Ascend Learning

National Healthcareer Association (NHA), the largest allied health certification agency in the United States and an Ascend Learning brand, recently released its 2026 Industry Outlook, which highlights the growing need for allied health professionals and the rising value of certification, underscoring a clear truth: practice‑ready, credentialed talent is essential to building a resilient healthcare workforce. 📊 Here's what the data shows: Demand is accelerating: Healthcare occupations are projected to grow much faster than average from 2024–2034, with ~1.9M openings each year due to growth and turnover. Credentials matter: 89% of employers say they're more likely to hire candidates with nationally recognized certifications. Certification is rewarded: 74% of healthcare employers increase pay when an employee earns a professional certification. 💡 Why it matters: When education, hands‑on training, and certification work together—connecting classroom learning with real‑world practice—employers gain confidence in readiness, and learners gain pathways to meaningful careers. At Ascend Learning, we work with learners, educators and employers through brands like NHA to help bridge these connections, so learning translates into opportunity, mobility, and impact. This is how we help change lives. 📘 Explore the full NHA Industry Outlook through the link in the comments.

Meet Laurel Uballez, MBA, director of product marketing with Ascend brand StaffGarden in our Healthcare Workforce Solutions category (our suite of products and solutions that serve the healthcare provider market). In her role, Laurel leads cross-functional teams comprising sales, product, customer success, and marketing to establish and elevate brand and solution positioning and develop and execute go-to-market strategies that drive business growth. She also oversees strategic campaigns that build market awareness, recognition, and credibility while generating leads and nurturing key stakeholders. “Ascend attracts people who care. They’re here because they want to make an impact and feel passionate about their work – and that tends to attract people who care about one another, which makes for a strong culture,” said Laurel. Click the link in the comments to hear more from Laurel on what it’s like to work at Ascend.

We're a leading healthcare and learning technology company helping professionals earn certifications, upskill and grow their careers, and we're hiring for a Sr. Manager of People Systems. DeAnna Petersson, our senior director of people operations and technology, said this role is a rare opportunity to come in and truly shape what comes next with our HRIS and connected HR platforms while partnering across HR, IT, finance, payroll, TA, total rewards, and learning. "You won't be inheriting a finished product — you'll be a key architect of it," said DeAnna. "If you're someone who thrives at the intersection of strategy and execution, loves turning stakeholder needs into elegant system solutions, and wants a seat at the table where decisions get made, this is the role for you." Here are the top 5 qualities we're looking for: 🤝 A true thought partner: a right-hand collaborator who co-architects strategy 🏗️ A builder's mentality: energized by runway and “greenfield” opportunity ↕️ Fluency at every altitude: comfortable and natural in the strategic and tactical 🗣️ A stakeholder translator: turning HR/Finance/executive needs into clear, actionable requirements 🚀 Vision + initiative: bringing a point of view on what’s possible, and proactively moving it forward If this sounds like you or someone you know, apply via the link in the comments.

Awarded quarterly, the Elevation Awards celebrate and honor individuals across all levels of Ascend whose exceptional leadership, innovation, influence, and achievements accelerate, support, and sustain our growth and vision. 👏 We're pleased to recognize Dr. Brittany N. Wall as our Q1 2026 Customer Champion Award winner, which honors outstanding service to our clients by maximizing product value, deepening relationships, and strengthening Ascend's client‑focused culture through exceptional care and commitment. 💬 In Brittany's nomination, her nominators wrote, "Brittany consistently advocates for the customer—anticipating needs, strengthening long‑term partnerships, and ensuring every interaction reflects Ascend's commitment to exceptional service." Please join us in congratulating Brittany and her incredible impact, and follow the link in the comments below to watch her video Q&A.

In celebration of National Nurses Week 2026, we'd like to extend our gratitude to nurses and nurse educators for their compassionate care and courageous leadership. Many of our brands serve the nursing industry, including ATI Nursing Education, Advanced Practice Education Associates (APEA), Laudio, StaffGarden, BoardVitals and Jones & Bartlett Learning. From helping learners prepare for exams and careers to engaging in continuing education and professional development, we're passionate champions and advocates for nursing students, active nurses and nurse educators. Please join us in recognizing these powerful difference makers whose tireless efforts support the health and well-being of our communities. This is how we help change lives.

