Building the Blueprint
for Alabama’s Next Generation of Care
East Alabama Health is transforming the way medical professionals are trained to ensure Alabamians have access to high-quality, compassionate health care.
At East Alabama Health, we’re not waiting for solutions.
We’re building them.
Faced with the nationwide healthcare workforce shortage, we’ve taken matters into our own hands to design a stronger future for care in Alabama. Through innovative education partnerships, paid apprenticeships, scholarships, and on-the-job learning opportunities, we’re engineering the next generation of caregivers right here, right now.
We’re not just preparing people for jobs in healthcare. We’re creating career blueprints: clear, guided pathways that allow students and employees to learn, earn, and advance within East Alabama Health for years to come.
A Future-Ready Healthcare Workforce
From first steps to next steps, East Alabama Health provides the tools, training, and encouragement to help our own teams thrive. With scholarships, apprenticeships, and career-building resources, we’re helping those who care for our community build their futures here.
East Alabama Health is constructing a model for how rural and regional systems can solve the healthcare workforce shortage — from the ground up. By investing in our own people, building programs that meet community needs, and creating seamless pathways from high school to professional practice, we’re ensuring that the future of care in east Alabama stays strong, local, and sustainable.
Together, we’re not just building careers. We’re building the future of care.
The question is — will you join us?
Every Career has a Blueprint
Whether your passion lies in nursing, imaging, pharmacy, emergency services, lab sciences, maintenance, or administration, EAH offers clear, supported pathways to get there — many starting with paid training or scholarships. Every path leads somewhere meaningful — and every role builds upon the last.
Found a Career Blueprint that Fits Your Goals?
East Alabama Health is committed to training the next generation of compassionate caregivers. Click below to request more information on programs and opportunities available to East Alabama Health employees and take the first step toward a rewarding health care career.
Laying the Foundation: Early Career Programs
Earn and Learn Program
High school students can jump-start their careers through paid positions across departments like nursing, imaging, pharmacy, maintenance, and more — gaining hands-on experience, mentorship, and sometimes even school credit. It’s the first step in building a lifelong career in healthcare.
Learn MoreJob Shadowing
Explore the many layers of healthcare by shadowing EAH professionals across a variety of disciplines. This short-term experience helps students visualize their future roles and sparks interest in the path ahead.
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Building Skills
Brick by Brick
Our six-week, paid Certified Nursing Assistant program trains compassionate caregivers to serve at EAMC-Lanier Nursing Home and other facilities — offering a fast, supported route into patient care.
This year-long, paid training program develops surgical technicians through classroom instruction and operating room experience — building a skilled surgical team from the inside out.
Through partnerships with Wallace State Community College and national certification programs, employees can master medical coding through paid apprenticeships and certification exams — creating new specialists who help keep care moving. Learn More
In partnership with Southern Union State Community College, the FAME program blends academic learning with paid work experience to prepare the next generation of maintenance and facilities professionals. It’s how we keep our system — and our workforce — running strong.
Designing the Blueprint for Nursing
Nurse Apprenticeship Program (RN/LPN)
“Earn while you learn” through our registered apprenticeship program, which pairs nursing students with EAH mentors and guarantees paid clinical experience.
Learn MoreNurse Residency Program
New graduates begin their careers in our structured Nurse Residency Program, combining hands-on simulation, mentorship, and professional development to shape them into confident, prepared clinicians.
Learn MoreOn-Site LPN Program
Offered right at our Education Center in Auburn, this fully accredited one-year program lets employees earn their Licensed Practical Nursing degree while working — at no cost to the employee.
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Advancing Your Career
Step by Step
A 10-month, paid development program for current employees that refreshes academic and technical skills while paving the way for transition into high-need areas.
EAH funds education for students pursuing degrees in critical-need fields, offering full tuition support in exchange for a post-graduation work commitment — ensuring our investment in the people who will serve our patients tomorrow.
Employees who continue their education can earn up to 100% reimbursement for qualifying courses, plus a one-year commitment to grow their career with us after completion.
Through a partnership with Auburn University at Montgomery, EAH employees receive up to 25 percent off select healthcare degrees — from Nursing to Healthcare Administration — helping our team build on their blueprints for advancement.
EAH employees can save 20% on tuition at Jax State—an incredible opportunity to advance your education while you work.
Building A Physician Pipeline
East Alabama Health serves as a statewide training hub for the next generation of physicians, welcoming residents from across the country who are committed to advancing their skills in a comprehensive, real-world clinical environment. Through rigorous training, close mentorship and exposure to diverse patient populations, our residency programs prepare clinicians to meet the evolving needs of our growing communities with confidence and competence.
Many residents are graduates of in-state medical schools such as the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), South Alabama, the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM) and the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Auburn (VCOM). By investing in these emerging practitioners, East Alabama Health is ensuring a strong, steady pipeline of highly skilled physicians dedicated to serving our state for decades to come.
Physician Residency Programs
At East Alabama Health, we’re not just filling physician roles — we’re designing the future of care right here. To address Alabama’s physician shortage and continue to plan for our region’s growth, we’ve built strong residency programs that train talented physicians locally — and inspire many to stay and practice in our community.
Internal Medicine Residency
Based at East Alabama Medical Center, residents gain wide-ranging experience across inpatient, outpatient, and critical care settings. This program is a cornerstone of our workforce development blueprint— training physicians where they’ll live, lead, and care.
Learn MorePsychiatry Residency
Our Psychiatry Residency Program builds a pipeline of psychiatrists who understand East Alabama’s unique population and their mental health needs. Training in our new freestanding mental health facility, EAMC North, residents rotate through inpatient, outpatient, and community settings, expanding our region’s access to behavioral health.
Learn MoreTransitional Year Residency
Our Transitional Year Residency at East Alabama Health provides a comprehensive foundation in clinical medicine, offering broad-based rotations that prepare physicians for advanced specialty training. Residents gain hands-on experience in a supportive, community-focused environment that emphasizes patient-centered care and professional development.
Learn MoreFrom VCOM to EAH
VCOM-Auburn is located on the Auburn University campus, where it benefits from academic, research, and student-life collaborations with the university. In turn, East Alabama Health serves as a major regional healthcare hub and the primary clinical training site for many VCOM-Auburn students and residents. Many of our residents come from VCOM-Auburn, train here at EAH, and stay here to practice—strengthening local care from within.
Research Partnership: REACH Grants
By leveraging our partnership with VCOM-Auburn and other institutions, we're empowering our clinical research teams to investigate the health challenges most relevant to east Alabama to directly improve outcomes for the patients we serve. In August 2025, East Alabama Health and VCOM-Auburn launched the REACH (Research and Education Advancing Community Healthcare) grant program. This initiative—funded jointly by both institutions—supports collaborative, locally driven research designed to help us learn more about health issues affecting patients in our region.
Why It Matters
- Local training, local care: Physicians trained here are more likely to stay here.
- Built-in growth: Residents become long-term leaders within our system.
- Sustainable future: Residency programs are a vital piece of EAH’s blueprint for keeping high-quality care close to home.
- Better patient care: Clinical Research projects done in collaboration with VCOM-Auburn and EAH help better the future care of our patient population.
