Hundreds of Minnesotans take advantage of state's tuition-free nursing assistant training

Hundreds of Minnesotans are answering a call from state leaders to become certified nursing assistants and help alleviate staffing shortages in long-term care facilities and veterans' homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since Gov. Tim Walz announced in December a goal of recruiting and deploying 1,000 new nursing assistants by the end of January, more than 500 Minnesotans have enrolled in state training programs; 435 are training at schools in the Minnesota State college system and 76 are being trained through HeartCert, a private provider. The state has invested $3.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds to pay for these students' tuition, textbooks, uniforms and certification exams.

"We're on our way toward meeting and even exceeding our goal of 1,000 new nursing assistants," Minnesota Higher Education Commissioner Dennis Olson said during a news conference Wednesday. "That's not to say the work is done ... If every one of these students obtains a certification and employment, we still have a need for 14,000 additional nursing assistants in the state."

https://www.startribune.com/hundreds-of-minnesotans-take-advantage-of-states-tuition-free-nursing-assistant-training/600137488/