Career Pathing for CNA's

Career Pathing for Certified Nurse Assistants

Posted by shoaib on March 13th, 2011

Author: Cole Holland Training Center

Obtaining your Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification is an important step to becoming a healthcare provider, no matter what work setting you choose. Once you\’ve passed your State of Utah CNA certification exams, your career in healthcare can take off. Becoming a CNA provides you with the knowledge and framework to help you reach your goals.

Employment Options: Hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, skilled facilities, psych wards, assisted living facilities and home health, hospice and personal care agencies require CNA\’s to care for patients – almost all of the work is direct patient care. Hours, benefits, and flexibility vary widely among these options. Typically, pay rates are similar. Before you seek employment as a new CNA, it is important to determine what you want in terms of working hours, environment and your personal scheduling needs.
Hospitals often require a CNA to have at least 6 months experience. Working in a hospital can be very exciting, but it is demanding work and schedules vary widely. Hospital CNA\’s may work in a variety of departments. There are some who are employed in the emergency room, some who may work in a specialized department such as intensive care or progressive care, and some work in departments caring for those whose medical condition is less severe and who have been admitted due to fractures, viral or bacterial infections. Most CNA\’s work with the elderly, but in a hospital a CNA will care for people of all ages.
Nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, and assisted living facilities tend to require longer hours in a fast-paced environment with little flexibility in scheduling. It can be rewarding to work in long term care as you get to know the patients well over an extended period of time. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, CNA\’s held about 1.4 million jobs in 2006 and fifty-two percent worked in nursing and residential care facilities. Job duties include helping patients with bathing, feeding, dressing, transfer assistance, serving meals, obtaining vital signs, skin care, assisting patients after incontinent episodes and reporting changes in the patient\’s condition to medical staff.

Home Health and Hospice affords you the most flexibility in your schedule. It is perfect if you want to work odd hours, enjoy breaks in your routine, want to work another job, or want to continue your education. Home health and Hospice wages are competitive and include mileage reimbursement; however, it is essential you have a reliable car. Home health and hospice provides autonomy, flexible schedules, an opportunity to work one-on-one with patients, competitive wages and opportunities for further training.

Nursing School or Further Education: Obtaining your CNA certification is a great way to start work in healthcare. Learning the basics and working as an aide exposes you to a wide range of health care options so you can settle on something that appeals to you. Or, you can make a career of being a Certified Nurse Assistant, knowing that what you do makes a huge difference in the lives of others.

About the Author
Terri Holland is the co-owner of Home Caregivers Home Health (www.home-caregivers.com) and Cole Holland Training Center (www.coleholland.com) offering health care training including CNA, EMT, EKG and Medical Assistant classes.

Volunteer Coordinator Joins Cole Holland Training Center

We are so happy to welcome Kevin Bell, our new Volunteer Coordinator to Cole Holland Training Center. Kevin, a former EMT student loves to volunteer and to work with students--  helping them enrich their resumes, make vital professional contacts, increase their knowledge and skill set and increase their self esteem by getting involved in volunteer activities.


You can contact Kevin at kevin@coleholland.com for more information on our on-going volunteer opportunities. His enthusiasm, positive attitude, dedication and professionalism is a real asset to Cole Holland and our students. Email Kevin or ask for more information at school today. Get involved now.

Volunteering Helps the Community and You!

Today, Cole Holland Training Center arranged for several CNA and EMT students to volunteer at a local humanitarian organization sorting medical supplies. It was fun and allowed the students a chance to learn more about medical supplies and equipment and also gave them an opportunity to help their community.

Volunteering is a great way to bolster your resume, make professional contacts in your field and to increase your self esteem by doing something positive for others. It can alleviate stress by putting personal problems into perspective. How many of us felt grateful our houses were still upright and we had clean water and clean air after watching the events in Japan? Keeping an eye on our blessings increases our satisfaction and makes us happier people - which is a key component in getting a job. We like to be around positive, happy and motivated people. So good job today - you made a difference today and should be proud of yourselves. Plus, it looked like you were having a GREAT time too!  

