursing assistant (CNA) training program. The effort has already born fruit in terms of strengthened recruitment and retention.

The scope of new clinicians entering the hospice workforce has shrunk significantly in recent years, leaving a deficit of resources in the face of rising demand. This issue is among the challenges that Treasure Coast Hospice is working to address through the new CNA program, according to Treasure Health COO Shannon Cooper. She is also a registered nurse.

“The program has allowed for us almost a pipeline of people who feel called to this type of work,” Cooper told Hospice News. “It’s being less reliant on traditional means of recruiting, because there isn’t that pool of experienced hospice nurses. So, the more we grow from within, the better. I hear a lot about how students’ perceptions have changed with this [program]. Some of our strongest nurses right now have gone through this process.”

Building a solid educational foundation

Among the persisting workforce challenges is that medical and nursing students often lack exposure to hospice during their training. The trend has hospices nationwide increasingly forming educational collaborations with local institutions to seek out the next generation of clinicians.

Treasure Coast Hospice’s new program is designed to help ensure that students and staff receive hands-on quality education, Cooper said. New nursing graduates often express interest in hospice, but lack experience, she said.

“Out of necessity and opportunity we had to change the way we were thinking about hiring nurses that were very proficient already in hospice,” Cooper said. “They’re just not as easy to find now.”

Treasure Coast Hospice provides inpatient and community-based hospice to adult and pediatric populations across four counties in south Florida. The hospice’s annual census hovers around 4,000 patients. Treasure Coast Hospice is part of Treasure Health, along with St. Francis Hospice.

Established in 1982, the nonprofit operates two inpatient units and two thrift stores, and is supported by the Treasure Coast Hospice Foundation. The hospice’s bereavement services include support groups, individual counseling, grief education, remembrance ceremonies and an overnight program for youths, Camp Good Grief. The organization offers music, pet, aroma, massage and virtual reality therapies.

Treasure Coast Hospice has partnered with Indian River State College for more than 30 years. The organization provides clinical rotations, hospice exposure, interdisciplinary learning and clinical residency opportunities. The hospice has supported upwards of 430 nursing students across three local colleges and universities since 2023.

The organization also established a new graduate registered nurse internship program in response to staffing challenges and the unique needs of hospice clinicians, Cooper stated. The 30–90 day internship involves hospice preceptorship training, online curriculum and bedside experiences in both inpatient home-based settings. Nurses also receive weekly mentorship and individualized career development plans.

Treasure Coast Hospice’s clinical education department provides the training. Preceptors have reduced patient caseloads so they have the bandwidth to offer training alongside providing care. The program has received positive feedback from clinicians and interest is growing. Moreover, the program has become a stronghold in retention and career development, Cooper stated.

Hospice nurses need a blend of clinical expertise, strong communication skills and emotional resilience, she said. The training program supports students’ transitions into the hospice field by providing structured learning, preceptorship and clinical immersion.

Through the new program, students and clinical staff at Treasure Coast Hospice are able to train at the organization’s simulation lab. This allows for bedside experience to build in a safe learning environment, Cooper indicated. Students can practice skills related to symptom management, wound care, medication administration and communication. The lab also supports standardized onboarding of new clinical staff, which can improve preparedness, quality and confidence in care delivery.

“The simulation lab has really been a game changer for us with our current staff,” Cooper said. “There are some skills you don’t do all the time or haven’t had experience with, so a lot of times it builds confidence and really impacts the level of other support nurses can provide to our patients and families. It opens them up to address more psychosocial needs and really be present to have those difficult conversations.”

Rolling out a new training avenue will be key to meeting the evolving needs of terminally ill patient populations, according to Cooper. Hospice clinicians’ need a wide range of skills and knowledge to address a growing aging population with medically complex needs.

Benefits of the new CNA program have included not only stronger recruitment and retention, but also improved patient and family experiences and more opportunities for clinical growth and professional development.

“We’re interested in possibly different service lines and open to whatever strategically aligns with our mission,” Cooper told Hospice News. “This program definitely helps with retention and the impact for our patients and their families is that our clinicians are more skilled and have more opportunities to learn and grow. Retention has a lot to do with feelings about meaningful work, and the more meaning and support we provide, the better experience they have and can give to patients and families in their work. It’s impactful.”