CNA Guidelines for Admission into the Nursing Programs

April 2013 --  Recent developments have prompted revision of the strict requirement of a current CNA status for Fall 2013 nursing program admission.  Nursing assistants working in acute care settings can no longer recertify as a CNA unless they work in a long-term care or rehabilitation unit.  This means all nursing assistants working in the acute care hospital setting will not be able to recertify and thus will not meet the present requirement.  

To accommodate this change in the recertification process, beginning Fall 2013 semester, once a student validates for either the full or part-time tracks of the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program or Practical Nurse (PN) program they must provide documentation of ability to perform specific nursing skills prior to entry into the clinical portion of the program.  Students must be competent in performing ALL of the following specific nursing skills:

               □         Obtaining, recording and reporting vital signs which include blood pressure, pulse,  

                          respirations, temperature and oxygen saturation

               □          Bathing/Hygiene

               □          Toileting

               □          Ambulation

               □          Feeding

               □          Dressing/Grooming

  Prior to entry into the clinical portion of the nursing program, documentation verifying the student’s competency must be provided to the Nursing Discipline through one of the following means:

·        Provide a copy of current certification as a nursing assistant (CNA).

·       Any individual who has prior registry as a CNA and remains in a patient care setting that utilizes these nursing functions but does not require them to be a CNA.

o   Provide documentation from employer, on company letterhead, of dates of employment and responsibilities (example, current job description attached). When attaining documentation of responsibilities and employment dates, please have employer sign and provide contact information should the Nursing Discipline have further questions.

o   Provide proof of prior registry. 

·       Any individual who has prior registry as a CNA and has worked more than one year in a long-term or acute care patient care setting within the past five years.

o   Provide documentation from present or past employer, on company letterhead, of employment dates and responsibilities (example, current job description attached).  When attaining documentation of responsibilities and employment dates, please have employer sign and provide contact information should the Nursing Discipline have further questions.

o   Provide proof of prior registry. 

·       Any individual who is employed and is presently performing all of the required nursing care responsibilities within a defined job role in an acute care or long-term care setting for a minimum of one      year.

o   Provide documentation from employer, on company letterhead, of a successful orientation to the patient care role, dates of employment and responsibilities (example, current job description attached).   When attaining documentation of responsibilities and employment dates, please have employer sign and provide contact information should the Nursing Discipline have further questions. 

The intent of providing this documentation is to assure either through certification or employer verification that the student possesses these basic skills related to nursing care. The nursing curriculum, for the ADN and PN programs, builds on this knowledge and expects each student to perform in a safe and competent manner related to these functions.

If you have questions about this policy please contact Lori Gagnon at 989-686-9274 or by email at lorigagnon@delta.edu.