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South Peninsula Hospital launches pilot CNA training program

Courtesy of South Peninsula Hospital
In exchange for the paid training, participants commit to one year of employment at South Peninsula Hospital.

South Peninsula Hospital launched a pilot training program Monday to combat a shortage of certified nursing assistants on the lower Kenai Peninsula.

The five-week in-house CNA training is funded partially through a state program called “Earn and Learn.” Communities like Kodiak and Soldotna are also participating.

The first cohort for the “Earn and Learn” model includes five people who will be compensated during their education. The hospital already offers another CNA training program in collaboration with the Kachemak Bay Campus.

In exchange for the paid training, participants commit to one year of employment at the hospital, according to hospital spokesperson Derotha Ferraro.

“At the end of the five weeks, they will be able to take a state CNA licensing exam,” she said. “And hopefully, all of them will pass and become certified CNAs and begin employment immediately.”

Rachael Kincaid, chief nursing officer at the hospital, said a CNA’s job is one of the most important roles on the healthcare team.

“A CNA is often at the bedside the longest. They often gain the most trust from patients and caregivers. And in a long-term care setting, a certified nursing assistant really has a front row seat to the resident’s daily routine,” Kincaid said. “Therefore, they are the first to notice any changes in condition or any issues that need to be reported to the nurse. So I really can't overstate how important a CNA’s role is in the hospital.”

Kincaid said CNAs often go on to become nurses or pursue other careers in health care. That’s why she thinks it's so important to build a local talent pipeline for anyone interested in the field.

Nationwide, the healthcare industry has lost up to 25% of staff largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and burnout.

“And so because of that, I think it's important now more than ever to consider creative solutions,” Kincaid said. “What would it look like to think outside of the box?”

South Peninsula Hospital has historically hired between 10 and 20 CNAs a year, according to Kincaid, but they could easily hire 30.

“At this time, we have fewer than 10 contracted CNAs on staff,” she said. “That means when their contracts end, they’re travelers, so they're going to hopefully find another gig somewhere else in the country and go or come on permanently with us.”

The new in-house CNA training, along with the hospital’s tuition assistance program for registered nurses with Kachemak Bay Campus, aims to fill empty positions at the hospital. For the nursing program, the hospital covers 100% of tuition payments for hospital employees who decide to pursue their associates degree in nursing.

Five employees are enrolled this semester. They have to make a three-year commitment to work for South Peninsula Hospital after they graduate.

In response to workforce shortages, hospitals around the country often turn to short-term contractors to fill openings. Demand for traveling nurses increased by 35 percent in 2020, with experts projecting the trend to continue.

One of the concerns with travel nurses is that they tend to cost hospitals more money than staff nurses. Before the pandemic, staff nurses made around $1,400 a week, while travel nurses during the pandemic made between $5,000 and $20,000 a week.

Kincaid said the same goes for CNAs.

“Our need is simply outpacing our ability to produce licensed CNAs,” she said. “And so that's why we're trying to add this extra layer to also address some of the burnout, [and] the changes in the nursing world and workforce in a post-pandemic Homer.”

The provisional in-house CNA program was approved for two years, when the state will evaluate the program’s effectiveness.

Kincaid said she hopes this five-week training session is the first of many. The hospital hopes to offer another session starting in June.

For those interested in becoming a certified nursing assistant, there’s still space available in the Kachemak Bay Campus class. Classes begin Jan. 26 and scholarship opportunities are available.

In 2019, Hope moved to Unalaska/Dutch Harbor to work for Alaska's Energy Desk and KUCB — the westernmost public radio newsroom in the country. She has lived, worked and filed stories from California, New York, Bolivia, Peru, Cuba and Alaska.
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