South Piedmont AHEC Regional
Workforce in Motion Newsletter
May 2026
Recruit, Train, and Retain: Developing the Workforce for a Healthy North Carolina
Collaborative Corner
As we enter the month of May, we pause to recognize and celebrate Nurses Week (May 6–12), a time to honor the extraordinary role nurses play in every aspect of our lives. From the very first moments of life to the most vulnerable and complex stages at the end of life, nurses are there, guiding, supporting, advocating, and caring. They walk alongside individuals and families during joyful milestones and through some of the most difficult days we will ever experience.
This week offers an important opportunity to reflect on the impact of the nursing profession and to recognize the dedication, compassion, and expertise nurses bring to our communities each and every day. It also serves as a reminder of why our work to strengthen the pipeline through supporting retention, and investing in the development of nurses, is so critical to the future of healthcare in our region.
In recognition of this important week, NC AHEC is celebrating nurse educators across the state by offering a $25 discount for the 2027 Academic Progression Conference, a small but meaningful way to acknowledge those who are preparing the next generation of nurses. (See NC State News below for additional details.)
As we recognize Nurses Week, I encourage you to pause and reflect on how you will honor the nurses who make a difference every day. Whether it’s a simple thank you, a moment of recognition, or a meaningful investment in their growth and development, even a small gesture can have a lasting impact. Together, these moments of appreciation reinforce the value of the nursing profession and the essential role nurses play in the health and well-being of our communities.
As always, thank you for the role you play in supporting and strengthening the healthcare workforce across the South Piedmont region.
Kimberly Schnitzler, RN, MSN
Project Manager, South Piedmont AHEC
Regional Workforce Development
In This Issue:
Workforce Pulse:NC AHEC NEWS:
Advancing Workforce Solutions Through Collaboration, Innovation, and Education
Workforce Pulse:NC STATE NEWS:
The Cost of Nurse Turnover Continues to Impact Healthcare Systems
Federal Student Loan Changes May Impact Healthcare Workforce Pipeline
Workforce Pulse:SOUTH PIEDMONT REGIONAL NEWS:
2026 Health Talent Alliance (HTA) Employer Survey Now Open
Pathway Spotlight:CAREERS IN FOCUS:
Apprenticeship Accelerators Build Momentum Across Three Regions
Medical Surgical Nursing Certification Review Course
Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) Review Course
Workforce Pulse: NC AHEC NEWS
Advancing Workforce Solutions Through
Collaboration, Innovation, and Education
Across North Carolina, the Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) network continues to play a critical role in strengthening the healthcare workforce through education, partnerships, and regional collaboration.
A recent highlight underscores the growing recognition of North Carolina’s model. In early 2026, NC AHEC, in partnership with UNC’s Adams School of Dentistry, was recognized internationally for its community-based education and workforce development approach, with global partners looking to North Carolina as a model for aligning education, workforce strategy, and community need.
This recognition reflects the core mission of NC AHEC: to recruit, train, and retain a high-quality healthcare workforce, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
Statewide Impact and Regional Engagement
Across all nine AHEC regions, efforts are underway to support learners and professionals at every stage of the healthcare pipeline, from early exposure to health careers through clinical training and ongoing professional development.
For example, recent updates from South Piedmont AHEC highlight the scale of this impact:
Thousands of students engaged in health career pathway programs.
Tens of thousands of healthcare professionals supported through continuing education.
Strong retention of residency graduates choosing to remain and serve in North Carolina communities.
In addition, statewide convenings and learning opportunities, such as workforce research conferences and collaborative events, continue to bring partners together to explore data-driven strategies that address workforce shortages and improve access to care.
A Shared Commitment to Workforce Development
The continued momentum across NC AHEC reflects a broader, coordinated effort to align education, practice, and workforce strategy. From supporting clinical training and preceptors to expanding continuing professional development and fostering academic-practice partnerships, AHEC remains a cornerstone of North Carolina’s workforce infrastructure.
For regions like South Piedmont, this work is deeply connected to the goals of the Workforce in Motion Collaborative, ensuring that local solutions are aligned with statewide priorities while remaining responsive to the unique needs of our communities.
From Collaboration to Action:
Advancing Regional Workforce Solutions
In the South Piedmont region, momentum continues to build through a strong focus on collaboration, innovation, and action. Led by South Piedmont AHEC, the Workforce in Motion Collaborative is bringing together employers, educators, and workforce partners to design and implement solutions that address critical nursing workforce challenges.
Key initiatives include:
Regional Apprenticeship Accelerators connecting partners across AHEC regions to expand work-based learning pathways.
Action Groups focused on recruitment, retention, and training/preceptor development, moving ideas into action.
A New Graduate Success Pipeline approach to support students transitioning into practice and improve early-career retention.
Use of data-informed strategies and engagement tracking to guide decisions and measure impact
These efforts are aligned with the North Carolina Health Talent Alliance (HTA), ensuring that regional innovation contributes to a broader, coordinated strategy to strengthen the healthcare workforce statewide.
