CNA bridge program prepares students for Nursing careers
An increasingly vital component to the healthcare industry, the role of a skilled nurse is paramount in providing patients with the proper care they need. Those who possess skills to monitor patient health and foster positive relationships with them are in higher demand than ever before. However, accessing a consistent pipeline of qualified nurses is a challenging task for many healthcare facilities. Fortunately, Workforce Investment Solutions seeks to increase the supply of qualified nurses and healthcare professionals through its CNA bridge program.
The CNA bridge program provides young students who are interested in nursing with the opportunity to develop their nursing prowess and establish a foundation of healthcare expertise. Meeting four days a week at the Decatur Public Library, students attend classes, access textbooks and materials, and gain valuable nursing knowledge, all for free. This program has been an incredible opportunity for many students to begin their nursing careers by removing obstacles that may have otherwise diminished their opportunities. Healthcare facilities also benefit from these classes, which ultimately seek to provide them with a larger pool of qualified nursing candidates. Before beginning the CNA program, all the students completed an Intro to Healthcare course, which served as both preparation for the CNA class and the first step towards their career aspirations.
Instructing the CNA class at the Decatur Public Library is Tanya Williams, who brings 18 years of nursing experience to the role. This vast experience, in addition to her previous educational work at hospitals, made her a natural choice to teach the class. In this teaching position, Tanya hopes to pass down her nursing competencies to the next generation while instilling the proper values and characteristics into her students. “The biggest thing I would love to give is a skillset,” Williams explained. “And the second thing is compassion for those who are sick and in need of care.”
Williams’s vision of compassionate nurses is evident in the attitudes of her current students. Student Onei Jackson states that the opportunity to provide care for others encouraged her to pursue a career in nursing. “I’ve always been a caregiver,” Jackson explained. “Even as an older sibling, I’ve always loved helping.”
The students in the CNA program come from a variety of backgrounds and were all led to the program in different ways. Some were drawn to the class from Facebook ads, while others learned about it through friends, family, and colleagues. Regardless of where the students come from, however, they all seek a common goal of developing their healthcare skills to progress towards a nursing career. “This program will provide me with the skills to move forward to be an RN,” stated Kamilia Ellzey, another one of Williams’s current students.
Workforce Investment Solutions is thrilled to help present these opportunities for the next generation of nurses to obtain the training and education they need to thrive moving forward. The opportunities are endless for this current group of healthcare students, and they are bound to accomplish many incredible things in the future.
An increasingly vital component to the healthcare industry, the role of a skilled nurse is paramount in providing patients with the proper care they need. Those who possess skills to monitor patient health and foster positive relationships with them are in higher demand than ever before. However, accessing a consistent pipeline of qualified nurses is a challenging task for many healthcare facilities. Fortunately, Workforce Investment Solutions seeks to increase the supply of qualified nurses and healthcare professionals through its CNA bridge program.
The CNA bridge program provides young students who are interested in nursing with the opportunity to develop their nursing prowess and establish a foundation of healthcare expertise. Meeting four days a week at the Decatur Public Library, students attend classes, access textbooks and materials, and gain valuable nursing knowledge, all for free. This program has been an incredible opportunity for many students to begin their nursing careers by removing obstacles that may have otherwise diminished their opportunities. Healthcare facilities also benefit from these classes, which ultimately seek to provide them with a larger pool of qualified nursing candidates. Before beginning the CNA program, all the students completed an Intro to Healthcare course, which served as both preparation for the CNA class and the first step towards their career aspirations.
Instructing the CNA class at the Decatur Public Library is Tanya Williams, who brings 18 years of nursing experience to the role. This vast experience, in addition to her previous educational work at hospitals, made her a natural choice to teach the class. In this teaching position, Tanya hopes to pass down her nursing competencies to the next generation while instilling the proper values and characteristics into her students. “The biggest thing I would love to give is a skillset,” Williams explained. “And the second thing is compassion for those who are sick and in need of care.”
Williams’s vision of compassionate nurses is evident in the attitudes of her current students. Student Onei Jackson states that the opportunity to provide care for others encouraged her to pursue a career in nursing. “I’ve always been a caregiver,” Jackson explained. “Even as an older sibling, I’ve always loved helping.”
The students in the CNA program come from a variety of backgrounds and were all led to the program in different ways. Some were drawn to the class from Facebook ads, while others learned about it through friends, family, and colleagues. Regardless of where the students come from, however, they all seek a common goal of developing their healthcare skills to progress towards a nursing career. “This program will provide me with the skills to move forward to be an RN,” stated Kamilia Ellzey, another one of Williams’s current students.
Workforce Investment Solutions is thrilled to help present these opportunities for the next generation of nurses to obtain the training and education they need to thrive moving forward. The opportunities are endless for this current group of healthcare students, and they are bound to accomplish many incredible things in the future.