cna information booklet

The Alliance

C.N.A Program

Information BookletThe Alliance for Multicultural Community Services

6440 Hillcroft St #411, Houston, TX 77081(713) 776-4700

Table of Content

About US

About the C.N.A Program

Role of C.N.A

Nursing Assistant Daily Task

C.N.A Pay and Benefits

What You Need To Know About C.N.A Licensing In Texas

The Alliance for Multicultural Community Services6440 Hillcroft St #411, Houston, TX 77081

(713) 776-4700

About the Alliance

Since our inception in July of 1985—nearly thirty years ago—Alliance for Multicultural Community Services has managed to transform the lives of countless refugees. The Alliance aspires to help people achieve independence and success as they acclimatize to their new lives here in the United States.

The Alliance’s Programs:

Refugee Resettlement Services

The goal of the Refugee Resettlement Program is to promote early self-sufficiency and cultural adjustment among newly arrived refugees. The program provides core services in a linguistically and culturally appropriate manner for recently arrived refugees, who have fled their countries because of war or persecution. Alliance is a resettlement affiliate/branch office of the Ethiopian Community Development Council, Inc. (ECDC). Through ECDC, we provide Reception and Placement (R&P) services. These R&P activities are paid for, in part, through financial assistance by the Department of State.

R & P Services:

The Reception & Placement Services provided to refugees are: airport pick-up, initial housing, furnishings, food, clothing, and orientation. Additionally, we provide counseling and assistance in accessing programs and benefits for which refugees are eligible. For example, transportation assistance, medical and employment referrals, school enrollment, sponsorship of relatives overseas, and assistance with applications for Social Security, Food Stamps, and Medicaid.Core services are made available for at least 30 days after a refugee’s arrival, while Reception and Placement follow-up and self-sufficiency services are provided at a minimum, for the first 180 days of a refugee’s arrival.

Matching Grant:

Refugees receive cash assistance and employment either through the Matching Grant program or Refugee Cash Assistance. The goal of the Matching Grant program is to guide refugee households toward economic self-sufficiency within six months of eligibility. Economic self-sufficiency means earning a total family income at a level that enables a family unit to support itself without receipt of additional cash assistance. MG offers refugees short-term cash, rental,


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and medical assistance; employment training and placement, and extra focus on support services, such as English language instruction, childcare and transportation subsidies. MG tends to give more help at first, but end sooner. It is beneficial for clients who can secure employment quickly.

Refugee Cash Assistant:

Refugees receive cash assistance and employment either through the Matching Grant program or Refugee Cash Assistance. Through this program, participants receive cash and rental assistance during their first four months while their total income is less than 125% of the Federal Poverty Income Level. Participants receive cash assistance during their 5th-8th months if their income is less than 165% of the Federal Poverty Income Level.

Preferred Communities:

The Preferred Community Program offers intensive case management services to clients with special needs, including single mothers, youth without parents, seniors who lack family support and those with mental health and medical needs. Through one-on-one assistance, case managers assist clients who require extended help in order to integrate and adjust.

Social Adjustment Services:

Social Adjustment Services are aimed at addressing the barriers that refugees typically face and strengthen the ability of a refugee individual, family, or refugee community to achieve and maintain economic self-sufficiency, family stability, and community integration.

Refugees resettling in Houston, Texas are able to participate in a consortium-wide provision of comprehensive services, a unique model partnering five of Houston’s major resettlement agencies to provide holistic, culturally and linguistically competent and cost effective services to refugees. With Alliance as the lead agency, this long standing model partnership of social adjustment services has successfully assisted thousands with the acculturation process and with becoming self-sufficient.

Case Managers serve refugees through orientation, advocacy, and active assistance with service access. The SAS program hold regular Refugee Health Education events. These health fairs provide refugees and low-income residents with critical services such as health screening and vaccinations. The SAS program has also developed a mental health assessment tool with Dr. Banu of the Center for International Trauma Survivors, which has led to greater awareness of mental health issues and capacity to refer individuals to follow-up care.

Employment Services:


(713) 776-4700

Alliance Employment Counselors provide intensive job search assistance, job readiness and job skills training for refugees and asylees. Alliance assists approximately 750 individuals annually. The Employment Counselors regularly lead orientations that are directly related to job readiness and retention. The Job Orientation sessions are based on strong evidence that culturally-competent, small group instruction is highly effective at helping participants acquire new skills and knowledge. The Employment Department also organizes quarterly job fairs, which are well attended by employers and refugee clients.

After a participant is placed successfully in a job, the Employment Counselors provide follow-up services for several months. In terms of long-term support, our Employment Department reaches out to refugees resettled within the past five years to encourage them to attend job fairs, vocational training and other events or classes.

