Deadline Monday for CNA scholarship
December 29, 2012
Boundary Community Hospital is providing one scholarship for the Certified Nursing Assistant class that is starting in January. You will need to act fast; the application for the scholarship needs submitted by Monday, January 7.

Call Tracey Mass for details, (208) 267-3141 extension 4312.

Registration is now open for the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) class offered by Boundary Community Hospital starting on January 22. It is a good idea to begin the registration process now. Class size is limited to ten students.

CNA training can begin as early as age 16. 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 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday of each week continuing through March 6.

There are many advantages for both men and women as Certified Nursing Assistants. As Boundary Community Hospital Instructor Tracey Maas states, “They are the back-bone of the healthcare system.”

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 or nurse.

Often CNAs decide that they want to further their schooling in the healthcare field and go back to school for a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), or Registered Nurse (RN) degree. A CNA certification is an educational requirement for becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or Registered Nurse (RN) 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 (NIC) 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.

Tracey Maas, RN has been a CNA instructor since the 1990s. She encourages all who are interested in the class to contact her about this professional occupation offered locally. Call today, (208) 267-3141 extension 4312, or email tracey.m@bcch.org.