Nurses Week 2025: Training Fund Benefits for RNs

Nurses Week 2025: Training Fund Benefits for RNs

Happy National Nurses Week!

National Nurses Week honors nurses and celebrates their incredible contributions to the healthcare industry and patient care. We are thankful to have supported so many nurses in their healthcare journey. Your dedication inspires us, and we are proud of you. Thank you, nurses! 

Join us at Nurses Week events – at your employer site or online – to learn more about our services and programs for RN members. 

.Nurses Week Events

Providence Swedish Nurses Week Celebration

Cherry Hill, Cafeteria/Starbucks in Hallway: Monday, May 5, noon to 2 p.m.

Ballard, Cafeteria: Tuesday, May 6, 6:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

First Hill, Glaser Foyer: Wednesday, May 7, noon. to 2 p.m.

Edmonds, 2nd floor Cafeteria: Thursday, May 8, 12:45 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Issaquah, Cafeteria: Friday, May 9, 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. 

Kaiser Permanente Nurses Week

Capitol Hill, 6th Floor Room D649: Monday, May 5, 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

National Patient Care Services Nurses Week Events

 

“Going back to school for a Master’s program after 30 years, in a different learning environment, with a full-time O.R. nurse job, and the pandemic is not easy, but not impossible to do. I was amazed by the tremendous support I had from the Training Fund and WGU mentors. Now I can say I will never regret taking the high road in meeting my personal and professional development. The next step for me is to plan on giving back.”

Marina "Rina" Sotero-Galban

RN, Highline Medical Center

Benefits for Training Fund RN Members

The Training Fund offers many supportive services, education opportunities, and benefits for Training Fund RN members.

Tuition Assistance

We are proud to offer our members the opportunity to apply for Tuition Assistance (TA), which can cover school-related costs like tuition, books, and other fees for approved programs. After 1 year of service with their employer, RN members can apply for up to $5,250/year in Tuition Assistance. 

You can also access a variety of educational support services to help you succeed, including tutoring and career counseling. 

Approved Nursing Programs for TA

These nursing programs are on our list of approved programs that qualify for Tuition Assistance. Learn More.

List of approved nursing programs

Professional Development

RN members have access to up to $500/year in Professional Development reimbursement for: 

  • Continuing Education Unit (CEU) conference registration, courses, and required materials 
  • Professional Memberships 
  • License Fees
  • Specialty Nurse Certification Exams and re-certification fees 

You also have free access to unlimited CEU courses through HealthStream for continuing nursing education courses and nursing certification review.  

RN to BSN Program

The Training Fund partners with Bellevue College to offer an RN to BSN program to Training Fund members at little to no cost.  

  • Nationally accredited and state recognized 
  • Full-time or part-time options with low-residency 
  • Designed for working nurses, flexible hybrid model 

This is a great option for nurses looking to purse leadership and management roles! It also opens doors as a Liaison Nurse, Visiting Nurse, and more.  

Total Program Cost (Tuition, application fees, books, etc.): $10,500 

Total cost for RN Training Fund Members: FREE  

 *some fees not covered 

Interested in becoming an RN? Learn more about our Hospital Employee Education Training worker friendly programs for becoming an RN.

IHAP & NA-C Spotlight: Riley Winters

IHAP & NA-C Spotlight: Riley Winters

Our Learners say it best!

Riley’s Success Story

Riley Winters graduated from the first Introduction to Healthcare Employment and Apprenticeship Program (IHAP) in partnership with Arivva in Summer, 2024.

The IHAP employment program trains entry-level job seekers for healthcare careers and is free of cost to participants. It consists of two phases: Phase 1 is a three-week Healthcare Foundations class that helps participants explore a range of healthcare careers and develop workplace readiness. Phase 2 consists of a six- to eight -week NA-C Training program. In the summer of 2024, we expanded our IHAP program in partnership with Arivva, to serve Pierce County.

Riley has a wide range of professional experience, but always found themselves coming back to healthcare and when she stumbled upon an email for IHAP, it was the perfect fit.

“After following my travel nurse partner across the US for over a year applying unsuccessfully to remote copywriting jobs, I was ready to actually focus in on that job security I had been missing. With the help of the Training Fund, I have finally found it!”

Riley completed both phases of IHAP, including online classes, hands-on labs, and onsite clinical training. 

“This program made the acquisition of my Nursing Assistant certification so much more accessible than it would have been otherwise, primarily due to the financial assistance.

The skills I learned during my training through the Training Fund’s IHAP have given me the confidence I need to not only do my job, but to do my job well. I have received positive feedback from the preceptors I shadowed as well as CNAs and nurses I have worked alongside so far.

Riley Winters

Certified Nursing Asisstant, IHAP graduate, Summer 2024

IHAP also offers free wrap-around support services to help learners succeed and complete the program. These comprehensive options include: all program supplies, vaccination and clinical readiness assistance, scrubs, tutoring, and test registration and preparation.

