Mercy Health will give associates free education

Mercy health announced they will pay for 100% of all part-time and full-time associates' tuition and fees for select educational programs on Wednesday.

The company is partnering with Guild Education, the nation's leading education and upskilling platform, to provide clinical classes in nursing, medical assistant and laboratory programs. The education program will cover tuition assistance and reimbursement for 115 academic programs as well as undergraduate, graduate and nursing degrees.

Mercy Health says that their associates will be eligible for the program on their first day of employment.

"We are committed to providing career growth to our associates as they serve our patients," said John Luellen MD, president of Mercy Health – Youngstown. "Our collaboration with Guild will open many doors for our associates, enabling them to realize their career aspirations and enhancing their ability to care for our communities."

Recent reports show that registered nursing is the fifth-most in-demand job in the America. In order to address the current labor shortage, 1.2 million new registered nurses will be needed in the United States by 2030. And according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment in health care jobs is projected to grow 16% from 2020 to 2030 adding an estimated 2.6 million new jobs.

Guild Education and Mercy Health hope that this partnership will help meet the demand for educated nurses.

"Our healthcare sector has carried our country on its shoulders throughout the last 18 months, but our hospitals and providers are now facing significant challenges in the war for talent," said Rachel Carlson, CEO and co-founder of Guild Education. "We're honored to partner with Bon Secours Mercy Health to fill in-demand jobs today and build towards careers of tomorrow."

Mercy Health says they designed the program with its associates at the core, whether they want to learn new skills in their current role or grow into new roles within the ministry.