By Stefan Yablonski
Elemental Management Group, which operates senior facilities in Rochester, Oswego and in the Mohawk Valley, has recently developed a 75-hour, three-week hybrid course nurse aide training program. It is designed to help expedite CNA training.
It enables students to complete the program in less than three weeks — instead of 164 hours across four to six weeks. The hybrid CNA program can accommodate up to 20 students, providing sufficient instructors are available for clinical time.
Recently, In Good Health spoke with Judy Harding-Staelens, registered nurse, licensed nursing home administrator and regional director of operations for Elemental and Peg Reith, registered nurse, regional nurse educator and CNA educator for Elemental.
Q: Is this a new program in the state?
A: (Peg) This is new for New York state, yes.
(Judy) We want to get CNAs into the workforce quicker. We offer a hybrid program and the goal is to get as many CNAs as possible certified in the quickest amount of time. We found that students were having a hard time being able to sit in a 100-plus hour course for weeks to get certified to get a job. This offers them the opportunity to do all the work on the phone, computer at home. They can work nights; they can take care of their kids, their parents, they can take care of a neighbor.
Q: So, this course is user-friendly?
A: (Peg) This course is very user-friendly for anybody who is dealing with life right now. They download the app, they use a laptop, they can use a tablet, whatever. Everything that they need to learn is right online. The CNA videos are online for them as well. They only have to come into the building to do their on-hand skills and the clinical portion of it. So it is very user-friendly for anybody who is short on time that wants to advance their career.
Q: How many graduates have you had so far?
A: (Judy) We are at least 320 graduates. We have this up and running in five facilities right now … and two more starting in August. Each facility is a little bit different, but programs are offered every month, currently. It’s about every three weeks on average. Students unable to finish in the prescribed three weeks can jump into the next session without having to redo material previously covered.
Q: What are the duties and responsibilities of a CNA?
A: (Peg) A CNA does the bathing, shaving, feeding, caring — working with the residents. Sometimes they are just there as companions.
(Judy) The role of a CNA is a vast one. For long-term care, they are the primary direct caregivers. They have a lot to do with long-term care facilities on how well we care for our residents, how many we can take care of. They have a very big role there with all the residents.
Q: Who are the instructors?
A: (Peg) I am one of the instructors. I work in multiple buildings. Each building has an educator. They do have to be approved by the NYS Department of Health and have a train-the-trainer certificate as well.
Q: Where do students go to work after successfully completing the course?
A: (Peg) When they finish the course, they are offered employment. They get interviewed — some buildings interview them prior to taking the course. Students who finish the course can apply to work in that building. Usually, they stay and work at the facility that they went through the course with. If they choose to go elsewhere, they absolutely can if they choose to; depending on if they signed a contract or not.
Q: Is there a cost to the student?
A: (Judy) This is free for the students. They can come to the facility and the facility pays for the training. And a lot of these facilities offer a sign-on bonus at the end of the class. It’s definitely a win-win.
Q: Do you train others?
A: (Judy) We do the training for other facilities. If a facility doesn’t have a CNA training program — or even if they do — they can connect with us and we’ll come in and train their trainer in our program and then it is theirs to use. Elemental has two packages. One provides training for educators who want to teach the hybrid CNA classes at their own facility. The other package completely handles the hybrid CNA classes as a third-party entity.
Q: How long have you been doing this?
A: (Judy) We are a year and five months into this. We haven’t changed it; we are getting better at it — adding more instructors and more buildings. The more students taking this, the better for New York state nursing homes.
Q: This is a growing profession?
A: (Judy) Yes, people are starting to come back to this profession after the end of the pandemic.
(Peg) We are very proud of what we have been able to do for the communities; putting CNAs back out there when they are really needed. They are coming back in droves now.