In response to Governor Eric Holcomb’s executive order to alleviate the extreme strain COVID- 19 has put on health care systems, Senior1Care and Legacy C.N.A. Training began working with the Indiana Health Care Association and the Indiana State Department of Health to help develop a condensed training course for temporary Personal Care Attendants (PCAs).
PCAs perform resident care procedures that are part of the training required to earn a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification. They do things like getting patients up in the morning, bathing and toileting, serving meals and taking temperatures.
This basic skills training will begin next week in a fully-equipped Noblesville training classroom. The large classroom is complete with two hospital beds, patient mannequins, a wheelchair and all the equipment needed to start the PCA training right away. The certification takes a minimum of five hours classroom and three hours simulation/demonstration, compared to three weeks of accelerated training for the CNA course. Once completed, the PCA receives a letter of certification that can get them a job that day. Even better, Legacy CNA is offering the course for free as a public service.
Nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and other places where seniors live are desperate for additional health care workers due to the coronavirus pandemic, and that includes the immediate need for CNAs. The addition of temporary PCAs will help ease this shortage and supply needed support to the healthcare industry.
Legacy CNA Training is Senior1Care’s training school and is the top CNA training school in the state. The training for CNAs is rigorous, and after the training is complete students must pass a state exam to receive their certification.
Patrick Broccolo, Co-Owner at Senior1Care, said, “Once the coronavirus crisis eases, PCAs will be encouraged to continue their education for a CNA certification.”
The state has added provisions that will allow the PCA training to be counted towards a CNA certification.