Japan in Crisis

All of the students, faculty and staff at Cole Holland Training Center offer our heartfelt wishes for an swift reprieve from the dangers related to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan - this is a horrific tragedy. It is times like this when we realize how small the world really is and how interdependent we are on each  other. Perhaps it is time to set aside our petty bickering and join together to alleviate suffering wherever it is found.

Scrapbook Photos

Save Public Radio-Television and Education

I love this country and am proud of the generosity, compassion, and ingenuity of our people. Much of this comes from a group of highly educated and thoughtful people who sat and argued long hours in hot rooms to hammer out a constitution and an ideal. Today, both sides of the political spectrum argue this document and its precepts are under attack. This may be true or it may be just another smokescreen distracting us from critically examining what ideals are REALLY under attack.

Transparency: In Utah, a recent bill has made it more difficult for the public to obtain government information and communication - under the guise that we cannot afford these "fishing expeditions" meaning we should just "trust" the government to do what is right without fear of airing their actions in the cold glare of public scrutiny. Regardless of your political affiliation, a transparent government, a diligent and robust investigative press and an educated and interested constituency is essential for liberty and freedom to flourish. Additionally, there is an unnecessary and dangerous suggestion that we abandon public radio and public television. We need public programming. Contact your legislator to tell him or her that you value public television and radio.

Education: Since when did getting an education make you elitist? Since when did we think we could compete in the world, in a complicated and increasingly global marketplace without a foundation of math, science, literacy and history? The creeping tuition is making it more and more difficult for middle class Americans to send their kids to college, to get a degree or to learn a skill - and this does not bode well for our future.

Negotiation: When every word uttered and every suggestion offered by the opposing political party is loudly dismissed simply because it emerged from the other side of the aisle we are in danger of sustaining our republic through negotiation and compromise - a defining characteristic in every workable political system, or in any relationship for that matter. It is time we stopped imagining we are enemies, or that only one side has all the answers or that using violent rhetoric or vitriolic attacks is an acceptable way to debate key issues. Seeking solutions with intelligent, cogent, rational and civil debate is imperative.

The Middle Class: Whether you like it or not, the disparities between the rich and the poor is the widest it has ever been in this country and is wider than in any other country in the world. It is unsustainable to allow wealth to accumulate in the hands of a few while others find it impossible to pay their own way in the world.

I suggest, we seek solutions to our problems using transparent, rational, educated and thoughtful debate to restore the American Dream in the hands of the many.

Terri Holland is co-owner of Cole Holland Training Center, a post secondary school committed to student success in health care. Call 801.759.5164 or find us on the web www.coleholland.com.

Can Two Hours a Week Change Your Life?

Yes it can.


Cole Holland Training Center is proud to host the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University thirteen-week financial planning course in our facility.

If you struggle to make ends meet, if you think you can never save a dime, let alone a thousand dollars, think again. This is not a gimmick or a sales pitch. For $99 you can learn to save money, reduce needless debt and finally find financial peace.

This is by far the BEST personal financial planning class there is. And its 99 bucks and it works.  Click here to register for the course at Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/signup/blnGetStartedClasses/1/blnSortByStartDate/0/intClassId/184682/intMaxRad/30/intZipCode/_-_NULL_-_/strState/UT

Utah Back to Work Program

Did you know that as an employer you are eligible to an incentive bonus of up to $2,000 if you hire a worker who is on unemployment and a participant in the Utah Back to Work Program?

What is the Back to Work Program?

This is a program set up to assist eligible Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimant job seekers and eligible youth job seekers, who are actively seeking employment, by offering qualified employers a wage subsidy of up to $2,000 for a maximum of 3 months, for each eligible job seeker they hire for full time employment. $500 will be paid to the employer when the eligible job seeker is hired and $1,500 will be paid upon three-month retention of the job seeker.
For more information, please click on the link below - it will answer your questions.
http://jobs.utah.gov/regions/east/regcouncil/backtowork.pdf.

As employers, your unemployment fee went up this year - hiring people off the unemployment rolls who are receiving benefits will help reduce this fee next year, will put people back to work and ... you will receive an incentive to offset your costs. Together, we can ignore the politicians and make a difference in our community by hiring these workers.

For information about hiring well trained CNA's, EMT's, EKG Technicians, Phlebotomists (nationally certified), Medical Assistants or to take advantage of continuing education opportunities call Cole Holland Training Center at 801.759.5164.