Workforce Pulse: NC STATE NEWS
NC & National Workforce Trends: The Cost of Nurse Turnover
Continues to Impact Healthcare Systems
"Nurse shortages and mounting labor costs remain among health system CEOs’ top concerns, and the newest NSI survey puts fresh numbers on the financial risks hospitals face from vacancies and churn."
Recent data highlighted by Becker’s Hospital Review underscores the ongoing financial and operational impact of nurse turnover across the healthcare system. With hospitals continuing to experience workforce instability, the cost of vacancies and staff churn remains a significant challenge, affecting not only budgets, but also care delivery and workforce sustainability.
For regions like South Piedmont, these trends reinforce the urgency of advancing strategies that support retention, workforce stability, and pipeline development. From strengthening preceptor support and onboarding practices to expanding work-based learning models like apprenticeships, local and regional efforts are critical to addressing the drivers behind turnover.
As we continue this work through the Workforce in Motion Collaborative, the opportunity is clear: to move beyond reacting to workforce challenges and toward building sustainable, data-informed solutions that support nurses throughout their careers.
Federal Student Loan Changes May Impact
Healthcare Workforce Pipeline
"The Education Department on April 30 finalized a rule implementing sweeping changes regarding federal student loans, which will limit how much some healthcare students can borrow."
Recent federal policy changes highlighted by Becker’s Hospital Review signal potential implications for the future healthcare workforce, particularly for advanced practice roles such as nurse anesthetists and physician assistants. By placing new limits on federal student borrowing and redefining how certain programs are classified, these changes may introduce additional financial barriers for students pursuing high-demand healthcare careers.
For regions like South Piedmont, where workforce development efforts are focused on strengthening pipelines into nursing and advanced practice roles, these shifts reinforce the importance of accessible, affordable education pathways. Strategies such as apprenticeship models, employer-supported education, and expanded academic-practice partnerships may become even more critical in mitigating barriers to entry and supporting long-term workforce sustainability.
As we continue advancing this work through the Workforce in Motion Collaborative, staying informed and aligned on policy changes will be essential
to ensuring that our regional strategies remain responsive, equitable, and forward-looking.
Workforce Pulse: SOUTH PIEDMONT REGIONAL NEWS
2026 Health Talent Alliance (HTA) Employer Survey Now Open
The 2026 Health Talent Alliance (HTA) employer data collection effort is now underway, with the survey opening on April 22 and currently scheduled to close on May 22.
This annual data collection effort plays a critical role in shaping North Carolina’s understanding of healthcare workforce needs, informing regional strategies, guiding statewide initiatives, and strengthening alignment between employers, educators, and workforce partners.
To support participation, the Center on the Workforce for Health has launched a public-facing resource page with guidance for employers and partners submitting data:
https://workforceforhealth.org/hta/data/submission
A coordinated outreach strategy is in place to ensure broad engagement across healthcare employers:
Direct outreach to prior participants is underway to encourage continued engagement.
Trade and professional associations are being engaged to amplify communication through their established channels.
A centralized tracking process will monitor survey completion across organizations, helping ensure targeted and efficient follow-up.
In addition, expanded engagement with select organizations is being coordinated centrally to support alignment and reduce duplication of outreach efforts.
Why This Matters
The HTA employer survey provides critical, real-time insight into workforce trends across North Carolina, helping to identify challenges, inform solutions, and drive collaborative action at both the regional and state level.
For regional collaboratives like ours, strong participation ensures that our local workforce needs are accurately represented, strengthening our ability to advocate for resources, design targeted strategies, and measure impact over time.
Apprenticeship Accelerators Build Momentum
Across Three Regions
This spring, three regional Apprenticeship Accelerator events, hosted across Northwest, Piedmont, and South Piedmont AHEC regions, brought together employers, educators, and workforce partners with a shared goal: to strengthen healthcare pipelines through innovative, work-based learning models.
Across all three regions, one message was clear, apprenticeships are not just a workforce strategy; they are a life-changing opportunity for individuals and a sustainable solution for employers.
Each event created space for meaningful dialogue and learning, highlighting how apprenticeship models are being used to address nursing workforce challenges in real time. Participants heard directly from healthcare employers and education partners who are actively building and scaling apprenticeship pathways, as well as from apprenticeship graduates whose personal stories brought the impact of these programs to life.
From reducing financial barriers to creating structured, supported pathways into nursing careers, these models are helping individuals enter and advance in the profession, while also improving retention and strengthening long-term workforce stability for employers.
A Collaborative Effort Across North Carolina
The success of these events reflects the strength of collaboration across multiple statewide and regional partners. Leadership and coordination from NC Business Committee for Education (NCBCE), NC Career Launch, MyFutureNC, and the three regional AHEC centers (Northwest, Piedmont, and South Piedmont), played a critical role in bringing partners together across regions.
