|
Addressing the nursing shortage June 2002 Please note that this LPN school is only open to current St. Camillus employees—certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and home health aides (HHAs). If you're interested in joining the St. Camillus team, please call us 315-488-2951. Once you become a CNA or HHA here, and demonstrate strong work performance, you may then apply for the LPN school. There’s a lot of talk these days about the local nursing shortage. Healthcare facilities are pulling out all the stops to fill positions. Legislators and other groups have even proposed mandatory staffing levels in nursing homes. But where will we get more nurses from when there just aren’t enough to go around? St. Camillus’ LPN school was started in conjunction with Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES. They’ve offered LPN training for many years. The first class of 15 students began their ten-month program in December 2001. They just graduated on September 20. A new group of 13 will begin on October 28.
What makes the program so unique is that it allows the best performing St. Camillus certified nursing assistants the opportunity to receive LPN training—over $6,000 worth of education—for free. St. Camillus is paying the tuition despite current tight financial times. In return, the students must work for St. Camillus for three years after receiving their licenses. Each student is also paid half of their CNA salary during the program. To earn extra money, they may work some shifts as CNAs. The facility’s LPN training is a win-win situation. St. Camillus gains more nurses and they add more nurses to the workforce. This means less reliance on costly temp agency nurses, and less “chasing after” a limited number of nurses in the available pool to fill positions. St. Camillus is actually adding to that pool. The facility views its new LPN school as an investment in the future of its employees. It’s also an investment in St. Camillus and quality patient care.
Director of Human Resources Chad Goodman sees the new LPN training school he created as a way for some CNAs to break out of an employment “trap.” According to Goodman, CNAs get trapped when faced with limited career advancement options. They can either stick with it at one facility for regular salary increases or hop from job to job and make a few cents more per hour. Furthering their education to become LPNs is a way to break free of the trap, but this can be difficult to do on their own. Personal and financial issues leave little opportunity for CNAs to obtain further education and advance their nursing careers. Thanks to St. Camillus, they now have the opportunity. “Our LPN program is a totally different way of looking at staff,” says Goodman. “We’re taking a proactive and innovative approach to opening the trap. Helping staff meet their goals helps the facility get to where it wants to be.” Joey Nigro-Nilsen, business services representative at CNY Works, brought St. Camillus and OCM BOCES together to start the program. CNY Works is a federally funded not-for-profit organization which connects job seekers, employers and training services into a coherent network of resources“I worked with Chad to steer him in the right direction,” says Nigro-Nilsen. “This included help to research funding, and offering advice and moral support. ”In order to sustain the program, the St. Camillus Foundation is seeking much-needed government and corporate grants. Nigro-Nilsen is working with Foundation President Tom Honan to access a variety of funding sources.
“Adequate funding will be vital in growing this program over the long term,” says Honan. “We must have the financial support to create and sustain a loyal, well trained and diverse work force for years to come. Support from federal, state and local sources has been encouraging. We look forward to strengthening our relationship with CNY Works and our local corporate and Foundation partners.” Teaching the first St. Camillus LPN class is BOCES instructor Fran Horner. “They’re a good group,” says Horner. “It’s a big adjustment going from CNA to being the nurse. They are applying what they’re learning… and better understand everyone’s role on the team in order to provide holistic care.” The make up of St. Camillus LPN students is diverse. There are long-time CNAs—some with more than 20 years experience—and others who have been in nursing for five years or less. Kathy Schafer, 42, graduated from the St. Camillus CNA training class in July 2001. It was her first job ever in healthcare. She’s now on her way to becoming a LPN. “I love it,” exclaims Schafer. “I’m the new person on the block since I’m new to healthcare and to St. Camillus. Denise (Recore, a long-time St. Camillus CNA) has been great with explaining things, and Mrs. Horner has been a great coach.” Taking a different path to a LPN career is Brenda Godbold, 40, who became a CNA right out of high school. She’s been with St. Camillus for seven years. Godbold is now back in the classroom after 20 years. “This is an excellent opportunity to grow and move on without taking on the additional cost of school,” says Godbold. “It’s difficult at times, but we pull together as a team.” Students report that they are receiving solid support from their families. Husbands are flexible with the family’s schedule while taking on more responsibility with the kids. Children are helping their moms with homework and computer skills to write papers. The new St. Camillus LPN school is a step in the right direction for the facility and its nursing staff. Students get to embark on a more solid career path filled with greater opportunity, earning potential and stability. On the flip side, St. Camillus is creating more nurses to enhance its patient care. Thanks to the facility’s forward thinking, it has created a unique solution to help CNAs break out of the employment trap.
Copyright © 2007 St. Camillus Health and Rehabilitation Center |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
