Certified Nursing Assistant class begins next week

January 15, 2015

Boundary Community Hospital provides classes to earn certification as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) four times a year. These classes are a great way to be eligible for steady work. A new class will begin Tuesday, January 20 and continue through March 12. A second class is slated for March 31 to May 21. CNA training can begin as early as age 16 with no maximum age limit. A high school or college diploma is not a prerequisite for either the training or the certification. Graduates are work-ready. Class meets at the Fry Healthcare Education Center, across from the hospital, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday of each week. “A tremendous savings in gasoline and lunch expenses is realized because the hospital is willing to teach the classes in Bonners Ferry,” says Boundary Community Hospital’s Community Relations Coordinator, Marcia Morman. “This is a commitment to bettering the community that the hospital has offered for years. Many, many local people have taken the classes.“ Tracey Maas, R.N., has been a CNA instructor since the 1990s.”Tracey Maas is a compassionate and knowledgeable instructor working with the students to succeed in learning the subject material,” Morman enthused. There are many advantages for both men and women as Certified Nursing Assistants. Instructor Tracey Maas explains, “They are the backbone of the healthcare system.” A High School Dual Credit Course through North Idaho College’s Nursing Department taught at Boundary Community Hospital by Instructor Tracey Mass is held annually during the fall school term. Many of the students after graduating the class take their state tests and are trained and certified to work throughout Idaho. December 2014 graduates are Veona Petefish, Veronica MacDonald, Hanna Lysne, Jayden Pulliam, Sarah Beck, Talia Liermann, Chole Copley, Alivia Hampton, and Tanner Liermann. A CNA has a wide-range of employment options. Employers hire CNAs to work in hospitals, assisted living homes, nursing homes, home care agencies, rehabilitation centers, doctor’s offices, outpatient medical and surgical offices, hospices, respite care, group homes, and in schools. There are choices of working with children, with the elderly and with any age in between. For instance, many elderly people want to stay in their own home, but need some assistance with daily living. Often a CNA is qualified to offer that needed care. Many times indirect care like housekeeping and running errands are part of the CNA’s job. On the other end of the age spectrum, children with long-term problems and needs can receive good care in the comfort of their homes with assistance from a CNA. Often CNAs decide that they want to further their education in the healthcare field and go back to school for a Licensed Practical Nurse (L.P.N.), or Registered Nurse (R.N.) degree. A CNA certification is an educational requirement for becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse or Registered Nurse in many nursing programs. Boundary Community Hospital employs nearly forty CNAs as full-time, part-time and per diem employees. Some have worked in our community hospital for many years; others are recent graduates of the CNA class. Boundary Community Hospital’s CNA class is in affiliation with North Idaho College and is a State of Idaho certified course. The course consists of 120 hours of instruction: 80 hours in the classroom and 40 hours of clinical experience. At the end of the 120 hours of training, the student will take a certification examination at the North Idaho Workforce Training Center in Post Falls, Idaho. When certified, the Nursing Assistant can work throughout the State of Idaho and within those states that have a reciprocity agreement with the State of Idaho. If you are interested in the class, contact Tracey about this professional occupation offered locally. You can call her at (208) 267-3141 extension 4312, or email, tracey.m@bcch.org.