{"id":350846,"date":"2021-08-31T06:01:54","date_gmt":"2021-08-30T20:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=350846"},"modified":"2021-08-31T06:01:54","modified_gmt":"2021-08-30T20:01:54","slug":"18-begin-paid-apprenticeships-to-become-certified-nursing-assistants-through-uog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/18-begin-paid-apprenticeships-to-become-certified-nursing-assistants-through-uog\/","title":{"rendered":"18 begin paid apprenticeships to become certified nursing assistants through UOG"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Under the Nursing Assistant Education Program, 18 students received their pre-apprenticeship and caregiver certificates on Aug. 16 at the University of Guam School of Health. The\u00a0next step of the three-month program,\u00a0funded by a\u00a0grant\u00a0through the Guam Department of Labor,\u00a0is a paid apprenticeship\u00a0that prepares students to become certified nursing assistants.\u00a0(UNIVERSITY OF GUAM)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Guam will soon have 18 more certified nursing assistants, or CNAs, as a third cohort completes the Nursing Assistant Education Program through the\u00a0University of Guam School of Health, the\u00a0UOG Global Learning and Engagement Department,\u00a0and the Guam Department of Labor.<\/p>\n

The students have completed caregiver training and are now beginning paid apprenticeships at Guam Regional Medical City, Health Services of the Pacific, and, for the first time in the program, the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first time a government agency has had CNA apprentices, so it\u2019s quite groundbreaking,\u201d said Margaret Hattori-Uchima, dean of UOG School of Health.<\/p>\n

Launched in February 2019, the Nursing Assistant Education Program was created specifically for workforce development.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the growing demand for CNAs in Guam, the program is meant to provide career growth opportunities for the community and help fill vacancies for essential health care professionals,\u201d Hattori-Uchima said.<\/p>\n

The UOG School of Health has trained 41 CNAs since the start of the pandemic and 81 CNAs since the program\u2019s inception. The CNAs who completed the previous apprenticeship programs are working for GRMC, Health Services of the Pacific, GMHA, and Catholic Social Service.<\/p>\n

CNAs work under the supervision of a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse preparing rooms and supplies, assisting with tests and procedures, and directly assisting patients.\u00a0Unlike caregivers, CNAs must undergo a set number of classroom and clinical training hours and then pass both a written and skills exam.<\/p>\n

The three-month program begins with pre-apprenticeship training for mental health, first aid, communication, confidentiality, and other skills necessary for employment.\u00a0Students then complete 120 hours of theory, skills lab, and clinical training and\u00a0a paid apprenticeship at one of the program\u2019s participating employers, where they are then guaranteed employment upon passing the CNA exam and becoming officially certified.<\/p>\n

\u201cWelcoming the CNA apprentices to GMHA for the first time is such an exciting honor for us,\u201d said Lillian Perez-Posadas, CEO for GMHA. \u201cWe\u2019re thrilled to be a part of their educational journey. Being the community\u2019s trusted public hospital, GMHA will provide these CNAs with incredible hands-on experience with a variety of patients from all walks of life. We know this will undoubtedly shape them into compassionate nurse assistants, dedicated to excellence in health care.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cost of the\u00a0students\u2019 tuition, uniforms, books, clearances, and physical exams is covered\u00a0through\u00a0the Guam Department of Labor via the State Apprenticeship Expansion grant,\u00a0a $1.7-million grant to increase registered apprentices in Guam within allied health, telecommunications, construction, and hospitality.<\/p>\n

Partial funding is also provided by the\u00a0Guam\/Micronesia Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program\u00a0at the UOG School of Health, which is funded by a grant\u00a0from the Health Resources & Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.<\/p>\n

Those interested in a future cohort of the\u00a0Nursing Assistant Education Program\u00a0need to have a high school diploma and can contact GWEP at\u00a0uog.gwep@triton.uog.edu\u00a0or the American Job Center at the Guam Department of Labor at (671) 475-7000. (PR)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guam will soon have 18 more certified nursing assistants, or CNAs, as a third cohort…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":350847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[445],"class_list":["post-350846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","tag-uog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=350846"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350846\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/350847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=350846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=350846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=350846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}