Aims’ acute-care nurse-aide program will put students in hospitals

GREELEY —  Students hoping to step up their CNA game will get the chance this fall at Aims Community College with a new acute-care nurse-aide program.

The college has created an Acute Care Nurse Aide Program that will provide an additional credential for certified nurse aides to equip them to work in hospitals. Standard CNA programs prepare graduates to work in rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. Federal law mandates that CNAs get clinical experience at long-term care facilities. The basic CNA curriculum is, therefore, focused on long-term care applications, according to a news release.

“In acute care, a patient’s health can change minute by minute,” Aims professor of nurse aide and medical prep Heather Brown explained in the news release. “CNAs can level up with a stackable credential like this to make them more marketable in acute care because they have the necessary advanced skills.”

Hospitals employ CNAs but require additional in-house training to obtain unique skills in a fast-paced hospital setting, the release stated. Area hospital groups such as UCHealth and Banner Health have taken interest in the additional training to round out their teams. The release stated that representatives from these organizations helped design the curriculum for the five-week program that includes 30 clinical hours in the hospital setting.

Students must hold a current CNA license to begin the program. The credential is ideal for people who want to provide care to the community by working at a hospital.
Those who want to enroll in the Acute Care Nurse Aide Certificate program must attend a mandatory orientation session. The next sessions are scheduled at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sept. 17. The orientations are held on the Greeley campus at the Allied Health and Sciences Building in room 026. 

Classes for the first cohort start in mid-October. 

Go to aims.co/acute-care to learn more about this program.