CNA skills training proves popular

Haley Skadberg, left, brushes Chelsea Schlect's teeth Tuesday, as hands-on experience during a certified nursing assistant skills training class at the James Valley Career and Technology Center. John M. Steiner The Sun

When the Medical Leaders Roundtable organized a training class last fall so students could challenge the certified nursing assistant test, little did the members know how popular or successful it would prove to be.

A fourth class of 15 is now in session and 45 previous students taking the 18-hour skills training class boast a 98 percent pass rate on the CNA test. It’s a hands-on class at James Valley Career and Technology Center in its community education program. The center is also a testing site for the state’s CNA certification test.

“The results have been great,” said Wanda Opland, RN and health careers instructor at the center. She’s also the testing administrator for the CNA test. “Before this class, people usually failed on the skills level. Now the success rate is great. They’ve passed with flying colors.”

The training class is taught by local nurses, who are paid a salary out of the $100 student fee. Opland said there’s a good-sized pool of nurses willing to teach, so the class is not dependent on any one teacher.

“In fact, we have more volunteers than spots to fill,” Opland said.

Lisa Hicks, who co-chairs the Medical Leaders Roundtable, is also the administrative program coordinator for the Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corp. The roundtable evolved out of the JSDC strategic plan, which emphasized the need for a training center here. In discussion with medical facility representatives, the need for skilled nursing assistants was uncovered.

“The training center is still one of the JSDC strategies,” Hicks said. “With the new hospital being built and being a regional hub, classes like this will be needed even more.”

Kyle Davidson, from the North Dakota State College of Science and Train ND (North Dakota), agreed. He said the class is an excellent example of work force training for rural areas.

“We’re very interested in this class,” Davidson said. “We can support and use that kind of model throughout North Dakota. Health care will grow and with it the need for health care workers.”

Becoming a certified nursing assistant means that someone previously earning $7 or $8 an hour, he said, is now in the $11 to $13 an hour range. He said that’s what work force training and economic development are about.

“Look at the jobs created by this one class and the people retained in the community. Economic development is about creating jobs and retaining people,” he said. “What the JSDC is doing here is great.”

No one expected the class to fill up month after month, Hicks and Opland said. It’s attracting students within 60 miles of Jamestown, which shows how much it was needed. The class is offered three nights a week for three hours each night during the last week of the month and the first week of the next month. The test can be taken the following Tuesday. It includes a written test, which students study for on their own time. Already there are five signed up for the next class.

There is an 80-hour course at NDSCS, Davidson said. Obviously, the course is much more expensive. It’s also not often possible for people to take that kind of time for training. This class has them ready for work in a medical facility or home within three weeks.

“Our students are CNA-qualified and can touch patients from the start,” Hicks said. “The nursing home or other medical facility can continue the training on the job. It saves both time and money. It’s also good hands-on training for people taking care of the elderly or loved ones.”

The Medical Leaders Roundtable is looking at what other training classes can be created using this model. The roundtable includes representatives from Jamestown College, Jamestown Hospital, local nursing homes and Jamestown High School through Opland and the Career and Tech Center. Roundtable members already see a need for a class to train certified medication aides, for example, and are looking at classes in home health care.

“In-home care is the trend now,” Hicks said. “We’re not losing patients in nursing homes either, we’re adding more patients. Now, with assisted-living facilities, we’ll need more CNAs and other skilled health care workers.”

Sun reporter Toni Pirkl can be reached at (701) 952-8453 or by e-mail