As healthcare systems across the region continue searching for workers to fill critical long-term care roles, Finger Lakes Health is celebrating four new certified nursing assistant graduates ready to enter the workforce.
UR Medicine Finger Lakes Health announced this week that Tasha Fuller, Jaime Le Clair, Lindsey Freer, and Nicholas Giovannini completed the organization’s Certified Nursing Assistant training program in May.
The state-approved program includes 138 hours of classroom, laboratory, and clinical instruction over four weeks. Graduates become eligible to sit for New York’s CNA certification exams after completing the training.
Healthcare officials say CNA programs remain an important entry point into the nursing profession, particularly as hospitals and long-term care providers face ongoing staffing shortages.
Finger Lakes Health said many CNAs later continue their education to become licensed practical nurses or registered nurses.
The healthcare system currently offers employment opportunities at Geneva Living Centers, The Homestead in Penn Yan, Huntington Living Center in Waterloo, and other long-term care facilities throughout the region.
To recruit and retain workers, Finger Lakes Health said it is also offering a $2,000 hiring bonus for new CNAs, along with transportation assistance for employees training in Geneva and working at facilities in Penn Yan or Waterloo.
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