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RECRUITING, TRAINING, AND HIRING CNAs FOR ALASKA

The Alaska Hospital & Healthcare Association (AHHA) is committed to working alongside our member hospitals and nursing homes to tackle the growing shortage of Certified Nursing Aide (CNAs) across the state. This page contains program information, tools, and resources to support you in efforts to recruit, train, and hire CNAs for your facility. If you have questions or need further support, please contact Sara Bloom, AHHA's Office Manager, at sbloom@alaskahha.org.

Helping You Hire: CNA Earn & Learn Program

AHHA received a grant from the State of Alaska's Department of Labor and Workforce Development to expand efforts supporting the recruitment, training, and hiring of CNAs. The funding supports a "work first" model where facilities hire a CNA trainee and pay their wages while the employee works to become a certified nursing aide. Participating facilities will be reimbursed up to $4,000 for each hired employee to help defray the costs of becoming a CNA, including wages, training, books, supplies, finger printing, background checks, testing, and certification fees. Facilities can utilize their own training programs or send trainees to an outside program.

 

AHHA is leading a multi-channel communications campaign to support facility recruitment, using social media, digital and print advertising and marketing strategies to promote statewide CNA training and employment opportunities.

How It Works

  • Facilities will hire a person into a CNA trainee / unlicensed nurse aide role (ideally a paid position to reduce the obstacle of not having income while in training) and then help to arrange for a background check, first aid/CPR certification, and CNA clinicals/training and exam.

  • Facilities may request reimbursement up to $4,000 of eligible expenses for each hired employee.

 

How to Participate

The program will officially launch in September, 2022 and will run through June, 2023.

The following forms are required for participation:

Instructions for filling out the STEP Participant Application Form:
Most of the questions are straightforward, but there are a few questions on page 2 in the Eligibility Assessment and Eligibility Criteria sections that require specific answers:

> Needs the training to remain a self-sufficient wage earner? Please answer Yes.

> Are you employed? Please answer Yes if you are employed by the facility that is training you.

> Are you an Alaska Resident who has resided in the state for the past 30 days and plans to remain in the state indefinitely? The answer should be Yes.

> Have you worked in a position that contributed to Unemployment Insurance in Alaska or another state with similar provisions sometime in the last five years? Please answer Yes.

> If the CNA trainee has received even one paycheck, they have contributed to unemployment insurance.

> In need of training to improve the prospect of obtaining or retaining employment? Please check this last box in the Eligibility Criteria section.

Click here to watch a recording of an informational webinar held August 31 - password: G1hzG#77.

If your facility is interested in participating, please contact Sara Bloom, AHHA's Office Manager, at sbloom@alaskahha.org.

The State Training and Employment Program (STEP) is administered by the Alaska Department of Labor and

Workforce Development, Alaska Workforce Investment Board (AWIB) and funded by a set-aside from the

Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. The purpose of STEP is to enhance the quality and make Alaska job

training and employment assistance easily available to employers, employees, and future workers.

This "CNA Earn & Learn" project is STEP funded at 100%.

 

Marketing Resources for Facilities


We encourage facilities to join us in sharing messaging and take part in the campaign to reach people who may be interested in becoming a CNA.  You can support the campaign by encouraging testimonials for #CNAchampions, and using the pre-designed flyers, graphics, and social media posts across your platforms. 

 

If you have questions or any difficulty accessing the files, please contact Jann Mylet at jmylet@alaskahha.org.

Promotional Flyers

CNA Champions

We are looking for CNAs and healthcare professionals to share their testimonials about the important work CNAs do in Alaska. You can help Champion CNAs by encouraging your staff to participate with our quick online form, found here. Quotes and photos will be shared on our website and across our social media channels to celebrate our healthcare heroes.

 

Social Media Posts

You can download the images in the gallery below to share on instagram or facebook with one of these sample messages:
 

Message # 1:
Interested in a rewarding career in healthcare? Become a Certified Nurse Aide today and get paid while you complete training. Visit AlaskaCNA.org for more info and to find open positions. #alaskanurse #cna #nursingschool #alaskahealthcare 

 

Message #2:

Fast-track your career in healthcare. Become a Certified Nurse Aide today! Visit AlaskaCNA.org for more info and to find open positions. #alaskanurse #cna #nursingschool #alaskahealthcare #certifiednurseaide

 

Message #3:

Want a career in healthcare but don’t know where to start? Become a Certified Nurse Aide today and get paid on-the-job training. Visit AlaskaCNA.org for more info! #alaskanurse #cna #nursingschool #alaskahealthcare #certifiednurseaide

Message #4:

Get Paid to Train -  For a limited time you can get paid while you complete training to become a CNA. Visit AlaskaCNA.org for more info! #alaskanurse #cna #nursingschool #alaskahealthcare #certifiednurseaide

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