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2015-07-09news-articleNews<p>The demand for quality nursing professionals is only growing. With the anticipated need for nurses especially in post-acute and home health roles only expected to rise, forward thinking employers are looking for ways to grow the pool of qualified candidates.</p>

Spaulding Rehab and American Red Cross Partner to Provide New Pathways to Nursing Careers

news-article
July 9,  2015

(Boston, MA)- The demand for quality nursing professionals is only growing. With the anticipated need for nurses especially in post-acute and home health roles only expected to rise, forward thinking employers are looking for ways to grow the pool of qualified candidates.

Recently, the American Red Cross of Cambridge held a graduation at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital for 19 students who completed The Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) Training Course. Through 72.5 hours of classroom instruction as well as 24 hours of clinical training, the graduates learned a variety of skills that will enable them to work in nursing homes, home health and hospital settings. Many of the participants come from areas of society currently under represented in the health care industry such as new immigrants, lower income families and minorities.

“Many of the program’s participants never thought a career in nursing could be possible for them. Often they have the drive, interest and most importantly compassion to join our field, they just need someone to show them the path. It’s such a privilege to work with the American Red Cross which we hold in such high regard to provide these learning opportunities for these students,” said Adrienne Sarnecki, Chief Nursing Officer, Spaulding Rehabilitation.

The state-wide Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) Training Course program combines classroom instruction with hands-on experience in healthcare settings. The training course was funded by a grant from Spaulding to foster work-force development and education programs in health care. The American Red Cross has a twenty-five year track record of providing certifications and training in nursing and has developed a respected introductory training program to begin students on a path to health care careers. Upon completing the program, students are eligible to apply for the state examination to become a Certified Nurse Assistant.

“Our Nursing Assistant Training program provides vital resources to our partners in the healthcare community and we are so pleased to collaborate with the best-in-class professionals at Spaulding,” said Ralph Boyd, CEO of the Red Cross of Massachusetts. “Graduates of the program further our core mission to provide hope and care to communities.”

Through job-fairs, onsite experience and networking the program’s goal is to find jobs for their graduates. “It’s so vital as an employer to find individuals who represent the diverse communities we serve combined with high levels of professional skill. For us, it’s a wonderfully productive partnership to enable outstanding career opportunities for these students and grow the candidate pool we recruit from for our nursing roles,” said Russ Averna, Vice President of Human Resources, Spaulding Rehabilitation.

About Spaulding Rehabilitation

A member of Partners HealthCare, Spaulding Rehabilitation includes Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, its main campus the new 132-bed facility in Charlestown, which is a national model for environmental and inclusive design as well as Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod, two long term care facilities Spaulding Hospital Cambridge and Spaulding Hospital North Shore in Salem and two skilled nursing facilities, as well as twenty three outpatient sites throughout Eastern Massachusetts. Spaulding strives to continually update and improve its programs to offer patients the latest, high-quality care through its leading, expert providers. Spaulding has been awarded a Model Systems designation in three specialty areas- Brain Injury, Burn Injury Rehabilitation, and Spinal Cord Injury - by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. Spaulding is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School as well as the official rehabilitation hospital of the New England Patriots. Spaulding is the only rehabilitation hospital in New England continually ranked since 1995 by U.S. News and World Report in its Best Hospitals survey with a #6 ranking in 2014-2015. For more information, please visit www.spauldingrehab.org.

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.