PARAMUS, N.J. – Responding to the statewide shortage of certified nursing assistants, Bergen New Bridge Medical Center has entered into a collaborative agreement with Bergen Community College to host a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training program onsite at the hospital. Officials from both partners will gather Sept. 18 at the medical center to officially launch the program.
“Healthcare represents the No. 1 employment sector in Bergen County, making it a priority for our institution to provide students with the hands-on learning experiences required to quickly enter and succeed in the modern workforce,” President Michael D. Redmond, Ph.D., said. “This collaborative partnership with Bergen New Bridge Medical Center will help expand the personal and economic mobility of their employees, who will learn the skills needed to secure employment in the rapidly expanding healthcare sector.”
The program is available free of charge to staff at Bergen New Bridge who meet program qualifications. Those selected will participate in a 90-hour course, led by College instructors, in a new learning center located on the Bergen New Bridge campus. Upon successful completion of both the program and the certification exam, graduates will become part of the Bergen New Bridge long term care clinical team.
“I am deeply committed to furthering the growth and education of our workforce,” Bergen New Bridge President and CEO Deborah Visconi said. “I believe it is our responsibility to educate future health care providers and leaders for our community and state. This new and innovative program will serve as a learning and career path for those who have a desire to care for others through a clinical career. This training collaboration will also bridge the gap regarding a shortage of care providers our state is experiencing, while empowering our staff to fulfill their academic and professional passions in an organization that promotes growth, supports diversity, and embraces inclusion.”
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, a clinical affiliate of Rutgers, is a 1,070-bed hospital located at 230 East Ridgewood Avenue in Paramus, New Jersey. The medical center is both the largest hospital and licensed nursing home in New Jersey and the fourth-largest publicly-owned hospital in the nation. Learn more at www.newbridgehealth.org.
Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls more than 14,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state.
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