Kansas Nursing Assistants: FAQ's

Thinking about taking a CNA course in Kansas?  I'm sure you have lots of questions about Kansas requirements and employment issues.  We've accumulated our most asked questions and will address them over our next few blogs.

Q.  Can an employer request that I work for them for a period of time if they pay for my CNA training?

The use of contracts relating to training for employment is prohibited under federal regulations.  An adult care home cannot require a Trainee II or a CNA to enter into either verbal or written contracts to work for a specified period of time at the facility or else reimburse the facility for the cost of the training.   

Schools however may require students to enter into verbal or written contracts stating terms of payment.  However, a contract must not state that the student will be denied access to the state test.

Q.  Can I work for an adult care home as a Nurse Aide Trainee I?

A Nurse Aide Trainee I (NAT1) may not be employed by a facility in DIRECT care duties.  Direct, individual care refers to nursing activities that are resident oriented.  It involves personal contact with the resident by the trainee, and provides assistance in grooming, feeding, toileting, or ambulating the resident.

Q.  What happens once I complete Part 1 of the CNA Course?

Once you have completed Part 1 of this nurse aide training course, your clinical instructor will evaluate you on your performance using the Task Checklist provided by the State of Kansas.  The Task Checklist is used to evaluate your initial competence in performing basic nursing tasks.  Your clinical instructor must observe completion of each task in a satisfactory manner.  When you have successfully demonstrated each task successfully to your clinical instructor, he/she will fill out the Task Checklist and the original is given to you.  Once you have completed this Task Checklist successfully, you are now classified as a Nurse Aide Trainee II (NATII)

Q.  Can I also become a Paid Nutrition Assistant with the CNA course?

Part 1 of your CNA training also include the instruction and competency evaluation required to for you to be an employee as a  Paid Nutrition Assistant (PNA). 

Also upon completion of Part I and the Task Checklist, We Care On-Line will award you a certificate of completion for PNA training.  Once you have successfully completed the Task Checklist for Part 1, the online CNA instructor will notify you and issue you a certificate by email.    This certificate is permanent evidence that you have completed the PNA training and you should keep this for your records.  Once you have successfully completed Part 1 and the Task Checklist you may seek employment as a PNA if you choose, whether or not you complete the rest of the course.  You are to provide a copy of the PNA certificate to the facility of employment.

Q.  What are my employment options once I am a NATII?

Once you are a NATII, you are eligible to provide direct, individual care to residents in an adult care home under the direction of a licensed nurse.  You may work as a paid nutrition assistance if you choose. 

As a NATII, you should not be expected to perform nursing tasks that have not yet been adequately covered during the classroom training hours and you should respectfully decline to provide the service that is asked of you.

Q.  How long am I considered a NATII?

You are considered a NATII for 4 months from the beginning date of the course.  If you are unable to fully meet the certification requirements within 4 months from the beginning date of the course, you are no longer eligible to provide direct resident care services.  A second 4 month trainee period is not allowed.

To be continued. . . .

To register for We Care Online's online or in house CNA class Click Here.

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The Activity Director

This is the first of an ongoing series that explores the career options for students of our classes. To begin, we'll take a closer look at the Activity Director class.

Activity Directors are the people who plan group and solo activities for residents of nursing homes and long term care facilities. State licensing requirements for nursing homes almost always require a facility to have an Activity Director on staff, or at least available to the residents part-time. An Activity Director must be able to plan and run a variety of activities that will appeal to residents of all ages and cognitive/physical abilities--no easy task! He or she must also be able to budget, direct staff, and coordinate events both inside and outside of a facility. The job requires skills in many areas, but most of all, a person must truly love working with people.

The WeCareOnline Activity Director class is currently available in nine states, and more are coming soon. Students have four weeks to complete the class, and must accomplish 45 hours of work in that time. Since the class is available 24/7, many students finish before the four weeks are up, and all appreciate being able to study on their own schedule. The class consists of four units which cover the basics of person-centered care, the aging process, cognitive issues, and psychosocial needs. The class also covers the business end of an Activity Director's job, and students learn how to work with facility budgets, how to manage internal and external resources, and how to plan and provide activities to best meet the residents' needs. In four weeks or less, students are ready with the skills they need to work as a facility's Activity Director. There is no other required training or certification needed to work in the states where this class is approved.

Job prospects for Activity Directors are good, and the US Department of Labor reports that this is a field that's growing faster than average. They anticipate 14-19% growth in this field between now and 2018. Need for long term care is also on the rise as Americans are living longer and often need managed care in their later years. If you love working with people, and enjoy the challenge of planning activities to meet a diverse set of needs, this is the career for you.

WeCareOnlineClasses.com

You're a CNA, Now What?

