Caring4Cal Supports CNA Simulations for California CNA and HHA Training Programs
Hi there. I'm Dr. Charlene Brown, the Founder of Learn Care Together LLC, where we created the first-of-its-kind virtual clinical simulations for certified nurse assistants (CNAs) and home health aides (HHAs). We are helping instructors reimagine how CNAs learn clinical skills and how HHAs learn clinical skills as they weave CNA sims into teaching in the classroom and the lab!
Learn Through Online CNA Scenarios
We joined forces with the Caring4Cal Initiative to bring virtual clinical simulations to life in CNA and HHA training throughout California. We engage learners in story-based learning, where they interact with and provide simulated care for various older adult characters, each with their complex personalities and needs.
Earn up to $2,750 in Incentive Pay
As part of the Caring4Cal Health Workforce Development Grant from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information, participants can access free training, personal coaching, and incentives of up to $2,750. This means that nurse instructors and their CNA students interested in careers in home and community-based services (HCBS) can now maximize their learning for FREE with clinical simulations AND earn up to $2,750 while doing it! It's an incredible opportunity to both enhance skills and earn rewards.
Our School Partnerships
So far, the experience has been phenomenal. We are thrilled to partner with thirteen California community colleges and private schools with robust HHA and CNA training programs and innovation-oriented instructors.
These are some of the top CNA training programs in the state and include Bell Healthcare Training School, Chaffey CNA, Crafton Hills College, Creative Medical Education and Training Solutions (CMETS), Evergreen Community College, the Mahoney University School of Healthcare, the McKallen Medical Training Center, Nightingale Healthcare Professionals, the Perpetual Enhancement Career Academy, the San Diego Community College District, Southwestern College, and Quest Nursing Education Center.
Outreach Efforts for Caring4Cal Grant
Southern Caregiver Resource Center (SCRC) is conducting outreach efforts for the Caring4Cal grant, working alongside us and the team at Finest City Entertainment to support family caregivers interested in pursuing HCBS careers through certified nurse assistant and home health aide training. Through their outreach, they spread awareness about the grant's opportunities and promote the CNA Simulations initiatives.
Simulating CNA Clinical Skills Training
In California, all HHAs complete home health aide training after (or during) their CNA training. That’s why the training meets the needs of both CNA and HHA training programs. Our training includes online CNA clinical simulations and their accompanying simulated debriefings, described below and available in English, Spanish, and simplified and traditional Mandarin.
Self-Care Courses for CNAs, HHAs, and Other Caregivers
Through Caring4Cal, we also offer self-care courses in collaboration with the Southern Caregiver Resource Center (SCRC) on topics ranging from laughter yoga to Tai Chi to managing caregiver stress. All self-care courses are available in English with either English or Spanish subtitles. More than thirty hours of course content are available between our simulations and self-care courses for you and your learners.
CNA Instructors and Students Love CNA Simulations
Unsurprisingly, they love CNA simulations because they love fun activities for CNA students and CNA games! Consistent with research on nursing simulations, instructors report demonstrable improvements in critical thinking and communication skills, higher levels of student engagement, greater clinical confidence, and better retention of clinical skills, including beginning and ending steps. Some instructors even report higher first-time pass rates on the clinical skills section of the CNA certification exam. They use our courses as a CNA clinical skills practice test.
Ms. Beth Schoenfeld, an HHA instructor, explains it well:
“I tell every home health aide trainer who will listen that the virtual simulations are cutting-edge and a real asset to the training for new aides... The clinical modules not only teach skills that are often difficult to learn in a practice lab, such as perineal care, catheter care, and denture care but the learner can be introduced to these skills in a format that encourages problem-solving.”
Virtual simulations help students and instructors. Students are excited by the opportunity to practice their clinical skills; here are some of their unedited reactions:
“I really enjoy the simulation experience because it allows me to practice reading respiration rate which is my weakness.”
“My simulation experience was informative, educative and great. I enjoyed every bit of it and learnt a lot from this foot care simulation. I feel more confident about giving a foot care to a resident during my clinicals.”
More than five hundred (500) California learners have reinforced their clinical and communication skills through CNA clinical simulations and debriefings during Caring4Cal, even reporting net promoter scores (NPS) above 80 for some courses. That's why I hope you'll join us.
Free CNA Simulations before May 31!
Are you an administrator or an instructor at a school, nursing home, hospital, or workforce development program offering CNA or HHA training? Discover how simulations can enhance your teaching experience by providing engaging lab activities, homework assignments, individual or group class exercises, and CNA test prep, specifically for the clinical skills exam!
As a nurse, you can earn up to $1,250, and your students can earn up to $2,750! Remember, the Caring4Cal grant will cover your simulation costs between now and May 31, 2024.
Ready to explore the possibilities? Click the button below to email us directly.
