Sanford and NTC to offer healthcare, educational opportunities this fall

Sanford Health Bemidji is coordinating with Northwest Technical College to provide CNA Classes this fall as a part of the Sanford CARES initiative. If selected for a class, participants will be paid to attend and offered a CNA position upon successful completion at a local Sanford Health Senior Living location.

A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) provides resident-centered nursing care and daily living assistance to senior living residents under the supervision of a registered nurse (RN). They will obtain knowledge of and deliver age-appropriate care related to the physical and psychological needs of the resident as per their care plan. CNAs are considered a member of the Sanford nursing team and are expected to know, and will be held accountable for following infection prevention and control policies and Personal Protective Equipment use.

CNA certification courses this fall include a weekend class on Fridays 4:30-9:30 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. from Oct. 2-Dec. 11. And the program also offers an evening class on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays 4-9 p.m. from Oct. 26-Dec. 7.

Qualifications for applying to the program include being a minimum of 16-years-old. Prior clinical or nursing assistant experience in long-term care is also preferred. Having a high school graduate or general equivalency diploma (GED) is preferred, but not required.

A 2017 regional survey by the Department of Employment and Economic Justice found that employers reported nearly 1,500 open positions in Beltrami County alone, with six of the top 40 positions in demand being in the healthcare industry. Sanford Bemidji on average has over 120 open positions at any given time.

Sanford CARES programs, like the CNA program, were created in partnership between Sanford Health, NTC, Bemidji State University and Bemidji Area Schools to address this growing need for healthcare jobs and provide local professional development opportunities within the community.

To learn more about registering for one of the courses or becoming a CNA, go to https://sanfordhealth.jobs/ and type “certified nursing assistant class” and “Bemidji” in the search bars to access the application.