Indianapolis, Indiana — Majestic Care says a broad certification push is starting to pay off inside its nursing homes, with company leaders pointing to stronger recruitment, better quality metrics and improved star performance across part of the portfolio.
According to industry reports, Majestic Care leaders said certifications have become a practical hiring tool at a time when skilled nursing operators still face a tight labor market. Stephanie Fischer, the company’s senior director of RAI, said job candidates often ask whether the company will pay for certifications. Under Majestic’s organizational membership structure, staff can access those programs across the company, she said.
The operator also tied the effort to day-to-day performance inside buildings. Fischer said the certification strategy appears to be helping with retention and recruitment of stronger MDS coordinators while also supporting clinical documentation accuracy and quality-measure performance.
One of the more concrete results involved the federal five-star system. Fischer said about 25% of Majestic’s facilities moved into a higher star category over the period she cited, a sign that the company views workforce development as more than a hiring tool. It’s also a quality and reimbursement play.
That matters beyond one operator. For nursing homes still trying to stabilize after years of staffing disruption, the Majestic example adds to the conversation around what actually works. Some providers have leaned on wage increases alone. Others are investing in training pipelines, specialty credentials and support for clinical staff who handle documentation-heavy roles. As Skilled Care Journal recently reported in its coverage of the push to revive nursing home staffing mandates after the election, operators are under pressure to show they can strengthen staffing without waiting for a looser regulatory climate.
More than a recruiting perk
Majestic’s message is that certifications can serve more than one purpose at once: attracting applicants, building internal expertise and sharpening performance on the quality measures that shape public ratings and payment discussions. That won’t solve every staffing problem. But it does offer a more specific playbook than the usual talk about culture or engagement.
For U.S. nursing home operators, the takeaway is straightforward. If a certification program helps bring in stronger candidates, keeps key coordinators in place and improves documentation quality, the return may show up in more places than payroll. It may show up on Care Compare, in survey readiness and in the numbers that increasingly define who gains momentum in skilled nursing and who falls behind.
