There are so many reasons and factors behind the national shortage of caregivers. Here are just a few: There is no established career path for in-home caregivers, which means caregivers are often left without means of advancement or hourly raises even after many years of experience. There is no universally accepted training or certification for in-home care, which means that companies are responsible for their own training. Some companies provide no training and no mentoring whatsoever—leaving new caregivers unprepared for job conditions. There is no strong oversight of care agencies and few, if any, requirements for reporting, training, or staffing. Wages are low. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2020, the median pay for caregivers nationally was around $13 per hour. With little to no means of advancement, this wage is hard to increase. Caregivers are often forced to contract with many different agencies, hoping to get enough work to fill their schedule and earn a living. This leaves caregivers vulnerable to burnout and at the whim of companies’ varying standards of care. There’s not only a shortage of licensed and qualified schools for caregivers to receive their training, but there is also a shortage of Nurse Educators. This shortage leads to a lack of available classes as well as availability of classes for potential caregivers who are already in the work field seeking to become certified around their busy schedule.