First Graduates Of New CNA Training Program

NEWTON, N.C. - Carolina Caring is leading the way in healthcare innovation by offering a creative solution to a nationwide problem — the shortage of Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) to care for the rapidly aging Baby Boomer generation. In response to this staffing crisis, the serious illness care provider’s Center for Leadership & Learning has launched a state-approved CNA Training Program designed to provide expert education and immediate job placement.

The nine-week training is held at the nonprofit organization’s Newton campus, 3975 Robinson Road, and taught by licensed nursing instructors, who prepare students for the demanding North Carolina CNA certification test. Students are paid during their training and those who successfully complete the program and earn their certifications are then offered positions with Carolina Caring. Since the program launched in March, eight students have successfully completed the program and were hired as permanent staff.

“We have found that many people who are passionate about helping others and wish to start a career in healthcare are held back by their financial circumstances,” says Dana Killian, Carolina Caring’s President & CEO. “Our CNA Training Program helps removes some of those barriers. Not only is the training itself paid, we provide books and other supplies, equipping each student with everything they need to become a CNA and successfully start work immediately.”

“Carolina Caring has always been a trailblazer in finding new ways to bring high-quality, compassionate care to those who need it most, and this is just one more way can serve our community,” says Sue Nelson, Carolina Caring’s Chief Operating Officer.  “Our Center for Leadership & Learning is proud to work in tandem with learning institutions like Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) and others in the region to offer vital education in support of the healthcare industry.”

If you or someone you know dreams of starting a career in healthcare, but you don’t know where to start, apply to the Carolina Caring CNA Training Program by calling 828.466.0466. The next session will be starting in August of 2023.

Carolina Caring, founded in 1979, is an independent, community-based, nonprofit healthcare provider. It specializes in programs that offer relief from chronic conditions, serious illnesses, and the challenges they bring, including palliative medicine and hospice care for all ages, primary care and grief counseling. Currently, Carolina Caring serves 12 counties across western North Carolina and the Charlotte Region. For more information, please call 828.466.0466 or visit www.CarolinaCaring.org