In today’s labor market there are simply not enough certified nursing assistants to meet demand. To address this shortage, MSCA actively promotes strategies to build the caregiving pipeline at all levels. With a 23% caregiver vacancy rate in MA, it’s absolutely vital that a key component of any workforce development strategy is to grow our own caregivers. To that end, MSCA is pleased to announce our collaboration with Academic Platforms.
As the creator of the free Massachusetts Resident Care Assistant (RCA) 8- hour training course , and CNAOnline.com, Academic Platforms is fully endorsed by AHCA/NCAL and is widely used nationally by AHCA members and affiliates.
Both the RCA and CNAOnline.com courses are blended, asynchronous training programs based on the How to be a Nurse Assistant curriculum developed by AHCA. Several nursing facilities in MA are already successfully using CNAOnline.com with DPH approval. Both the RCA and CNA courses provide students 24/7 access to online learning, with clinical skills being completed at the facility. The CNA training is customizable to specific facilities or corporations and provides facility-based preceptors data regarding student progress throughout the coursework, including test scores and competencies.
By recruiting new employees to start as RCAs, employers can promote upward mobility from day one and help eliminate barriers to entering the caregiving workforce. For new caregivers trying to become a nursing assistant, the cost and time it takes to become certified can prevent them from entering the field. Employers who bring workers in as RCAs are able to engage them in a quick onboarding and customize the care tasks assigned according to RCA training, competencies, and facility policy. RCAs can work for up to four months from the date of employment as an RCA, earning money and gaining work experience while they are also participating in nurse aide training. A best practice model for the RCA to CNA pipeline is for employers to cover all expenses associated with becoming a CNA as well as paying these workers while they are learning.
To learn more about how to leverage the RCA to CNA pipeline and the Academic Platforms training programs, please register for our webinar scheduled for Wednesday, March 29th from 10:30-11:30 am., click here to register.