COMMUNITY NEWS – TOP STORY
New program has a healthy start
by Corrine Knutson

A new Certified Nurses Assistant Training Program is being offered at WCC, with special emphasis on training Native Hawaiian students. The five-week program will hold sessions May 3 - 28 and June 24 - July 29.

Classes are held in Hale Kuhina, Room 107 for the first four weeks; the fifth week of class will be at Leahi Hospital across from Kapi‘olani Community College.

The class will provide hands-on training to students interested in becoming CNAs.

“The program is very similar to the first semester of nursing school,” said outreach coordinator Lisa De Mello.

The program’s aim is to train and certify students on the windward side of the island. This is the first time a program like this has been offered at WCC, De Mello said.

“The CNA program is a great way to pull people into the campus,” she explained. Prior to this program, interested students would have to make the drive to Honolulu for classes at KCC.

WCC student Alvi Leones hopes the program will provide her with clinical hands-on experience. Leones, who has attended WCC for two years, ultimately wants to become a nurse.

The program is free for native Hawaiian students like Leones, thanks to a grant from Alu Like, Inc. The only things qualified students will need for the program are closed-toe, non-skid white shoes and a watch with a second hand.

Everything else is provided. Enrollment includes a blood pressure kit with a stethoscope, one set of scrubs and textbooks.

Students will also need to pay the cost of the Hawaii State Nurse Assistant Competency exam; students are not certified CNAs until they pass this test. Alu Like, Inc. might be able to cover some of the cost of the exam for certain students, De Mello said.

Currently, there is a huge demand for nursing assistants, and this program will help get native Hawaiians into the workforce, De Mello explained. Since the funding is primarily from Alu Like, Inc., only 15 percent of students can be non-Hawaiian in each class.

There has been a 4.2 percent increase in the need for nurse assistants, according to a report issued by KCC. CNA’s are especially needed in long-term care homes. Most students will be able to find jobs in assisted living situations rather than in a hospital setting, De Mello said.

De Mello is working hard with interested students. “I’m really happy with the good response,” she said. De Mello has arranged for 10 Castle High School students to take the third class from June 24-July 29.

“It is important that the Castle students are enrolled in this session because they must be 18 years old to obtain required state certification,” De Mello said.

The program offers students hands-on training, materials and counselors who will help them find a job or continue their education. “This program is great for students who aspire to go to nursing school,” De Mello said.

For more details, call De Mello at 235-7386.