Lackawanna College Introduces Nurse Aide Program

Lackawanna College is introducing a new Nurse Aide Training Program designed to prepare students to provide basic nursing services and patient care assistance in hospital and nursing home situations. The first class will begin on Monday, June 26.

Lackawanna’s program, which is authorized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, runs for eight weeks and covers 200 hours of instruction. Students undertake six weeks of classroom instruction and two weeks of hands-on, supervised clinical experience. Classroom work involves 25 hours per week, Monday through Friday. One week of clinical instruction requires 40 hours of practice in a long-term care facility; the other involves 25 hours in a hospital acute care setting.

Areas of instruction include Introduction to Health Care, Basic Nursing Skills, CPR, Communications Skills, Resident’s Rights, Infection Control, Nutrition, Body Systems, Common Diseases, Death and Dying, and Intervention Strategies. Lackawanna College has created an equipped hospital ward for teaching purposes at its Scranton campus.

Students successfully completing the program are eligible to take the American Red Cross Nurse Aide Competency Examination. Lackawanna College also serves as a certified testing site.

“Lackawanna College has had a strong demand for Nurse Aide training in the last few years,” said Ann Marie Stelma, Vice President for Continuing Education. “Our new program provides practical education in a concentrated period of time so that participants can quickly enter the waiting job market.”

The Nurse Aide Program is taught by Registered Nurses experienced in long-term care. Lead Instructor is Maggie Prudente, who has over 30 years nursing experience, with 5 of them in long-term care. She has co-authored two books in the nursing field and completed the Department of Education’s “Teaching the Educator Program” for Nurse Aide instructors.

Tuition for the program is $2100, plus fees. Many participants will be eligible for funding for this program through local Career Links, Workforce Investment Boards or other agencies.

To register or for more information, phone the Lackawanna College’s Continuing Education Department at 961-7897.