Americans are living longer than any previous generation and the need for long-term and nursing care is growing by leaps and bounds. This is the perfect time to enter a health care career, and achieving Certified Nurse Aide (Assistant) certification is a great start. We've had thousands of students in our Nurse Aide classes. If you really want a competitive edge in the jobs marketplace, though, your best bet is to broaden your skills and make yourself even more appealing to an employer. Many students use the CNA class as a stepping stone to Registered Nurse training, but there are several other options for additional skills.

So, where do you go from CNA?

One good starting point is to train as a Restorative Aide. RAs assist with physical, occupational and speech therapy under the supervision of a specialist. RAs work with individuals recovering from injuries or operations, and are not limited to elder care. Jobs are available in facilities and with outside agencies, so having RA skills can be a great option for people who like to work in a variety of settings. Our Restorative Aide class is offered every month and involves 32 hours of coursework. It's a two week course and it can mean an extra $0.50 an hour (or more!) in your paycheck, according to payscale.com.

Another great option is to train as a Home Health Aide. Not only will this make you more employable, it will greatly increase your employment options. While CNAs generally work in long term care facilities, a CNA with HHA training can work with a Home Health Care agency and have the opportunity to work with clients in their own homes. The current trend is to keep elders in their homes with assisted care rather than moving them into facilities, so demand for qualified Home Health Aides is growing rapidly. As a Home Health Aide, you will help people live comfortably and with dignity in their own homes. HHA is the perfect option for working parents, or people who need flexible hours since you can sometimes schedule home visits around your other commitments. Our Home Health Aide class involves 20 hours of coursework, and is offered quarterly. Is it worth 20-32 hours of your time to boost your earning potential?

How to Be a Good Online Student

In my last post, I gave an overview of whether or not online learning is for you. Now I'd like to focus on what it takes to succeed in online learning. If you've decided that an online class sounds just right for you, this list can help you not only survive, but thrive in your class.

1. Take care of all the required busywork up front. If the class requires a book or workbook, make sure you leave plenty of time to get it. If you're ordering the book from an online store (or even a regular bookstore), the book might be out of stock or backordered. Leave enough time for the post office to get your book to you before class starts, or you could find yourself falling behind. Also, make sure you have submitted all the required paperwork for your class. Here at We Care Online, several of our Kansas classes require students to include a copy of a Nurse Aide or Social Security card as part of the registration. If your class has a clinical component, make sure you know where and when the class will meet, and make any arrangements for transportation or child care.

2. Get familiar with your computer. If you only use your computer for checking email or watching videos, take some time to play around online and get comfortable with how your web browser works. Ask your questions and get familiar with how the computer works before you're under the pressure of class deadlines. It's much easier to get over nerves when you're just surfing for yourself versus when you're in the middle of a class and assignments are due.

3. Start your class promptly and stay on track. If possible, get a little bit ahead on assignments so you'll have a cushion of time later on in the class. A lot of people assume that online classes are easier and take less time than traditional classes, but this is rarely the case. Don't assume you can take it easy in the beginning and make up for lost time at the end.

4. Manage your time. When your class starts, take a look at the class outline, and at the assignments for all chapters or units. Get a feel for how long it will take you to work through each section and set up a schedule for yourself so you'll stay on track. There can be a lot of variation in the length of individual learning units, so don't assume that each one will take the same amount of time to complete.

5. Be sociable. Online classes have a discussion board when you can talk to your fellow students. There are generally some assigned questions related to the class material, but don't be afraid to start a new topic or to stray a little off topic to get to know your classmates better. You're all just names on a screen to each other until you write a message and let your personality come through. Share experiences you have had in your working life that might help your other students, such as how a technique is performed at your facility, or something you have learned on the job.  But always be mindful of patient confidentiality issues! It's ok to change names or details to protect someone's privacy.

Unfortunately, it's easy to get too comfortable online and share more than you should. Always be mindful of over-sharing. It's fine to mention if you have kids, or where you work, but be wary of giving out personal information like phone numbers or birthdates. Think of it this way: if you're chatting with someone in line at the grocery store, you might tell a funny story about your toddler, but you're not going to tell that person where you live or where your kids go to school. If you're not comfortable sharing it with that person in the grocery store line, you probably shouldn't share it online either. Be open with your knowledge of class topics--you're here to learn, and learn from others--but keep the personal information personal.

Finally, always be mindful of the fact that when you're online, humor and sarcasm are not always obvious, so jokes can fall flat and people might misunderstand what you are trying to say. Always take a moment to pause and read over your discussion board comments, or email messages, before sending them. Do your best to use good grammar and proper spelling, and to project a professional image at all times. Leave a good impression on your classmates--you never know when you might bump into them in your working life. A student might someday be your co-worker, boss, or employee, or a reference on a job application. Make sure your words reflect the best you have to offer.

The Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center has a wonderful tutorial about online learning. Some of the items are specific to VALRC students, but the majority of the information applies to any online class. The sections on time management and internet terms are particularly good. If you are new to computers, or hesitant online, this tutorial could set your mind at ease.

Start here: http://www.valrc.org/tutorials/onlinelearner/introduction.htm