The Unlimited Learning Center in Cortez graduated another class of certified nursing assistants last month.
The Center offers career-path training, coursework and certification for medical jobs, which are in high demand right now, said director Ann Miller.
“Our graduates are getting snapped up by hospitals, nursing homes, and home health agencies,” she said. Starting pay for CNA’s is typically $13 per hour.
Since the center began its 10-week CNA program in 2015, it has graduated 75 nursing assistants, Miller said. Tuition is $1,500 and there are scholarships available. The courses are taught by registered nurse Karen Boring.
Students take classes Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Cortez campus. They learn about caring for clients in nursing homes, home health care, hospice care and assisted living. Students learn medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, and get hands-on training for measuring vital signs, assisting in baths, oral care, and positioning patients from bed to wheelchair.
Miller said getting qualified as a CNA is a good stepping stone for becoming a higher paid medical assistant, which the Learning Center also offers training for through live video course work from Utah State University.
“Being a CNA is an excellent job, but if they want to continue to move up, we encourage them to seek the medical assistant training, and they can get that at our center also,” Miller said.
Medical assistants earn an average salary of $32,780 per year in Colorado, up to $43,650 per year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau.
The Unlimited Learning Center offers a variety of career training opportunities, live video-conference learning, high-school equivalency courses and testing, and also English as a Second Language classes. For more information, visit t fourcornerslearning.org, call 970-565-1601, or stop by the campus at 640 E. Second St. in Cortez.
