The healthcare industry needs to expand to meet the requirements of those in need of quality care. This situation is nothing new, as people are living longer, but the upcoming increase of care recipients could cause strains as we’ve never experienced.

Population Explosions and Healthcare Staffing

Population explosions are not unusual, but they are noteworthy. During the Baby Boom after the Second World War, hospitals were brimming with nurses providing care for newborns and their parents. Generations later, those Baby Boomers are once again in need of care services, and facilities are facing staffing concerns. The influx of Baby Boomers means CNA staffing must greatly increase to provide quality care coverage for at least the next twenty years. After that, those who were born during the population growth of the 1970s and 1980s will be in need of care. If the healthcare industry cannot grow its talent pool and find CNAs soon, the strain may be too much for everyone to bear.

The CNA Bottleneck

Currently, CNA training courses create a bottleneck of sorts. Despite casting a wide net, physical classrooms are not filling up, even though more people want to become CNAs than those classrooms can hold. It’s almost paradoxical. If so many people want to become CNAs why aren’t classrooms overflowing? Digging a bit deeper, here are two major factors keeping the CNA workforce from growing by leaps and bounds. First, a lot of people who want to become CNAs already have jobs or family responsibilities, and cannot shift their own schedules to fit that of a physical classroom and the accompanying commute. Second, intensive training courses leave little time for review and the amount of information causes students to burn out while trying to juggle the aforementioned responsibilities. So how can we address healthcare staffing concerns and meet the impending growth among the population of care recipients?

Forward-Thinking CNA Courses

CNAonline has stopped the bottleneck with its hybrid CNA training program. We have combined the flexibility of online coursework with the hands-on training of labs at facilities. CNAonline allows students to learn on their time without missing work, taking time away from familial responsibilities, or learning under duress. Materials are available 24/7, and feature the American Health Care Association (AHCA) book, How to Be a Nurse Assistant, available in e-book and audio formats. We offer practice exams, videos, and other coursework to ensure our CNA students are fully prepared for the actual certification test. To learn more about CNAonline’s hybrid training program and how we are working with facilities to ensure the healthcare industry is prepared for the upcoming decades, contact our offices today.