As of this week, a Franklin nursing home has at least eight openings to help care for a growing population of seniors.
And Homeview Health and Rehabilitation Center is trying out a new way to find new employees.
Homeview Health partnered with Franklin Community High School to offer a free, seven-week training course for certified nursing assistants.
The first six to eight slots in the 12-person course are set aside for Franklin students. The rest are open to members of the community, and officials have had a ton of interest, with at least 50 calls over the last several days, director Mark Gavorski said.
The course serves a need for both the high school and the nursing home, officials said.
Homeview is able to use space at the high school to meet, train and get to know potential employees, which they are constantly looking for, Gavorski said.
At the same time, the high school can offer students experience in a field they may be interested in, along with training for an immediate job that pays $12.50 to $14.50 per hour, Franklin Schools Superintendent David Clendening said.
“We are excited, it is a great opportunity for our kids,” Clendening said. “We can attract kids thinking about the medical field, who want to be a nurse or doctor, this gives them initial foray into that profession.”
Both Central Nine Career Center and Ivy Tech Community College offer CNA training, but the courses are longer, Clendening said.
Plus, this training is free, Gavorski said.
For Homeview, the training gives them a chance to find new employees. Potential students have to interview to get into the course and do two hours of job shadowing so they understand what exactly a CNA does, Gavorski said.
The course is 105 hours, with classroom and training time. Students will do their hands-on training at Homeview and classroom work at the high school, since Homeview doesn’t have classroom space, he said.
At the end of the course, students must pass their certification test, and then could be offered a job at Homeview, he said.
“We will know by the end if we want to hire them,” Gavorski said.
Multiple job options are available for CNAs, he said.
“This day and age, health care employees are hard to find,” he said.
And Homeview is currently remodeling and expanding, adding parking, private suites and rehabilitational gyms, which will also require more staff, he said.
Having the opportunity to train an employee, and get to know their work ethic before they are ever hired is a big benefit to Homeview. But the program will also help students and members of the community by training them in a new skill they can use to get work, Gavorski said.
“I think it’s a great opportunity,” he said.
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Here is a look at a new class for certified nursing assistants:
What: Franklin Community High School and Homeview Health and Rehabilitation Center have partnered to offer the course at the high school, with hands-on training at Homeview Health. Once the course is finished, students must pass the certification test to become a CNA.
When: Seven-week course begins in November and ends in January. The class will meet on weekdays from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Classes will be offered quarterly.
Cost: Free
How to apply: The first session is full, but future sessions are planned. Students must go through an interview and two hours of job shadowing. Contact Linda Farrow at Homeview, at 317-736-6414, for questions or to enroll or be added to the wait list.
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