Publications

Community colleges in California play an important role in providing accessible degree and non-degree education and training programs for a range of nursing and allied health professions. Certified nursing assisting (CNA) is one such non-degree program offered in community colleges across the State. There is concern among community college leaders that CNA programs will face growing difficulties recruiting an adequate number of CNA program directors and instructors due to federal and state qualifications for these roles. There is anecdotal information about the impact of these requirements on the viability of CNA programs and the students they serve; however, more evidence about the experiences in staff recruitment and program administration across California community college CNA programs is needed.

The Health Workforce Initiative (HWI), a program of the Division of Workforce and Economic Development within the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, contracted the Center for the Health Professions at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to administer a survey of CNA programs at community colleges in California. The purpose of the survey was to gain a better understanding of the status of community college CNA programs and the potential impact of faculty and staff recruitment challenges on their ability to offer and successfully administer CNA programs. This report presents the results of the survey, highlights key findings, and offers recommendations for next steps.