The Dignity of Work

Recent events in Wisconsin have raised issues about the nature of work and its role in defining an individual and a community. Lost in the debate about labor costs and the burden of public labor on taxpayers is a more important issue facing our nation; the cost of not enough work or work that is meaningless and redundant.  Work is harder and harder to find, and more and more often the work that is available is low-paying and unsatisfying. Yet, work not only provides us a living, an ability to take care of our needs and the needs of our families, it also defines us, sculpts our values and brings us dignity and self-respect. As a nation, we are obligated to make sure our citizens have the opportunity to work and to work at something that is enriching, valuable and meaningful. To suggest a community is healthy when it can outsource labor to the cheapest bidder, or reduce human ingenuity and creativity to mechanized systems that are mind numbing and inhumane just because it increases profit or the GDP is short sighted and dangerous. 

Despite all the rhetoric to the contrary – Americans are not lazy, entitlement crazed people – we are industrious, creative, hard working, honest and decent people – but as the income disparities between the rich and the poor widens, as middle class families must work longer hours far from families for less and less money, as wealth is centered in the hands of a few elites, we lose the ability to realize the American dream; hard work and a productive, moral and enriching life to pass on to our children. We are not looking for a free ride, but we are looking for a chance, an opportunity, a respectable life. 

Vocational schools must train and assist students in obtaining gainful employment and teach respect for the intrinsic dignity of work. People who have to work two or three jobs to make ends meet are not engaged in the dignity of work - they are slaves to economic policies that too often reward the rich at the expense of the poor or middle class. Economic policies that make obtaining work difficult or impossible is dangerous to a free society and is irresponsible and immoral. 

Terri Holland is co-owner of Cole Holland Training Center, a vocational school offering health care classes and placement assistance to assist students in finding rewarding and dignified work. Call us at 801.759.5164 or find us on the web. Click Here Health Care Classes with Heart

Save A Life, Make a Difference, Become an EMT

There is nothing like taking a class from instructors who make sure everyone passes the rigorous state of Utah Bureau of Emergency Medical Services exams. 

Learning to save a life is exhilarating and fun and the employment outlook is great. Employment of emergency medical technicians and paramedics is expected to grow 9 percent between 2008 and 2018, which is about as fast as the average for all occupations. Growth in this occupation is due in large part to increasing call volume due to aging population. As a large segment of the population—aging members of the baby boom generation—becomes more likely to have medical emergencies, demand will increase for EMTs and paramedics. In addition, the time that EMTs and paramedics must spend with each patient is increasing as emergency departments across the country are experiencing overcrowding. As a result, when an ambulance arrives, it takes longer to transfer the patient from the care of the EMTs and paramedics to the staff of the emergency department. In addition, some emergency departments divert ambulances to other hospitals when they are too busy to take on new patients. As a result, ambulances may not be able to go to the nearest hospital, which increases the amount of time spent in transit. Both these factors result in EMTs and paramedics spending more time with each patient, which means more workers are needed to meet demand. There also still will be demand for part-time, volunteer EMTs and paramedics in rural areas and smaller metropolitan areas. 

Job prospects should be favorable. Many job openings will arise from growth and from the need to replace workers who leave the occupation because of the limited potential for advancement, as well as the modest pay and benefits in private-sector jobs. In addition, full-time paid EMTs and paramedics will be needed to replace unpaid volunteers. Emergency medical service agencies find it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain unpaid volunteers because of the amount of training and the large time commitment these positions require. As a result, more paid EMTs and paramedics are needed. 

Competition will be greater for jobs in local government, including fire, police, and independent third-service rescue squad departments that tend to have better salaries and benefits. EMTs and paramedics who have advanced education and certifications should enjoy the most favorable job prospects, as clients and patients demand higher levels of care before arriving at the hospital.

Cole Holland Training Center is an excellent choice for emergency medical training. Our medical directors, T'Ann Ularich, a Nurse Practitioner and Dr. Troy Badger from the University of Utah Cardiac Clinic are extremely engaged in the classes and bring a wealth of information spending hours and hours with students - confident in their skills and knowledge, students routinely finish their exams with a smile on their face, knowing they aced it!  Call Cole Holland Training Center at 801.759.5164 or find us on the web at www.coleholland.com.

