As a vital part of the care industry, well-trained CNAs are in high demand. This free curriculum aims to improve the effectiveness and retention of the CNA workforce by expanding skills for an acute care setting. Developed with input from nurse educators from Greater Boston healthcare systems, this curriculum was created and piloted by Middlesex Community College.
The comprehensive curriculum features activities, videos, quizzes, and more. All are welcome to use the content with citations.
Medical Surgical CNA Expanded Skills
This course is designed to provide the Nursing Assistant with an expanded knowledge and skill set related to the holistic care of adults, specifically in a medical-surgical hospital setting. The student will gain knowledge and skills to prepare them to care for a range of adult clients including those with enteral feeding tubes, orthopedic surgeries, and special respiratory or neurological care situations. The student will also learn about the CNA’s role in caring for adult clients with chronic and acute illnesses. Special focus will be on recognizing signs to report to the nurse and accurate measurement of vital signs and calculation of fluid balance. This course is designed to culminate to a MSESC certificate.
Pediatric Expanded Skills Curriculum
This course is designed to provide the Nursing Assistant with an expanded knowledge and skill set related to the holistic care of infants, children, and adolescents. The student will gain knowledge and skills to prepare them to care for a range of pediatric clients including those with enteral feeding tubes, tracheostomies, seizures, or specialized respiratory therapy. The student will also learn strategies to communicate and encourage healthy development of children during each developmental stage. This course is designed to culminate to a PESC certificate.
Acknowledgements:
Author: Middlesex Community College (MCC) | Faculty: April Champa MSN, RN
Funder: This project was funded by the Senator Kenneth J. Donnelly Workforce Success Grants for Healthcare Workforce Hubs through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and was administered by the Commonwealth Corporation.
License: This curriculum aims to improve the effectiveness and retention of the CNA workforce by expanding skills for an acute-care setting. This curriculum was developed with input from nurse educators from area acute care hospital systems and piloted by Middlesex Community College. Use of the content should be cited. Any changes made to the curriculum provided may impact the validity and reliability of the content, and thus should be noted.
All reports, data, and material prepared by MCC under its agreement or furnished to MCC by MassHire Boston shall remain property of the grant funder, COMMCORP. The originals of all finished and unfinished, documents, data, studies, reports, manuals, materials or other “deliverable”, identified in the approved plan or work statement, prepared or delivered by Middlesex Community College, paid for with Contract funds, are the property of COMMCORP, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts shall have title and own the copyright.
