April 13th was an exciting day for eleven nursing assistant apprentices as they completed five weeks of training at Cabrini of Westchester in order to become Certified Nursing Assistants. In conjunction with 1199 SEIU and Westchester Community College, each of the participants received five weeks of training under the instruction of Dr. Cynthia Thomas, consultant for the college. Each of the students will take the nursing assistant certification exam in the coming weeks.
The program is being funded by a grant through the 1199 Training and Upgrading Fund and applicants were chosen after completing testing and interviews by a collaboration of Cabrini’s Nursing Administration, Human Resources, and 1199 delegates. Each of the participants became Cabrini employees once they signed on to the program and they will remain on the payroll after passing the exam. This program will positively impact Cabrini of Westchester’s staffing as the nation experiences shortages in nursing staff.
Patricia Krasnausky, President and CEO for Cabrini of Westchester, shares: “We’ve been impressed with the enthusiasm of the apprentices and we’re grateful to have been a part of this collaboration. The need for additional nursing staff is critical throughout the nation so we feel blessed to be part of the solution here in Dobbs Ferry.”
Due to the positive response, we are preparing for another training session and anticipate an early summer start.