WIN-A-STEP-UP Program
The WIN A STEP UP program is a partnership of the NC Department of Health and Human Services and the UNC Institute on Aging. WIN A STEP UP is aimed at improving the situation of nursing assistants in the long-term care industry in North Carolina. WIN A STEP UP stands for Workforce Improvement for Nursing Assistants: Supporting Training, Education, and Payment for Upgrading Performance.
Nurse aides provide 80-90% of direct care to North Carolina’s nursing home residents, but have a 117% yearly turnover rate. Turnover interrupts caregiver-resident relationships, increases staffing shortages and costs, and—most importantly—endangers quality of care to our state’s nursing home residents.
For the last 6 years, North Carolina DHHS has partnered with the UNC Institute on Aging, to develop and conduct WIN A STEP UP, a successful program that directly attacks the problem of turnover using funds from federal civil monetary penalties. WIN A STEP UP is a proven program that upgrades the skills of nursing assistants, increases their career commitment, and provides rewards and recognition. Nurse aides complete a 30-hour curriculum, agree to continue working for their employer, and receive a bonus or raise from their employer. Frontline supervisors receive training to improve management skills and communication with nurse aides.
A Robert Wood Johnson & Atlantic Philanthropies-sponsored evaluation of the program reported improvements in direct care workers’ morale, retention, and the quality of care delivered to nursing home residents. The US DHHS identified WIN A STEP UP as 1 of 3 programs in the nation proven effective in reducing nurse aide turnover. WIN A STEP UP has reached 41 of NC's 100 counties, and delivered training to 933 nurse aides in 64 nursing homes and to 274 frontline nurse supervisors in 32 sites. However, thousands of NC's frontline aides and nurses have not yet received training, so there is a significant opportunity to make an even greater impact on both the quality of frontline jobs and the quality of care for NC’s older residents.
Learn More About the Program
News, Results & Reports
Need to Know More?
- How to Enroll
- Download brochure
Contact Us
Please call 919-843-2984 or email winastepup@unc.edu if you have questions.
