SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. – Training the next generation of healthcare professionals has not stopped at Northeast Community College as the world continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. An upcoming course at the College’s extended campus in South Sioux City that will teach the basic skills needed to provide safe, effective, and caring services to the elderly or chronically ill patient of any age in a long-term care facility is evident of that.
A Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) course will begin Monday, May 18 and run through June 4, at the Northeast Community College Extended Campus, 1001 College Way, in South Sioux City.
“There has been a critical shortage of Certified Nursing Assistants for a few years. That shortage is felt more dramatically as demand for healthcare has increased,” said Cyndi Hanson, executive director of Northeast in South Sioux City. “Northeast Community College is committed to the workforce of the area by providing opportunity for people to earn these skills in a compressed period of time at a critical time.”
The three credit course is designed to meet the Nebraska Health and Human Services System training requirements for nurse aide certification and employment in long-term care facilities. It combines classroom lecture and laboratory application for the development of basic skills needed to provide safe, effective, and caring services to the elderly or chronically ill patient of any age, in a long-term care facility.
Upon completion of the course, students are eligible to take the state written and practical skills exam. After successfully passing the examination and completing the application procedure, their names will be placed on the basic nurse aide registry at the Nebraska Health and Human Services Regulation and Licensure, Credentialing Division.
Cost of the CNA course is $366 for Nebraska residents, $369 for those who live in Iowa and South Dakota, and $486 for residents who live elsewhere. An additional $45 fee will be required if a student chooses to register to take the Certified Nursing Assistant exam at the end of the course.
Financial assistance is available. For those who qualify, they may potentially get their training, books and testing paid in full. For additional information on financial assistance, call (402) 844-7245 or reach out to the staff at the Northeast Extended Campus in South Sioux City.
To register for the course, call Northeast Community College in South Sioux City at (402) 241-6400.
“For many people, a sense of helplessness has been felt as their jobs either slowed or ended with the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic,” Hanson said. “While this wasn’t planned by anyone, a program such as training future CNA’s can be an opportunity to assess vocation and allow individuals to think about expanding their skills and qualifications.”
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