Career Description

A nursing assistant is a nursing home or certified boarding care home employee who is assigned by the director of nursing to provide or assist in the provision of nursing or nursing-related services under the supervision of a registered nurse.

Program Information

The Nursing Assistant Certificate is a grouping of courses designed to prepare students for employment in long-term care and assistive living facilities, hospitals and in the home care settings. Skills are demonstrated in a supervised laboratory setting and the clinical environment.

Program Outcomes

Graduates will be able to:

• Demonstrate safe and respectful resident personal cares in a long-term care facility setting;
• Demonstrate professional work ethic by arriving for class and clinical on time;
• Demonstrate effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills with health care team members;
• Demonstrate effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills with residents in a respectful mannner that preserves human dignity;
• Demonstrate accurate measurement of intake, output, height, weight, and vital signs; and
• Demonstrate knowledge of medical terminiology within the healthcare setting.

Special Program Requirements

In addition to the program requirements, students must meet the following conditions in order to graduate:

1. College Cumulative GPA Requirement: cumulative grade point average (GPA) of credits attempted and completed at CLC must be at least 2.0;
2. Residency Requirement: students must complete 25% of their credits at Central Lakes College;
3. Students must achieve a grade of B- or better in all Practical Nursing (PNUR) courses.

Admissions

Any person who has direct contact with patients and residents at health care facilities licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health must complete the Health Care Provider or Professional Rescuer CPR Certificate, and a cleared criminal background check. Results of the study are to be on file in the Department of Nursing before students begin their clinical experiences. Any student who does not pass the criminal background check will not be permitted to participate in clinical experiences, thereby rendering the individual ineligible to progress in the Practical Nursing Program.

• Drug testing is required.
• Immunization documentation is required.