A version of this story was originally a published on WYPR.Without a car, Brittany Harris had to leave her house two hours before work to catch the bus to get to her job as a technician at the University of Maryland Medical System.“I wasn't able to run errands,” Harris said. “I couldn't handle a lot of personal business. But ever since I've gotten a car, it's made things more convenient. I’m able to get to work at a faster pace, I can drop my kids off at school.”Harris got her car through the hospital’s Road to Relief program, which offers zero-interest loans to employees for used cars.The program is part of a career academy that the University of Maryland Medical System and many hospitals across the country are using to address severe recruitment and retention issues.Hospitals around the nation are struggling to recruit and retain employees who perform direct care tasks. Those include nursing assistants, who check vital signs, and technicians, who do lab work. Hospitals are turning to career academies and other programs to bolster numbers.“There is a real crisis,” said Dr. Eric Wargotz, president of the Maryland State Medical Society. “When you look at these groups, they provide up to 90% of direct patient care.”The national turnover rate for technicians and nursing assistants is higher than 30%, costing hospitals millions of dollars a year. The career academy at the University of Maryland Medical System also hosts resume writing classes, provides apprenticeships for young adults, gives kids healthcare jobs in the summer and provides work options for people getting out of prison.“My experience is that when I have interacted with hospital executives, administrators, and physician leaders across the country, I can tell you, just about every facility, every hospital has some sort of enhanced recruitment and retention program,” Wargotz said. He praised the UMMS academy as one of the premier programs of its kind.Dana Farrakahn, senior vice president at UMMS for strategy, community and business development, said she feels like the organization is leading the way in the recruitment and retention space through the career academy.“It's not just about jobs, but it's really about impacting families, stabilizing families, and and then eventually really making an impact in Baltimore with our own patients that live and work in our communities as well,” Farrakahn said.She said the academy does that by addressing societal issues that prevent people from succeeding in their careers.“We need to figure out how we can really support our employees because there's a lot of lateness, there’s no shows,” she said. “And when you kind of peel the onion back to say what's behind that, it's because of transportation challenges, affordable housing, sick children, or childcare sorts of issues.”The University of Maryland Medical System currently has nearly 2,000 people enrolled in its career academy. The program also has an 82% retention rate, far above national average. It’s also a 14% improvement for the hospital system from just two years ago.Brittany Harris said her new car is one of the reasons she’s able to stay at her job. “It has been a tremendous difference in my life and just gave me so much relief,” Harris said.That relief means employees like Harris can focus on building their career rather than the barriers to entry or growth.