📝 In a recent DOTmed op-ed, Larissa Africa MBA, BSN, RN, CENP, FAONL, FAAN, FAAN, VP of Healthcare Workforce Solutions at Ascend Learning brand StaffGarden, explores why keeping health care talent on track requires more than short-term fixes—and what leaders can do now to strengthen retention and career advancement. In the article, she highlights: 🔄 Why turnover remains high—especially in allied health roles—and the cost of inaction 🧩 How fragmented data and low-tech systems make workforce decision-making harder than it needs to be 🚀 The importance of pipeline development, strong onboarding, and clear career pathways supported by integrated workforce strategies and technology Larissa's message is clear: aligning education, onboarding, and career development is essential to building a resilient workforce and sustaining high-quality care. It's the same principle that guides our work at Ascend: supporting health care organizations with education and workforce solutions designed to prepare people for the roles they're stepping into and the impact they're meant to have. This is how we help change lives. 📖 Read the full op-ed on DOTmed through the link in the comments below.

AI is no longer a "what if." It's a baseline expectation, and the conversation has shifted to how we design learning, assessment, and career pathways that are credible, human‑centered, and built to last. In our latest blog post, Ascend leaders and team members who recently returned from the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego share what they heard, what stood out, and how these themes connect to the work we're doing every day, including: 🤖 Why AI has moved from differentiator to table stakes 🧠 How learning and assessment must evolve together 🚀 What it means to build AI‑durable careers as traditional ladders give way to lattices Together, these conversations reinforce Ascend's role in helping learners and workers adapt, grow, and access meaningful opportunities as the world of work evolves. This is how we help change lives. Click the link in the comments below to read the full recap.

🔧 Power the Teams Behind the Mission At Ascend Learning, operations is where sharp thinking, strong partnerships, and disciplined processes come together to help teams focus on what matters most: changing lives through learning. Right now, we’re hiring experienced operations professionals who thrive at the intersection of clarity, collaboration, and impact—where strategy meets execution. These roles support sales enablement, contractual excellence, and strategic responses that help our teams move faster and smarter across the enterprise. Why build your operations career at Ascend? 🌟 Energetic Culture – Work alongside high-performing, mission-driven teams 🏆 Achievement Recognized – High expectations paired with meaningful recognition 🎯 Performance with Purpose – Goals and values guide how we operate and grow 📈 Career Momentum – Opportunities to deepen expertise and expand your impact 💪 Empowering Leaders – Freedom, trust, and accountability at every level If you're passionate about building systems that scale, driving clarity in complex environments, and enabling others to succeed, we'd love to meet you. Follow the 🔗 in the comments 👇 to learn more.

Meet Alissa Althoff, manager of nursing education at Ascend Learning. Alissa oversees a group of nursing education specialists who create, review, and revise undergraduate nursing content for Ascend brand ATI Nursing Education. A major aspect of her role is scheduling work and ensuring the team meets deadlines so products can be released on time. "I really enjoy working directly with my team. They are all amazing, smart, caring nursing educators who represent Ascend every day in their work!" said Alissa. "Everyone has such great insight into what nursing students need and how to help students accomplish their goals of passing the NCLEX." This is how we change lives. Want to find out more about what it’s like to work at Ascend? Click the link in the comments to read Alissa’s full Q&A.

In this video series, we're pleased to introduce the winners of our Elevation Awards, which celebrate and honor individuals across all levels of Ascend whose exceptional leadership, innovation, influence, and achievements accelerate, support, and sustain our growth and vision. 👏 We're pleased to recognize Liz Wakeman as our Q1 2026 Trailblazer Award winner, which honors bold thinking, curiosity, and new ways of working that inspire innovation and continuous improvement across Ascend. 💬 In Liz's nomination, her nominator wrote, "Liz challenges traditional approaches, brings fresh perspectives to complex problems, and inspires others to explore new possibilities that strengthen how we work together." Please join us in congratulating Liz and her incredible impact, and follow the link in the comments below to watch her video Q&A.