Alliance Language Network

Interpreters:

Our interpreters are the voice for your multilingual customers and the communication medium between your customers and service representatives. That voice must be accurate, clear, and precise. That voice must also consistently demonstrate the ability to accurately conserve the meaning of a source language when rendering it into English—at an efficient pace without omissions or additions. That’s the goal of AMCS’s Language Without Boundaries basic interpreter training program, which culminates in advanced-level certification opportunities.

Benefits:

According to latest US Census, more than 46 million people, or approximately 17 percent of the U.S. population, speak a language other than English in their homes, a number that is projected to increase in the coming decades. For this growing portion of the population, poor communication while accessing social & healthcare services can result in serious consequences.

Adult Education and Training Program:

ESL Classes:

ESL classes are offered from 9AM-12PM, 12:30 PM- 3:30PM, and 5:30PM to 8:30PM. All class are Monday-Thursday. Students are expected to attend a minimum of 75% of all classes, and are progress tested after 60 hours. AMCS offers four levels of instruction; Basic, Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced. All students are required to attend an orientation, conducted in the students’ native language whenever possible, prior to enrolling in class (see orientation schedule for days and times). Students must register in person, and a valid picture ID is


(713) 776-4700

required, social security cards are preferred. Attendance on the first day of classes is mandatory.

Low cost childcare is offered for children ages six months to 6 years while their parents attend classes. The cost is $100 per ten week session, per child. Due to high demand, there is a limit of two children per parent for morning classes. Current vaccination records are required for children prior to enrollment. AMCS Adult Education collaborates with Houston Metro in order to provide Q cards for students at a 50% discount.

Workforce Training Classes:

AMCS, in partnership with Houston Community College and the United Way of Greater Houston is now offering AutoCAD training with a contextualized support class. Houston Community College provides an instructor to conduct the skills training, so the students receive a certificate from HCC upon successful completion of the program. The support class consists of contextualized reading, writing, and math for AutoCAD as well as career planning, job search as well as resume and cover letter writing as well as interviewing practice. This model of training allows students to quickly complete certificate programs in high demand occupations while improving their English and other basic skills including job readiness, resume writing, and job search skills with a curriculum specifically designed for the occupation for which they are training. This model also allows AMCS to enroll students at lower functioning level than would normally be accepted for a training program because the students are receiving the support of the adult education instructor in English, reading, writing and math that is directly related to what they are learning in the skills training classes. This model has been extremely successful in getting students through the training programs successfully, and into jobs. All job training participants also enroll with our Financial Opportunity Center in order to take advantage of their bundled services. Upon enrolling in the program, students will be able to utilize the following services—income support counseling, career and financial coaching in order to achieve financial stability and mobility. In addition to coaching, our center offers several asset building tools for individuals, including the Small Business Administration (SBA), Credit Builder, and IDA (Individual Development Account) and Matched Savings programs. For more information on eligibility and how to enroll, please see our flyers below.

Vocational ESL:

Program

AMCS will be offering Vocational English as A Second Language (VESL) classes at AMCS’ Hillcroft location and the Los Arcos Apartment Complex. Classes will be offered Monday – Saturday in the mornings, afternoons and evenings to accommodate all schedules.


(713) 776-4700

Class will consist of instruction in English as A Second Language, including listening, speaking, reading, writing, and life skills such as job readiness, job search, financial literacy and interview preparation skills for students who are unable to communicate in English.

Tuition & Fees

$640

Classes are 8 weeks (96 hours)Financial aid available for some students

Services

General OrientationJob placement assistanceResume developmentInterview preparationReferral to Dress for Success

Financial Opportunity Program:

The Asset Building Program is an integral part of our organization. The program focuses on developing sustainable resources to provide Individual Development Account Program (IDA) for the creation of wealth-building assets (i.e. home, post-secondary education and micro enterprise) among the low-income population.

We also focus a great deal on developing and sustaining resources to provide small business training, financing and technical assistance to low-income people and minorities that wants to start their own business.

The strategy for economic development is to recruit existing and potential entrepreneurs from the low-income community and equip them with training, and provide them micro-loans and technical assistance in order to assist them to develop their potential and enhance their economic wellbeing thereby creating additional jobs and economically revitalizing the area and their community..


(713) 776-4700

Youth Program:

The mission of the Kijana Youth Program is to serve school-aged children in the Houston area through after-school youth empowerment classes which cover computer technology, life skills, and recreational and cultural activities, including music, field trips, and volunteer projects. Staff counselors encourage youth leadership and service and also tutor students to improve performance at school.

Driver’s Education:

All TEA certified and bilingual (some even trilingual), our instructors effectively teach participants how to drive through classroom lessons and on-the-wheel training. Their multiculturalism lends a hand to their patience and ability to understand a variety of participants and communicate at an optimal level.

