CCAC and Kane Community Living Centers Collaborate on Program To Help Fill Need for CNAs

Pittsburgh

The Community College of Allegheny County and Kane Community Living Centers are collaborating on a new CNA (Certified Nursing Aide) training program to help meet the urgent need in the region for CNAs. The program is free to qualified Allegheny County residents who want to become nurse aides. CNAs are vital members of every health care team and are responsible for the direct care of the patients, clients or residents of the facility or agency where they work. 

Kane Community Living Centers is providing the instructors and the classrooms, and CCAC is providing the curriculum for the program. Sessions, which run for 24 days, will be held at one of the four Kane Community Living Centers over the next several months. The first class will begin on January 31. All Allegheny County residents who would like to become nurse aides are encouraged to apply. Once individuals complete the program, they are eligible to take the state exam to become a Certified Nursing Aide. 

Graduates who pass the state exam will be offered a position within the Kane system. When a CNA has completed one year with Kane, they will become eligible for the Kane Career Ladder and tuition reimbursement. Using a combination of tuition reimbursement and the Kane Career Ladder, a CNA can become a Registered Nurse, Bachelor of Science Nurse or Master of Science Nurse with little or no out-of-pocket expenses.

Sessions will be offered on an ongoing basis, as the need is increasing and there are shortages throughout the Kane Community Living Centers system, the region and the country, according to Dennis Biondo, executive director of the Kane Community Living Centers. 

For more information or to apply, contact Bill LaLonde at william.lalonde@alleghenycounty.us or 412.422.6773.