Forging the future of health care

 

Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) are a key part of the health care team — they assist patients with activities of daily living, check vital signs, help with mobility and work closely with registered nurses to support positive patient experiences and outcomes.

Hiring more CNAs is an important part of MultiCare’s plan to transform nursing care at our organization. To help fill up to 200 CNA positions at facilities across our regions, MultiCare launched a new CNA training program at MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital in 2023.

Participants in this five-week program are hired as full-time employees while they attend training. This reduces financial barriers for those who would like to enter the profession but can’t afford the required training or are unable to take time off work to attend school. In addition to creating new career opportunities for our community members, this program also benefits current MultiCare employees interested in a career change.

Upon completing their education, graduates of this program are eligible to take Washington state’s nursing assistant certification test. Graduates who successfully complete the evaluation are placed in jobs at hospitals across MultiCare.

The inaugural CNA training class consisted of six students; however, our goal is to increase the class size to 30 students.

“When we have additional nursing assistants at our hospitals, it allows our registered nurses to spend more time connecting with patients and working at the top of their license,” says Heather Coleman, vice president of clinical practice and professional development at MultiCare. “We believe this new program will supplement the other excellent CNA training programs in the region.”

MultiCare also partners with several organizations to help address the nursing assistant workforce gap, including Tacoma Community College, Bates Technical College in Tacoma and Sparrow Healthcare Education in Spokane.