LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — According to a 2023 study by the Nevada Health Workforce Research Center, Clark County needs 3,693 more nursing assistants to reach the national per capita average. Nevada as a whole needs 5,055 more nursing assistants. That's a big reason why one Las Vegas valley woman recently opened a training center with the hopes of getting more certified nursing assistants, or CNAs, into the local healthcare landscape.
Jackalyn Copeland opened Genevieve Training Center on West Sahara in June 2023, offering a six-week CNA program. After years of working as a nurse, Copeland said she saw issues within the healthcare system affecting CNAs and wanted to change things.
"I never thought about opening up my own school, until I thought, 'I want to be part of the solution,'" Copeland said. "I think they wanted more recognition for what they've done, what they do."
She said she wanted to bring pride and dignity back to a profession that's often an afterthought, even though CNAs are such an essential part of hospitals, assisted living facilities and other healthcare settings.
"They address things firsthand. They are the eyes, the ears, and nose for nurses," Copeland said.
Amid a nationwide shortage of registered nurses, Copeland said nursing assistants are an even more important part of a patient's care team.
"They get the patients prepared into their gowns, they assess the skin. They address all kinds of active daily living activities they do. They feed patients. They take vitals, which are very important," Copeland said. "They play a vital role; they also are CPR certified. They get to know the patients a lot more than nurses do because they spend more time with that patient."
It's a job that has long struggled with recruitment and retention.
"That's an occupation that's historically been characterized by really high turnover. You'll have some facilities in Clark County where the number of nursing assistants turn over by 100% in one year," said John Packham, the co-director of the Nevada Health Workforce Research Center.
Packham said uplifting the profession by improving pay and benefits would help make strides in staffing.
"It's not as highly regarded, of course, as a registered nurse or even a licensed practical nurse or a nurse practitioner, but I think one of the things we need to be thinking about as a state is how to make those positions more attractive in the first place," Packham said.
He said there also needs to be more emphasis on how important the job is and how it can help get your foot in the door for other healthcare careers. That's something Jackalyn Copeland emphasizes to her students at the Genevieve Training Center, like Raven Williams, who just graduated from her CNA program this March.
"It was so easy and flexible for me. It's only three days and I was still able to manage my home life and school," Williams said.
It's a lifelong dream realized for Williams.
"I always was interested in nursing. I always wanted to do nursing, but I was afraid when I was younger," she said. She's now applying for her first CNA job, with the goal of later becoming a nurse.
"You're able to take care of people, which is something I really like doing, and just being that safe space for patients," Williams said.
Copeland said she's thrilled to send more eager CNAs out into the local workforce. Another one of her recent graduates just got their first CNA job at Centennial Hills Hospital.
"I've had as young as 16 and as old as 62. So we reach a very wide, diverse range of individuals," Copeland said.
Her approach to teaching is all about making future CNAs feel as vital as they truly are.
"I said, 'How can I be really involved to help dignify the CNA roles and put up the importance of what their jobs are all about?' And that's to open up this school," Copeland said.
Copeland said she works with community partners like Workforce Connections, Goodwill and NV Hope to recruit students and support them even after graduation during the job search.
If you're interested in becoming a CNA, Copeland said her next six-week cohort begins April 1. She said they also have plans of starting a phlebotomy course soon. Click herefor more information on how to enroll.
