For Long-Term Care & Home Health Organizations

We're the call a new CNA makes before she quits — not after.

Cook and DuPage County lose 33–48% of new CNAs within their first year. NorthStar is the human support layer that gets newly certified caregivers through their hardest six months — so your training investment turns into a caregiver who stays.

A caregiver walking with an elderly woman through a sunlit field
$60K
Typical facility investment in a NorthStar cohort — recovered after just 15 prevented resignations out of 46 at risk.
180 days
The window where turnover risk is highest, and where a supported CNA becomes a career caregiver instead of a statistic.
2x/mo
Cohort sessions that turn isolated new hires into a peer community that catches problems before they become resignations.

Certification gets someone hired. It doesn't get them through the first bad shift.

"We aren't a training program. We're why your new hires stay."

A new CNA can pass every exam and still walk out mid-shift three weeks in — not because she lacks skill, but because nobody prepared her for what the job actually feels like: the grief, the family conflict, the physical exhaustion, the sense that no one notices when she's struggling.

NorthStar picks up exactly where clinical training ends. We provide the weekly check-ins, the peer cohort, and the real-time support that catches a new hire before frustration turns into a two-weeks'-notice — without adding a single task to your clinical supervisors' plates.

The critical 180 days, in three phases

Our Human Touch Model tracks a new CNA from her first day through the point where turnover risk finally drops.

01
Pre-Employment

Foundation

Before day one on the floor, we set expectations honestly — what the job will actually feel like, and how to ask for help before it's an emergency.

02
Days 1–90

Required Cohort Support

Bi-weekly group sessions led by a near-peer CNA facilitator, plus direct check-ins that catch shift shock and isolation while it's still fixable.

03
Days 91–180

Sustained Check-Ins

Monthly touch points that carry a new hire past the point where most facilities lose them — into someone who's actually staying.

Built for two audiences, one outcome

Whether you're staffing a facility or training the next generation of CNAs, the gap between certification and career is the same one we close.

Healthcare Organizations

Long-term care facilities, home health agencies, and hospital-based CNA pipelines losing new hires in the first six months.

  • A turnkey retention layer that requires nothing from your clinical supervisors
  • Real-time intervention before a resignation, not an exit interview after one
  • Transparent reporting on cohort progress and retention outcomes

Community Colleges & CNA Programs

Programs accountable for completion and placement outcomes under Illinois Workforce Pell requirements.

  • Post-completion support that strengthens your placement benchmark
  • A credentialed partner for the wraparound support your advising team doesn't have bandwidth for
  • A model built specifically around non-traditional and career-changer students
Kathy A. Iwashima

"Every CNA deserves an early intervention before a hard shift becomes a two-weeks'-notice — and every patient in her care deserves compassion and dignity in life's hardest moments. NorthStar exists to make sure both happen."

Kathy Iwashima built her career at the intersection of counseling and workforce development, holding an M.Ed. in Counseling. As Director of Community Partnerships and Student Internships at DePaul University, she designed the exact model NorthStar now runs on: placing interns, then hiring staff to run weekly check-ins and cohort meetings — catching trouble the moment it started, before it ever became a resignation.

Kathy A. Iwashima
Founder & Program Director, NorthStar Navigation Consultants

Common Questions

Answers to what healthcare organizations and colleges ask us most.

What services does NorthStar Navigation Consultants provide?
Weekly check-ins, bi-weekly peer cohort sessions, and real-time crisis intervention for newly certified CNAs during their critical first 180 days on the job.
How can NorthStar help my healthcare organization?
We reduce early CNA turnover by providing the emotional and practical support new hires need to get through their hardest six months — without adding work to your clinical supervisors.
What makes NorthStar different from other consulting firms?
We aren't a training program — we pick up exactly where clinical training ends, focused entirely on the non-clinical, human side of retention during the highest-risk window of employment.
Can you help community colleges develop additional 30 hours of content specializing in Social Emotional Skills, Resiliency, and professionalism?
Absolutely. Our program is designed to be completed in 30 hours to complement your current 120-hour training program — built specifically to help colleges meet the new Illinois Workforce Pell Grant completion and placement requirements.
Is there a cost for initial consultations?
We offer complimentary initial consultations to understand your needs and how we can best support your goals. Contact us to schedule an appointment today!

Let's talk about your first 180 days.

Whether you're a facility losing new hires or a program measuring your placement outcomes, a short conversation is the place to start.

Schedule a Consultation
Kathy@northstarcna.com   ·   708-315-1743