Nursing Assistants learn a variety of topics in the CareBridge Academy CNA course. Best of all, each topic is covered with different learning styles in mind. Lessons are taught in the classroom setting, in a practical laboratory environment, and interactively with hands-on clinical instruction in one of our nursing home training partners. 

Major areas of instruction in our 3.5 week, 100 hour certified nurse aide classes include:

Introduction to healthcare

A broad based introduction to the medical field, this tutorial will help you learn basic healthcare concepts so you can be successful on the job and understand the system. By learning about the healthcare field, you can be successful at your job. 

Communication skills

Workers of varying skill sets within a healthcare setting must communicate clearly with each other to best coordinate care delivery to patients. Some of these skill sets can be very different, and we discuss best practice in common CNA settings. 

Infection control

Infection control addresses factors related to the spread of infections within the health-care setting, including prevention, monitoring/investigation of demonstrated or suspected spread of infection within a particular health-care setting, and management.

Safety and Emergency Procedures

Patient safety is the cornerstone of high-quality health care. Nurse aides are critical to the surveillance and coordination of care that reduce adverse patient outcomes. Effectively knowing emergency protocols helps the CNA handle sudden or unexpected situations. The objective is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of both the patient and the nursing assistant. 

Client’s rights

As a nursing assistant and medical professional, you have the ethical and legal responsibility to protect the rights of individuals under the care of the organization you represent. You will learn about patient rights and ways you can protect these rights over the course of the CNA program.

Client’s independence

Nursing assistants are in a position to help patients be independent and maintain a sense of control because they provide personal assistance and help perform activities of daily living. Our nurse instructors will advise you of ways to promote the client’s independence whenever possible.

Nutrition

This module will provide CNAs basic information about nutrition, special diets, feeding a patient, and choking hazards and prevention.

Identify and report conditions of body systems

CNAs will learn the basics of different body systems and functions as well as how they interrelate. 

Client’s environment

Nursing assistants learn about the typical environments and settings that they find their patients in and in which they provide care. 

Personal care skills

One of the cornerstones of what every certified nurse aide will learn is providing personal care and assisting with activities of daily living (ADLs). Helping with ADLs is covered extensively in the CareBridge Academy CNA certification class.

Restorative care

Nursing assistants may act as health-care professionals who are responsible for providing restorative and rehabilitation care for residents/patients to maintain or regain physical, mental and emotional well-being. Restorative care is a function that all CNAs in CareBridge Academy are taught and practice to assist with clients that need help with range of motion and rehabilitation. 

Behavioral health and social service needs

As a healthcare professional, the Certified Nurse Aide provides more than physical care for clients. CNAs spend a lot of time with their clients and will often be the first to notice a change in a client’s mental status. CareBridge Academy teaches CNAS about mental health, so they’ll be able to offer support and care for clients in all types of situations.

Care of cognitively impaired clients

A CNA may work with clients who have cognitive impairments from conditions such as strokes, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease. Nursing assistants at CareBridge Academy learn about situations that are helpful when working with residents with dementia and effectively supporting patients that have cognitive impairments like Alzheimer’s.

Program length

Our accelerated certificate program is a 3.5-week, Monday through Friday course totaling 100 hours of instruction. This includes 59 hours of classroom and lab instruction with an additional 41 hours of hands-on clinical training in a long term care facility. CareBridge Academy provides the training in skills necessary to take and successfully pass the Pennsylvania Certified Nursing Assistant certification exam.