Our IHAP Navigator is also able to connect participants with additional resources including childcare and transportation support, resume and cover letter assistance, and more!

Tuition Assistance Stipend

Tuition Assistance Stipend

We are excited to announce that we are testing the development of a new benefit, a Tuition Assistance Stipend, that will allow eligible members to lower their work hours and receive funding to support FTE reduction!

Are you using Tuition Assistance, but struggling with working and going to school?

Balance Work & School with a Tuition Assistance (TA) Stipend

  • Lower your work hours by up to 0.2 FTE
  • Receive monthly funding to supplement hours missed

Eligibility:

  • Actively using Tuition Assistance benefit
  • Not on an academic hold
  • Enrolled & registered for Summer and/or Fall 2025 Quarter
  • Must maintain a 0.1 FTE to remain Training Fund eligible
A nurse applies for scholarships on their laptop.

We are selecting 50 members to participate in this benefit trial.

  • TA Stipends will be provided July 2025- December 2025.
  • Participation will require manager pre-approval and monthly verification by manager.
  • Before May 15th: Submit an interest form for a chance to receive a spot in this TA Stipend trial.
  • May 22nd: TA Stipend recipients announced
Submit Interest Form by May 15th

Members will receive notification if they have been selected to participate May 22nd.

Selected Members will need to:

  • Fill out a short form
  • Provide proof of registration for summer or fall term
  • Provide W9
  • Complete monthly verification: signature from member & manager

Stipend checks will be sent out monthly to the member.

 

Opportunity: National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program Application Now Open

Opportunity: National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program Application Now Open

National Health Services Corps Loan Repayment Program

Application Now Open:  Apply by Thursday, May 1, 7:30 p.m. ET

Eligible health professionals may now apply to the National Health Service Corps’ three loan repayment programs. This year’s programs have increased funding for eligible clinicians, including an increase of 50 percent in the two-year NHSC Loan Repayment Program award amount to $75,000 for full-time primary care participants.

Compare programs and learn more about eligible disciplines, site types, and service commitment.

A nurse applies for scholarships on their laptop.
Apprentice Spotlight: Cynthia DeRocher

Apprentice Spotlight: Cynthia DeRocher

Our Apprentices Say it Best!

Cynthia’s Success Story

First, she completed the apprenticeship… now she’s a mentor for the Behavioral Health Technician apprenticeship program!

Cynthia DeRocher, Activities Coordinator at Cascade Senior Living Services (CSLS), has grown her career and achieved her goals through the Health Care Apprenticeship Consortium’s (HCAC) earn-while-you-learn apprenticeship. Since completing the Behavioral Health Technician Apprenticeship in June 2024, she has come full circle: today, she is a mentor for other program apprentices – and is also celebrating 8 years of sobriety! 

A graduate of the very first Behavioral Health Technician apprenticeship cohort, Cynthia was eager to grab this opportunity when it became available. It seemed too good to be true: a one-year apprenticeship program includes classroom instruction, lab sessions, mentored on-the-job training, built-in support services to minimize barriers, and Nursing Assistant certification.

The program provided her with apprentice tuition, reimbursement for scrubs, connections to additional resources, and more. She especially appreciates the hands-on tech support and encouragement that she received throughout the program:

“This program was a blessing. I am 60 years old. It gave me all the help and support that I needed to complete the work and graduate.  

It gave me confidence that I did not have before – I am equipped with every experience, every day.

I can now help others.” 

Cynthia’s past lived experience with depression and recovery gives her additional insight into this career pathway:

“This program showed me things about myself that I had to come to terms with. I am in recovery myself, and will soon have eight years sober. I come from both sides.

I want to be the help that I did not have when I needed it.

Now I get to help people, and I gain more compassion – I feel like that’s why I came through this. 

I lived 21 years with severe clinical depression and could hardly get out of bed. That’s not who I am today.

But I have now gained so much, and completely changed – I have the tools, the skills, the knowledge to be who I wanted to be.

Cynthia DeRocher

Behavioral Health Technician apprenticeship Graduate & Mentor, Activities Coordinator | Cascade Senior Living Services

From starting as a Restorative Aide at CSLS six years go, Cynthia is now the Activities Coordinator and her pay has doubled. She plans and organizes activities for 110 residents with various behavioral, mental, emotional needs. 

She plans to keep learning: I want to absorb as much as I can and just keep learning. I just got a new apartment and am learning to make time for self care as well.”

Diana Verrue, HR Director at CSLS, is thrilled to watch Cynthia grow her career: “It’s so neat watching Cynthia. She is all about helping others where they need it. She  also receives a stiped to mentor two other apprentices.”

As a participating employer, Diana appreciates how the behavioral health apprenticeship programs meet workforce needs. “This BH Technician program allows us to retain people long term,” she says.

L to R: Veronica Wade (Director of Program Operations, Training Fund), Diana Verrue (HR Director, CSLS), Cynthia DeRocher (Activities Coordinator, CSLS), and Sukanya Pani (Deputy Director, Training Fund).