Becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant can take just two weeks through Advantage CNA, a newly founded company established by Utah licensed nurses and CNAs Jesse Winfield and Kris White.
The two CNA instructors, approved through the Utah Nursing Assistant Registry (UNAR), have created, operate, and own their two week CNA program, designed to get their students hands-on training they will use daily once they are certified.
The UNAR requires 80-hours of training, including 16-hours of hands on clinical work with patients. Advantage CNA students “will receive 82 total hours of both classroom and hands-on training; 53 hours of classroom instruction and 29 hours of on-site clinical training.” Each applicant will be paired with a CNA that will shadow them during actual procedures performed to receive the certification.
Advantage CNA fulfills all of these requirements and more by supplying the training right inside the Woodland Park Care Center in Murray.
There is a $50 registration fee and a $300 fee for the entire course, if registered before Feb. 28.
“It’s a good price for the course and we’re outgoing nurses willing to help in anyway we can,” White said.
“We relate well to the kids and students in our program, because we’ve been there before,” said Winfield. “It’s a very difficult, tedious job but if you keep a smile, you can have a good experience.”
Lorraine Cuellar and Nancy Urcino are Salt lake Community College students currently enrolled in the Advantage CNA program.
Cuellar, a veteran in the medical field for 13 years, expressed her support the program. “This is by far the shortest and the cheapest program available. You can crank it out in two weeks.” She enjoyed how the instructors Winfield and White give personal experiences that are applicable to their everyday work. “The training is a good exploratory course,” Cuellar ended.
Urcino, a mother of three children, has been taking the course this week. She said, “It’s a good eye opener, if you really want to be a nurse. It helps you know your options. It [the course] gives you the levels of the type of nurse that you’d like to be.”
Those areas of CNA job training include long-term care patients, 60-day rehabilitation for people of all ages, the elderly and care for individuals in psychiatric wards.
CNAs can work in a number of different areas once they are certified. Winfield expressed this need in hospitals, home healthcare, assisted living facilities, and hospice or end of life care for patients.
“With the baby boomer generation becoming 65 years old at rates of 10,000 a day, care will be needed for them,” White said.
“I can’t do my job without CNAs,” Winfield said.
After students complete the course, the student will receive an “Application to Test.” Then, after paying the $70 fee to get a testing voucher, they can then take the two part test, upon scheduling an appointment. The test will consist of a written and skills portion.
15 to 20 students can take the class during each two week period. Classes are from 6:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. each weeknight, with two Saturday and Sunday shifts. Classes are held at the Woodland Park Care Center, located at 3855 South 700 East in Murray.
More information, including how to register can be found at advantagecna.com or by calling 801-850-1449.