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Nursing aides
Worcester facility boosts staff potential

Globe Staff Photo/Janet Knott Sebastian Adzadi, who has taken five training programs related to his profession as a CNA, looked at one of his certificates of achievement.

Faced with a critical shortage of nurses aides and licensed practical nurses, some nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities are developing their own. One example: Holy Trinity Eastern Orthodox Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Worcester.

In 2001, after receiving about $60,000 in funding from the Commonwealth Corp., a quasi-governmental agency, Holy Trinity and three other nursing facilities developed a career ladder program for certified nurses assistants that rewarded staff for each in-house course they completed. The courses ranged from how to care for patients with Alzheimer's disease to how to handle death and dying. Nurses aides who completed three eight-week courses received a 90-cent hourly pay increase and a level-two certified nursing certificate. Those who completed a mentoring and training course received a 30-cent hourly increase and became team leaders who helped train and mentor newly hired aides. They also earned a level-three certificate.

''After that, the best nurses aides were invited to participate in a leadership development program that helps CNAs go on to become licensed practical nurses or physical therapists,'' said Dean Messier, director of human resources at Holy Trinity. ''We realized in 2000 that being a nursing assistant is a high burnout job with high turnover rates. The program gives CNAs the added desire to learn. CNAs receive initial certification from the American Red Cross. Then, this program teaches them about anatomy, physiology, and the process of aging.''

It also significantly boosts income. Certified nurses assistants who successfully completed all of the in-house courses and showed an interest in continuing their education were eligible for a 10-month licensed practical nursing course. After completing the course, their incomes increase by 50 percent within a year. ''To go from a certified nurse assistant to a licensed practical nurse means a $10,000 a year increase in salary, from a barely livable wage to a truly livable wage,'' said Messier.

The Department of Labor reports that the median hourly pay of nurses aides was $8.89 in 2000. The middle 50 percent earned between $7.51 and $10.59 per hour. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $6.48, and the highest 10 percent took home about $12.69 per hour. By contrast, the median income for licensed practical nurses was $29,440 in 2000. The highest 10 percent earned more than $41,800, depending on location. The middle 50 percent earned between $29,920 and $34,800. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $21,520.

Thus far, 24 nurses aides are enrolled in the licensed practical nursing course taught by instructors from Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester. The course, specifically designed to serve the needs of the homes' aged clients, teaches biology, psychology, English, math, and nursing skills. The first group of students will graduate in June 2004, Messier said. In September, 24 others will begin classes. The cost of training: about $7,000 per person. Funds for tuition payments and other expenses were provided by the Commonwealth Corp., Messier said.

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While taking the course, the nurses aides work hours are reduced to 20 per week. The nursing homes have agreed to continue the workers' health benefits. After completing the course, the newly trained licensed practical nurses will be required to remain with their current employers for two years.

When classes for the licensed practical nursing course start this fall, Sebastian Adzadi, 28, of Worcester, will be among the participants. A certified nurses assistant at Holy Trinity, Adzadi said his interest in caring for the elderly stemmed from the weeks he spent nursing his sick grandfather in Ghana severeal years ago. A former mathematics teacher, Adzadi emigrated to the United States three years ago. He said he had difficulty finding work in his own profession and started to to take a closer look at the nursing field.

''This is a great opportunity,'' Adzadi said. ''People need help, and this is a way of helping them. It is also a way of filling the gap created by the shortage of nurses.''

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is predicting that, by 2020, close to 3 million nurses will be needed in the United States, but only 2 million will be available. The agency also maintains that the country will face shortages of other key healthcare workers.

The training program at Holy Trinity and its nursing home affiliates is not the only one geared to the retention of low-wage nurses aides. In fact, the program is part of a statewide initiative adopted by the Legislature two years ago and funded with a $10 million appropriation from the Commonwealth Corp. that is being allocated over a three-year period, according to Carolyn Blanks, vice president of labor and work force development for the Massachusetts Extended Care Federation, a trade association that represents nursing homes.

''The goal is to determine what the work force needs to succeed,'' said Blanks. ''So, some nursing homes are providing English as a Second Language; others are providing information on how to communicate with patients, others are teaching their staff about death and dying. The other goal is to create a long-term relationship with work force investment boards and community colleges. We want people to understand that these are good jobs with opportunity and that long-term care is the place to be.''

Job advancement
Workers believe mix of factors play role

How important is merit to job advancement?

Researchers retained by J. Howard & Associates, a multicultural consulting unit of Novations Group Inc., found that only 39 percent of the 604 respondents believe merit is most important. In all, 26 percent pointed to seniority, 17 percent cited personal connections, and 6 percent said luck played a key role in helping workers move up.

When researchers compared the responses of nonwhites to those of their white peers, it found that only 22 percent of Hispanics believe merit is most important to advancement compared to about 40 percent of whites and 41.5 percent of African-Americans. In all, 30.8 percent of Hispanics said connections were most important, and 26.6 percent said seniority was most important.

According to Michael Hyter, president and chief executive of Novations/J. Howard & Associates of Boston, the survey was conducted during the economic recession and shortly after reports of the accounting scandals hit the news - factors that might have affected the participants' responses, Hyter said.

''Trust in corporate leaders has declined sharply and confidence in the economy is weak,'' he noted. ''On top of those realities, the implications of our findings may spell further trouble for employers. Employees who don't think their company's promotion system is open and fair aren't motivated, productive employees.''

DIANE E. LEWIS

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