Through this coordinated effort, employers, educators, and workforce organizations were able to:
Share best practices and lessons learned.
Explore scalable apprenticeship models.
Build new connections across regions.
Strengthen alignment around workforce development strategies.
This level of collaboration demonstrates what is possible when partners work together with a shared vision, creating pathways that are responsive to both workforce demand and learner needs.
Moving from Awareness to Action
As momentum continues to build, the focus now shifts to implementation and expansion. Across the three regions, there is growing interest in advancing apprenticeship models as part of broader workforce strategies, particularly within nursing and other high-demand healthcare roles.
For the South Piedmont region, these conversations directly support the work of the Workforce in Motion Collaborative, where partners are actively exploring how apprenticeship can be integrated into recruitment, retention, and training strategies.
The Apprenticeship Accelerators have laid a strong foundation, one rooted in shared learning, real-world success, and cross-sector collaboration. The next step is clear: continue building, scaling, and sustaining these pathways to meet the workforce needs of today and the future.
As we celebrate National Nurses Week (May 6–12), North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) is recognizing the critical role nurse educators play in shaping the future of healthcare across our state.
Nurse educators are at the heart of North Carolina’s healthcare workforce, preparing the next generation of nurses, advancing clinical excellence, and strengthening the connection between education and practice. Their impact is felt not only in classrooms and clinical settings, but across every community where care is delivered.
In recognition of this important work, NC AHEC is offering nurse educators across North Carolina a $25 discount on registration for the 2027 NC AHEC Academic Progression Conference, a statewide event dedicated to advancing nursing education and workforce development.
The conference, now in its 23rd year, brings together nurse educators from across the state to engage in timely topics, share best practices, and strengthen partnerships that support academic progression and workforce readiness.
How to Participate
Nurse educators can take advantage of this opportunity by:
Completing the Nurses Week sign-up survey between May 6–12, 2026
Receiving a $25 discount voucher for the 2027 conference
Gaining early access to conference registration and engagement opportunities
Eligible participants include faculty, program directors, deans, and educators from ADN, BSN, and graduate nursing programs across North Carolina.
Supporting the Mission of NC AHEC
This initiative reflects NC AHEC’s broader mission to recruit, train, and retain a high-quality healthcare workforce for North Carolina. Through education, collaboration, and regional partnerships, NC AHEC continues to uplift and support those who are preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Honoring nurse educators during Nurses Week is one small but meaningful way to recognize their impact, and to reinforce the importance of investing in the systems and people who sustain our healthcare workforce.
Learn more and access the Nurses Week discount opportunity
here.
Covista Honors Nurses Week
with Free On-Demand Education Series
In recognition of Nurses Week (May 6–12), Covista is offering a valuable opportunity for nurses across the country to invest in their professional growth through a free, on-demand webinar series designed to support leadership, communication, and well-being in nursing practice.
The “Voices that Lead” webinar series focuses on empowering nurses through dignity, dialogue, and development, providing practical, real-world strategies that can be immediately applied in today’s complex healthcare environments.
Available anytime, 24/7, these expert-led sessions allow nurses to engage in professional development on their own schedule, an important consideration for
a workforce balancing demanding clinical roles with ongoing learning.
The conference, now in its 23rd year, brings together nurse educators from across the state to engage in timely topics, share best practices, and strengthen partnerships that support academic progression and workforce readiness.
Topics Designed for Today’s Nursing Workforce
The series includes a range of timely topics that reflect the evolving needs
of the nursing profession, including:
Psychological Safety in Nursing – Strategies to support team well-being, address burnout, and empower nurses to speak up.
Leading Across Generations in Nursing Practice – Approaches to strengthen collaboration across a multigenerational workforce
Dignity in Healthcare for Nurses – Enhancing communication and patient-centered care.
Coaching Skills for Charge Nurses – Building leadership capacity and strengthening team performance.
Each webinar offers the opportunity to earn ANCC continuing education credit, supporting both professional development and licensure requirements.
Investing in Nurses, Strengthening the Workforce
As healthcare systems continue to navigate workforce challenges, opportunities like this highlight the importance of investing in the growth, support, and development of nurses at every level.
Accessible, high-quality learning opportunities, particularly those that focus on leadership, communication, and resilience, play a critical role in strengthening retention, enhancing team dynamics, and improving patient care outcomes.
Covista’s Nurses Week offering serves as a reminder that supporting nurses extends beyond recognition, it includes creating opportunities for continued learning, growth, and professional advancement.
Explore the “Voices that Lead” webinar series
here.
On the Horizon: UPCOMING EVENTS
Leadership at Lunch Series: Bite-Sized Learning for Big Impact
Level up your leadership skills in just 60 minutes with our exciting and convenient Leadership at Lunch classes! Delivering powerful solutions to today’s leadership pitfalls in a way that fits your schedule, our virtual webinars are just what new (and not so-new) healthcare leaders need to thrive!
