The newly developed Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program available through Central Peninsula Hospital has a graduation rate of 100% through its first three rounds of education.
A shortage of CNAs became evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, and medical facilities have found it difficult to replenish these needed staff positions. In part, the struggle to find new CNAs is due to the inability of prospective CNA candidates to forego a livable wage while they receive the education necessary to obtain the nursing assistant certificate.
Enter the CPH program.
“[The program] was to fill a need,” says Rachael Verba, Education Director for the hospital’s CNA program. “We had a lot of people during COVID who just weren’t comfortable providing care for patients for various reasons, whether it be because of childcare reasons, or whether it was because they weren’t comfortable caring for the potential COVID patient. So, we needed staff, and that’s where it started at Heritage. And then slowly we identified that we were having very similar challenges [at CPH] and decided to start a program here at the hospital.”
Verba, who is also the hospital’s Health and Quality Director, credits Heritage Place for seeding the program. The assisted living facility began offering paid training for CNAs during the pandemic.
According to Verba, paid training is the real linchpin of the program. “This was a way that we could support members of our community in furthering their education, improving their job satisfaction, improving their potential in what maybe they could earn for future, for themselves, for their families.”
In a press release, CPH reinforced the importance of CNAs and recognized the need for a wage stop-gap for potential candidates; “As the healthcare landscape evolves, the importance of quality training for CNAs has become increasingly evident. CPH recognizes that well-trained CNAs enhance patient care and contribute to the overall efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare teams. With this in mind, CPH launched a CNA training program in December 2022 to provide comprehensive education, hands-on experience, and professional development for aspiring caregivers.”
CPH launched its program in December of 2022. The first run had six students. All six completed the program. After two more rounds of education, the program officially graduated 15 CNAs on Friday, August 25th.
The next term for CNA training begins in November.