Feb 27, 2005 – The University of the Virgin Islands Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning (UVI-CELL) Center is offering a new Certified Nursing Assistant/Home Health Aide training program. The program is the first initiative of the U.S. Virgin Islands Health Care Workforce Training Institute to come to fruition. The group had determined that training and certifying home health aides was the most pressing health care need in the territory.
The course will prepare students to take the certification exam to become a USVI Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and also to take the national certification exam for Home Health Aides (HHAs). The course will be offered March 15 though May 28 in St. Croix. A course in St. Thomas is scheduled to begin May 10. The class will meet 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. The course fee of $875 includes a book and medical kit.
During the 120-hour course, students will learn how to provide safe and effective care to their patients, while assisting the care team in achieving patient goals. The course will cover: the nuts and bolts of home health care; care skills, including blood pressures; safety, infection control and emergencies; adult and geriatric populations; care delivery practice; end of life issues; practice exams; and clinical experience.
Entrance requirements for the course include: a minimum age of 18 years, a high school diploma or GED, a health certificate by a VI licensed physician or nurse practitioner, complete immunization profile, and TB screen or chest X-ray medical report.
To register or for more information, call 692-4230 in St. Croix or 693-1100 in St. Thomas, send e-mail to April, or visit http://cell.uvi.edu/hha.htm.
