With a first-ever federal staffing mandate putting new pressure on providers already struggling with workforce shortages, Texas regulators are opening a new pathway to make it easier for new nurse aides to enter long-term care.
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission opened up a no-cost, full virtual training program for certified nursing assistants this year, aiming to help providers meet the new federal requirements.
The training is the latest effort from state and federal policymakers to address the critical staffing needs faced by nursing homes nationwide.
Texas now allows CNAs in training to complete all 60 required hours of classroom time online. Candidates would then join a traditional Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program to complete 40 more hours of in-person training in a nursing home.
The free program launched in March and students already have begun completing their virtual training, according to a recent report from the Texas HHSC.
The newly reduced barriers to CNAs entering the sector couldn’t have come at a better time, according to George Linial, president and CEO of LeadingAge Texas.
Linial estimated that Texas facilities will need to add nearly 3,500 new CNAs to meet the requirements of the new mandate from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Since March, 427 trainees have already completed the program.
“[R]emoving any barriers to training CNAs is a positive thing,” he told McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Thursday. “Given the turnover numbers for nurse aides, we still have a long way to go. But this is a good step forward.”
CNAs are only one piece of the puzzle for providers, however. Linial also estimated that the state’s skilled nursing facilities will need to hire 1,600 new registered nurses — and find the funding to do so.
“This is a huge challenge in a state that already has a RN shortage,” Linial said. “Additional funding to meet this staffing mandate is not available presently from either state or federal budgets.”
