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Patients lean on them every day, and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) contribute so much to the nursing field—yet they rarely seem to receive the credit they truly deserve. Even when writing this story, autocorrect kept changing CNA to CAN [Microsoft Spelling Checker, are you listening? –editor], and this seems an ironic reminder of the way CNAs can be overlooked.

Two years ago, the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society started a CNA Training Program. Rochelle Rindels, MSN, RN, QCP, vice president of nursing and clinical services for the Good Samaritan Society, headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, took time to answer our questions about the program. Rochelle Rindels, MSN, RN, QCP.

What follows is our interview, edited for length and clarity.

When did Good Samaritan start its CNA Training Program? How many students are enrolled currently?

Since its inception in May of 2020, we’ve enrolled more than 600 students into the Good Samaritan Society CNA Training Program with a 91% success rate for students that sit for the certification exam.

Investing in our own team members is extremely important to us. I started as a CNA and progressed through different nursing licenses and degrees and am grateful for the support I received from my employers. We have experts who contributed to the curriculum build for the CNA program, and we recognized the value in training our CNAs in our buildings, familiarizing them with the residents they will care for throughout their employment.

The health care system has experienced a shortage of trained caregivers for critical roles for some time; nurses and nurse aides are among the fastest growing occupations, but supply is not keeping pace.

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Building and strengthening the worker pipeline is essential to support current staffing patterns, paramount to any future staffing enhancements and foundational to drive further improvements in delivery of care and services to residents.

We do not want to lose the heroes who answered the call to serve and continue to step up to care for our nation’s seniors in a time of crisis. We need to retain these caregivers, so they are not facing job loss, and residents in nursing homes are not facing the loss of caregivers who know them and love them.

We have proactive strategies in place to ensure we have the positions we need to continue to provide care as close to home by investing in growing our own frontline nurses, one being our CNA Program.

How does the program work? Do students attend in-person, online, or a combination of both? Do they attend full or part-time? How long does it last?

Our CNA program is a hybrid program. The curriculum consists of online coursework and in-person skills lab and clinicals, which allows the student to apply skills and knowledge in a care setting. Full-time and part-time options are available for employees to complete the 80-hour program.

Students receive training in our locations while they are working for us and earning a paycheck. They are trained in person by preceptors and nursing team members who are also their coworkers. The students also get to know the residents who they will continue serving after they graduate and pass certification.

What does a CNA do in health care, and why is it important for aspiring nurses to train as one?

 A CNA is more than the title alludes to–nurse assistant. CNAs are absolutely the eyes and ears of our nurses and assist in completing nursing interventions. They are intimately involved with residents’ day-to-day care and needs, and they build lasting relationships with residents and their families. They complete daily activities of living with residents, perform dressing, bathing, and meal assistance. CNAs assist with restorative interventions to help residents maintain function and document important needs and data points related to the resident’s overall condition. They are a valued and essential part of the care team.

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Why is this program important? What does it offer that makes it different from others?

The nurses who work for the Good Samaritan Society tell us they find their jobs incredibly rewarding. It’s hard work, but they believe they are called to do their roles. They build special relationships and friendships with their coworkers, and their residents become family. It’s the experiences like celebrating birthdays and anniversaries as well as the wisdom they gain from their residents that makes being a nurse such a rewarding career.

If someone wanted to get into the program, what would they need to do? What steps would you tell them to take?

 Applying to the program is easy! Anyone interested can apply to a nurse aid position and upon hire will automatically be enrolled in the CNA training program. We offer the internal program in six of our states, including South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Florida, and Tennessee. We are currently in the application process in five more states.

Is there anything I haven’t asked you about that is important for our readers to know?

I personally grew up with the Good Samaritan Society. My mother spent nearly 40 years as a nurse at Good Samaritan Society–Luther Manor in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I remember performing ballet recitals and Christmas programs for the residents and staff. My mother and I have just one of many Good Samaritan Society stories of family working together. It’s that sense of calling and the family-like connection to residents that makes our culture so unique.

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We’ve supported our people with investments to maintain the stability of our workforce and new programs to support employee well-being. These investments have paid off–our turnover rate is below the industry average and we were a Forbes top midsize employer in 2021.

In 2021 alone, we invested $15 million in direct care wages, and we recently announced a $5 million investment in starting wages.

We’re focused on how we can create positions that allow for more work-life balance for our people who are carrying out our mission every day. As a large organization, we have opportunities to solve for some of these things. But at the end of the day, we still need meaningful policies and long-term solutions to support and address our workforce needs now and in the future.

Michele Wojciechowski
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