The benefits of refugees, or any eligible driver, participating in our program are indispensable. Because Houston is a very wide spread city, relying on public transportation can disadvantage individuals. By completing our program and obtaining a driver’s license, persons have the potential to buy their own car, which increases their employment opportunities, flexibility in scheduling appointments or attending classes.

ACA Health Insurance Navigators

The Alliance is offering assistance with enrollment in Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace Health Plans. The ACA Marketplace is a new way to find coverage for health insurance. Navigators can be reached Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 5:30pm at (713) 595-8647. Bilingual Navigators are available.

Naya Alliance Designs Program:

Naya Alliance Designs provides an intensive, tutition-free course aimed at helping clients who have a sewing background to become more self-sufficient and increase their English language skills. The classes cover a broad range of sewing skills, financial literacy, customer service skills, and marketing strategies. Naya Alliance Designs teachers introduce students to fair-trade stores and help them navigate buying supplies. The students learn to sew on a serge machine, new stitches, to follow patterns and to choose fabrics. Several of our refugee tailors’ designs and custom clothes have been featured at the Langford Market Boutique, World Refugee Day, cultural festivals and in the Houston Chronicle. The Alliance is working with Houston-based designers to help secure more contract work for Naya Alliance Designs students and help fund additional classes. The extra income that the women earn for themselves and their families can be critical to gaining financial independence. For questions, more information, or requests, please contact Nnenna Amugo at [email protected]


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About the C.N.A Program

Age Requirement: 18 years old

Length of the Program: 4 Weeks

Cost to be in the Program: $100 per participant

Requirements:

1.) Must attended the 3 workshops hosted by the Alliance

a. Financial Workshopb. Customer Service Workshopc. Resume / Interview Workshop

2.) Must pass criminal backgrounds Check

3.) Pay AMCS $100.00 (training cost). Fees are subject to change, based upon expenses, a 30-day notice will be given if this occurs. Fee is to be paid before the first day of class.

4.) Complete the Job Readiness, Customer Service Training, First Aid, and Hospice 101 training prior to completing the CNA training. Student must have created a resume in Job Readiness workshop.

5.) Students are expected to attend all classes and well as be on time for classes. Student cannot miss any time during their internship. This would be grounds for dismissal from the program.

6.) High School Diploma

7.) Must pass the State Exam

Forms:

1.) Valid Social Security Card

2.) Submit General Health Form

3.) Certified Nurse Assistant- Convictions Barring Employment Form

4.) Release and Waiver of Claims

5.) Drug/ Firearm Free Environment

6.) Background Check Authorization Form


(713) 776-4700

Role of C.N.A

Your regular responsibilities as a nursing assistant will vary based on where you work or live. Nursing assistants can work in a wide variety of settings; nursing homes, hospitals, adult day care centers, personal homes and assisted living facilities all require nursing assistants to act as a helpful liaison between the RN or LPN and the patient. In many cases, the nursing assistant serves as the RN’s or LPN’s eyes and ears, and relays information between many patients and one or two RNs.

The nursing assistant fulfills basic quality-of-life needs for patients of any age, ethnicity or gender in residential nursing care facilities or outpatient clinics. Since nursing assistants have daily contact with patients, they are gatherers of vital information about the patients’ conditions, which they must then transmit to their supervisors. A CNA’s workload can become intense and fast-paced, but the human contact and ability to help those in medical need is a strong motivating factor. A desire to help people and compassion for patients can help a nurse’s assistant get through difficult days.

Nursing assistants interact with the public as well as acting as a liaison between patients and registered nurses or licensed practicing nurses. Duties of a CNA may include:

Gathering Information: CNAs test vital signs, order blood tests, take temperatures, and ask questions of patients to form a dossier of information so that the nurse or physician can get right to the point when they see a patient.

Keeping Records: Maintaining records of patient information is largely the purview of billing and coding specialists, but as the primary gatherers of certain types of private patient info, CNAs are an integral cog in the medical data tracking machine.

Bedside Patient Care: CNAs may need to care for disabled or anesthetized patients while they recover, sometimes on a continual basis. Patience and empathy are crucial skills to stay happy as a CNA.

Availability: Many CNAs work in residential facilities, and must simply be available if a client needs them. This means working nights, weekends, and holidays sometimes, though it is unlikely an individual CNA would work only these undesirable shifts.


(713) 776-4700

Nursing Assistant Daily Task

Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.

Turn or reposition bedridden patients.

Provide physical support to assist patients to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising.

Review patients' dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet.

Measure and record food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff.

Record vital signs, such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration rate, as directed by medical or nursing staff.

Gather information from caregivers, nurses, or physicians about patient condition, treatment plans, or appropriate activities.

