The Nurse Aide is a specially trained individual who works at an entry-level position under the supervision of a licensed nurse.  A nurse aide may be employed at various places, including hospitals, nursing homes, and home health agencies. About 52% of nursing aides work in nursing and residential care facilities and another 29% work in hospitals.   Nurse aides provide hands-on care and perform routine patient care which may include assisting with meals or exercise, taking a patient’s temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, or blood pressure, personal hygiene, and reporting signs and symptoms that may indicate illness.  They also answer calls for help, deliver messages, serve meals, make beds and tidy up rooms.  Some aides help other medical staff by setting up equipment, storing and moving supplies, and assisting with some procedures.  Nurse aides employed in nursing care facilities often are the principal caregivers, having far more contact with residents than do other members of the staff.

The job outlook for certified nurse aides is excellent and is on the rise due to a combination of rapid employment growth and the need to replace the many workers who leave the occupation each year.  Home health aides are expected to gain jobs faster thatn other aides as a result of a growing demand for home services from an aging population and efforts to contain costs by moving patients out of hospitals and nursing care facilities as quickly as possible.  Wage rage: $7.60/hour (entry level) up to $12.80/hour (with experience).

The Nurse Aide Training Course is designed to prepare individuals to function at entry level positions in various health care facilities.  The course is divided into three components which include (1) classroom lecture, (2) skills lab, and (3) patient care activities in a nursing home.  Total hours:  140.  Upon successful completion of the course, the individual will be given a Certificate of Completion and may then apply to take the State Certification Examination for Nurse Aides ($88).  The registration fee is $325 and books cost an additional $60.  For anyone interested in starting a profession in healthcare, this is a great way to jumpstart your career path.  Class size is limited.

The classroom lecture and skills lab will be held at the Walters State Sevier County Campus.  The patient care activities will occur at Ft. Sanders Sevier Nursing Home.

Call 865-774-5851 for additional information and to inquire about dates for next scheduled class. 

Janice C. Bettis

Director of Continuing Education - Sevierville

Janice.Bettis@ws.edu    865-774-5852