The non-profit Nurse Aide Training Center is working to solve PA’s long-term care staffing crisis and create a career path for new caregivers
PITTSBURGH – The latest graduating class of the Nurse Aide Training Center (NATC), were joined by friends, family members, staff, and supporters to celebrate their achievement on Friday, Oct 4, at LGAR Health & Rehabilitation Center in Turtle Creek.
The small graduation ceremony for the nine graduates featured residents and staff of the nursing home participating in honoring the new nurse’s aides. The students completed their clinicals – the hands-on portion of their training conducted under the supervision of a Nurse Aide instructor – at the facility in September.
Pittsburgh’s nine newest healthcare professionals – Amanda Clay, Joy Watkins, Amber Young, and Kyla Yost, of Pittsburgh; Matilda Wagle, of New Kensington; Sharon Brown, of Arnold; Byra Hudson, of Clairton; Deondre Boyd-Pollard, of Braddock; and Precious Green, of McKeesport – will take their certification exams soon and join the workforce in Allegheny-area nursing homes, hospitals, and other healthcare settings.
“For the longest time, I would apply for jobs and was told I wasn’t qualified because I was only a PCT,” said Amanda Clay, of Pittsburgh. “I was a PCT for over ten years but they said I needed my certification to be a CNA.”
“I was lucky to find the Nurse Aide Training Center,” she said. “Once I have my certification as a nurse’s aide, I’ll have so many more opportunities open to me.”
The Nurse Aide Training Center – a project of the nonprofit Training & Education Fund (TEF) – was created to help solve the long-term care staffing crisis and create a path for the Allegheny County community to access family-sustaining healthcare careers. The center offers a part-time schedule that allows for a more flexible learning opportunity as well as job placement assistance after students pass their certification exams.
“Being a CNA isn’t just a job,” said Katrina Allard, RN, BSN, an instructor with the NATC. “It’s a calling. It takes compassion, caring, and tremendous dedication. These men and women completed 110 hours of intense classroom instruction, lab work, and clinicals just for the opportunity to care for others. It’s my honor to call them my students and I can't wait to see them flourish in their new careers.”
For more information about the Nurse Aide Training Center, contact the Training & Education Fund at 1-888-331-6540.
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The Training and Education Fund is a nonprofit organization aimed at enhancing the quality of care and services in the healthcare industry. We support healthcare workers by helping them achieve their career and personal development goals and help healthcare employers to foster a stable, highly-trained workforce to meet the needs of all Pennsylvanians.