Observe or examine patients to detect symptoms that may require medical attention, such as bruises, open wounds, or blood in urine.

Document or otherwise report observations of patient behavior, complaints, or physical symptoms to nurses.

Remind patients to take medications or nutritional supplements.

Feed patients or assist patients to eat or drink.

Supply, collect, or empty bedpans.

Undress, wash, and dress patients who are unable to do so for themselves.

Lift or assist others to lift patients to move them on or off beds, examination tables, surgical tables, or stretchers.

Communicate with patients to ascertain feelings or need for assistance or social and emotional support.

Prepare or serve food trays.

Clean and sanitize patient rooms, bathrooms, examination rooms, or other patient areas.

Record height or weight of patients.

Collect specimens, such as urine, feces, or sputum.

Apply clean dressings, slings, stockings, or support bandages, under direction of nurse or physician.

Change bed linens or make beds.


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Restock patient rooms with personal hygiene items, such as towels, washcloths, soap, or toilet paper.

Exercise patients who are comatose, paralyzed, or have restricted mobility.

Wash, groom, shave, or drape patients to prepare them for surgery, treatment, or examination.

Assist nurses or physicians in the operation of medical equipment or provision of patient care.

Administer medications or treatments, such as catheterizations, suppositories, irrigations, enemas, massages, or douches, as directed by a physician or nurse.

Position or hold patients in position for surgical preparation.

Transport patients to treatment units, testing units, operating rooms, or other areas, using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds.

Provide information such as directions, visiting hours, or patient status information to visitors or callers.

Transport specimens, laboratory items, or pharmacy items, ensuring proper documentation and delivery to authorized personnel.

Set up treating or testing equipment, such as oxygen tents, portable radiograph (x-ray) equipment, or overhead irrigation bottles, as directed by a physician or nurse.

Explain medical instructions to patients or family members. Stock or issue medical supplies, such as dressing packs or treatment trays.


(713) 776-4700

C.N.A Pay and Benefits

CNA pay and benefits will depend on where you work, but the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2014-15 Occupational Outlook Handbook lists the annual median salary for CNAs as $24,400. The lowest 10 percent earn less than $18,300, but the top 10 percent earn $35,330.

It's important to note that many CNAs are paid on an hourly basis so you may have an opportunity to pick up more hours to fill in for other CNAs who are using sick or vacation time.

Your geographic location is also a factor in how much you can make as a certified nursing assistant. According to the BLS, the median annual wages in the top-paying states are:

Alaska: $37,180 Nevada: $33,000 New York: $32,470 Connecticut: $31,940 District of Columbia: $30,940

Although CNA pay and benefits may not be robust, there are plenty of benefits to becoming a certified nursing assistant. Not only will you get the fulfillment of knowing you're helping others feel better, but it can also be a solid stepping stone in your nursing career. If you decide to head back to school to become an RN, some programs will give you credit for CNA work experience.


(713) 776-4700


(713) 776-4700

What You Need To Know About C.N.A Licensing In Texas

Certification Requirements In Texas

In Texas, the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services regulates all CNA training programs and certifications. For you to obtain CNA certification in Texas, you must undergo at least 100 hours of approved training. This should include approximately 60 hours of classroom instruction and 40 hours of hands-on practical training. Upon completion of your training, you will need to achieve a passing score on Pearson Vue's CNA certification exam.

How To Get Your CNA Certification In TexasOne of the reasons more and more people are choosing to train for a CNA career in Texas today is the fact that the certification process is incredibly easy. You simply need to attain an acceptable score on your certification exam, and you will be awarded certification and placement on Texas' Nurse Aide Registry for an initial period of two years.

How To Verify Your CNA Certification In TexasIf there comes a time when you need to check your CNA status in Texas, go to the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services website and navigate as follows: Doing Business With DADS, Nurse Aide Registry, and Search Texas Nurse Aide Registry. This will direct you to the Pearson Vue search tool that you can use to verify your status.

How To Renew Your CNA Certification In TexasIn Texas, you will need to renew your CNA certification every two years. You can find the proper renewal form by navigating through the Department of Aging and Disability Services website as follows: Doing Business With DADS, Nurse Aide Registry, Forms, and Employment Verification.

How To Reinstate Your CNA Certification In TexasIf you cannot prove that you worked at least one full-time shift as a CNA in Texas prior to your renewal date, you will need to reinstate your certification. So long as there is not a significant lapse in your certification, you can reinstate your status by retaking the certification exam.

How To Transfer Your CNA Certification From Texas To Another StateDo you need to transfer your CNA certification out of Texas to a different state? If you do, you will need to contact the agency that oversees CNA certifications in the other state. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing can assist you in locating the appropriate agency. While most states accept transfers through reciprocity, some have other transfer criteria that you will need to fulfill.


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