Certified Nurse Aides (CNA’s) have an essential role to play in helping the nursing staff while taking care of patients. It is not uncommon to see nurse aides quitting from nursing homes, hospitals, and other medical facilities to seek higher education and training for better positions in the healthcare field.
With a high turnover rate, the need for training more people for the position of nursing aids has become very important. Because of this reason, many individuals consider starting a CNA School Business to be a profitable and sustainable model.
People who are considering investing their precious time, effort and money to establish a CNA school must know every aspect of the business. This guide will offer clear steps that one must take in order to materialize their dream.
Obtaining Funds –
Starting a CNA school requires money, which may not be readily available to the business owner. Therefore, one can look for grants from state governments, particularly in places where there is a visible shortage of nurse aide training programs. If that doesn’t work out, there is always the option to look for individual donors and private foundations for investment.
Leasing or Buying a Facility –
In order to conduct classes, a school requires a physical location. This location would entail the classroom, lab areas, and administrative offices. Depending on the funding of the business, one can either buy or lease a facility.
A CNA school curriculum would involve clinical, which would require a partnership with a long-term care hospital or facility nearly, allowing students the hands-on experience with actual patients. The partnership should be documented, usually in the form of a written contract, to be sent to the state for accreditation and approval process.
Hiring Staff –
Hiring instructors would be the next step to beginning a CNA school. In order to be eligible for that, the school must have a license issued by the state, ensuring that the owner is a registered nurse and has significant experience in working with a long-term care facility.
In certain states, the instructors must also have taken a training course on teaching a nurse aide class. The requirements are the same for an instructor and director of the CNA school. In emergency cases, the director should be able to serve as an instructor or a coordinator to manage the school’s daily administrative tasks and operations.
In addition, there is also a need for support staff who would be enrolling students, answering general queries, or taking phone calls.
Formulating the Curriculum –
Every state will have set-out criteria for a CNA school curriculum. It would often include the skills and tasks that a school must teach in order to equip students with the training and knowledge necessary for them to qualify for the state licensing examination. Each school has the option to curate a curriculum that accounts for every hour that students spend.
Establishing Policies and Procedures –
There is a need for policies and procedures that help manage the school functions and respond to problematic situations and emergencies. Some of the guidelines are developed by the state. However, the school needs to have its policies and procedures, including safety protocol, school cancellations, student records storage, and emergencies.
Applying for Accreditation –
State approval and accreditation is necessary for any nurse aide school to offer courses. Therefore, every individual who wishes to start a CNA School Business must apply for accreditation, including the school’s basic information and its compliance to meeting the accreditation requirements. Necessary documents need to be presented in order to show proof of meeting specific requirements.
Purchasing Equipment –
For training nurse aides, a school will require a wide range of equipment. It would include chairs, tables, audio-visual equipment, desks, overbed tables, wheelchair, hospital beds, and so on. In addition, the administrative staff would also require phones, desks, office supplies, computers, and so on.
Closing Thoughts
After all of these steps are judiciously followed, the CNA school is all set to function. However, spreading the word about the CNA school is essential because that’s how more students will enroll in the classes. General advertising and marketing strategies could be beneficial in increasing brand visibility among aspirants.