Medical Assistant Jobs Are Growing

Cole Holland Training Center is proud to offer an affordable and professional Medical Assistant course. Students learn both administrative and clinical responsibilities - and with a 200 hour externship over the course of the program, students get the real life, hands on experience they need to master their skills and to get a great career. 

This is a great opportunity to start a new career in health care. Medical Assistants often work in doctor’s offices or clinics and have regular work hours and a chance to work with other health care professionals. Job growth is predicted to remain high throughout the decade, so jobs are plentiful in this field.Our course is also affordable – with assistance from Workforce Services and our payment plan, it is possible to graduate DEBT-FREE rather than incur up to $40,000 in debt with other programs. Call us for details about ways you can finance this course!

Our Medical Assisting Course is a 94-Quarter Credit Hour course  (approximately 960 hours) with a mandatory unpaid 200 hour externship spread out over the course of the curriculum. This course prepares students to work as Medical Assistants. The course covers both administrative and clinical applications.

Medical assistants are multi-skilled health professionals who perform a wide range of roles in physician’s offices and other health care settings. Duties may vary, depending upon location and size of the practice and the physician’s specialty, but medical assistants typically answer telephones, prepare patients for examination, update and file patient medical records, fill out insurance forms, handle patient billing and bookkeeping tasks, telephone prescriptions to a pharmacy, schedule appointments, arrange hospital admissions, and purchase supplies and equipment. New courses begin each academic quarter and financial assistance is available.

Medical assistants may also take vital signs and medical histories, assist the physician or nurse during patient examinations, collect and prepare laboratory specimens or arrange for laboratory services, perform electrocardiograms, remove sutures, and change dressings.  Medical assistants are primarily employed in private physician’s practice, but may also be employed by medical centers, medical specialty clinics, insurance billing agencies, medical transcription agencies, laboratories, and emergency rooms.

The Medical Assistant Program consists of a general orientation to the profession, including employment conditions, credentialing and general responsibilities and the scope of practice. The course also includes anatomy and physiology, diet and nutrition, body systems, common diseases, diagnoses and treatments, medical terminology, medical law and ethics, psychology of human relations including abnormal behavior, empathy, and support for terminally ill patients, developmental stages of life, culture, heredity and environment, pharmacology including math and metric conversions, use of drug references, basic keyboarding and computer concepts including computer application skills using a variety of different electronic programs for practice management and EMR software, medical business office procedures and management, medical office clinical including patient histories, vital signs, test results, emergency and surgical procedures, immunizations, standard precautions, wrapping for sterilization and assisting the physician with examinations and treatments, first aid, and medical laboratory procedures including quality control, CLIA-waived tests, biohazards and specimens and finally career development including essentials for employment and professionalism.  A clinical externship of at least 200 hours is required for completion of the program.

In the Medical Assistant Program, students are required to complete 18 units of study – these are divided into six modules in 12-week quarters. Each unit is comprised of several chapters that cover a specific aspect of medical assisting. All units require online course work, attendance at lectures, skills practice and pass off, and self-directed study in the computer lab as well as Service Learning opportunities.

We offer the best education in a warm, friendly, fun, respectful and engaging environment. Come check it out - tour the school and meet the staff and other students. We promise you will be delighted by what you find. 

www.coleholland.comCole Holland Training Center or call us at 801.759.5164

Career Pathing for Certified Nurse Assistants

Completing the course work requirements is the beginning…certification is the GOAL!

Obtaining your Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification is an important step to becoming a healthcare provider, no matter what work setting you choose. Once you’ve passed your State of Utah CNA certification exams, your career in healthcare can take off. Becoming a CNA provides you with the knowledge and framework to help you reach your goals. Choosing a CNA program that offers job placement assistance is crucial in these hard times.

Hospitals often require a CNA to have at least 6 months experience. Working in a hospital can be very exciting, but it is demanding work and schedules vary widely. Hospital CNA's may work in a variety of departments. There are some who are employed in the emergency room, some who may work in a specialized department such as intensive care or progressive care, and some work in departments caring for those whose medical condition is less severe and who have been admitted due to fractures, viral or bacterial infections. Most CNA’s work with the elderly, but in a hospital a CNA will care for people of all ages.

Nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, and assisted living facilities tend to require longer hours in a fast-paced environment with little flexibility in scheduling. It can be rewarding to work in long term care as you get to know the patients well over an extended period of time. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, CNA’s held about 1.4 million jobs in 2006 and fifty-two percent worked in nursing and residential care facilities. Job duties include helping patients with bathing, feeding, dressing, transfer assistance, serving meals, obtaining vital signs, skin care, assisting patients after incontinent episodes and reporting changes in the patient’s condition to medical staff.

Home Health and Hospice affords you the most flexibility in your schedule. It is perfect if you want to work odd hours, enjoy breaks in your routine, want to work another job, or want to continue your education. Home health and Hospice wages are competitive and include mileage reimbursement; however, it is essential you have a reliable car. Home health and hospice provides autonomy, flexible schedules, an opportunity to work one-on-one with patients, competitive wages and opportunities for further training.

Nursing School or Further Education: Obtaining your CNA certification is a great way to start work in healthcare. Learning the basics and working as an aide exposes you to a wide range of health care options so you can settle on something that appeals to you. Or, you can make a career of being a Certified Nurse Assistant, knowing that what you do makes a huge difference in the lives of others.

Cole Holland Training Center is a post secondary school offering great CNA classes with large, clean, bright skills labs, computer lab with 12 computers and test generators that allow a student to take written exams similar to the UNAR exams as often as needed. Complete the course in about two weeks, but retake the class free of charge until you feel confident to test. Find us on the web at www.coleholland.com or call us at 801.759.5164. Best CNA course in Utah!

Advanced Directive; How to Choose a Designated Agent

It’s your right to make decisions about your medical care, and to name someone else to make health decisions for you if you’re incapacitated. That seems simple enough; you choose someone close to you and talk about which medical procedures you would want and under what circumstances you would not want them. Then you write it down and rest easy that if you become incapacitated the doctors will follow your wishes and your agent will back you up.

Only, it isn’t this simple and it doesn’t work this way. There is more to navigating this process than knowing which procedure to choose or not to choose. Sickness and health, life and death are complicated issues and bring a myriad of diverse and complicated human concerns, not to mention fear and crushing pain, to bear. And the people that show up at such a time can be a wild bunch; your long-estranged sister, your brother’s whacky wife, or your ex-mother-in-law.

Discussing what you want with a designated agent and writing it down is important. But as important as it is to choose someone who can articulate your wishes, is choosing an agent who can also navigate the waves of interpersonal relationships that show up in troubled waters. Here are some suggestions for choosing an agent:

1)  Choose someone who has spent enough time with you to know what you would want, not only related to health care but someone who knows how you would think or act, someone who can predict what you would order for lunch, want for a gift, and someone with whom you have discussed end of life or life sustaining issues. This might be a spouse or a child, but it also might be a neighbor or friend. This is not a love test or a competition. This is about choosing someone to “speak” for you when you no longer have a voice – and it is your right to choose that voice.

2)  Choose a strong voice. Believe it or not, you sometimes have to fight for appropriate care, either from a tired health care professional, an insurance company (or even family members).You don’t want someone who knows what is best but who can’t demand that treatment (or lack of it) on your behalf. Certainly you need to choose someone who is not easily overwhelmed and you want someone who is articulate and calm in a crisis.

3)  Choose someone on good terms with most of your family and friends - this is particularly important if you are a member of a blended family. You want an agent that can discuss your care with your entire community – even members who are estranged from other members, especially if your health issue is a serious or life threatening one. We all die, and we all leave people we love behind. Designating an agent who can discuss difficult decisions with all your family and friends in a way that encourages consensus or acceptance is in everyone’s best interest. When consensus is not possible, designating an agent who can stand up for you in a loving and consistent manner is important.

Think about the people in your life that love you, are strong advocates, and are well respected by other people in your life. Filter, sift and talk to these people until you land on that special person who knows you, can articulate your wishes, and can communicate compassionately with all the members of your tribe that love you. Now, you have a supportable Advance Health Care Directive and the perfect designated agent.

For more information find our website at www.coleholland.com. Or call us at 801.759.5164.