During National Nurses Week (May 6 - 11), A-B Tech Community College is putting out an SOS for registered nurses who have a passion for teaching. Due to the high demand for Certified Nurse Aides (CNA), the college is in immediate need of additional full- and part-time nursing instructors for day and evening classes.
While there is always a demand for CNAs to work in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, and home health care, the demand has continued to grow in the post-pandemic era. A-B Tech currently has a waitlist of 467 students for the program, but not enough instructors to provide immediate training.
"The demand for nurse aides continues to rise," said Teresa Robinson, A-B Tech's Associate Director of Health Occupations. "According to the employment search site Indeed, there currently are more than 3,000 nurse aide jobs openings in North Carolina and more than 85,000 nationwide."
Robinson said Nurse Aide certification also is a basic requirement for admission to many nursing programs, including the Associate Degree Nursing and Practical Nursing programs at A-B Tech.
In NC, nurse aide instructors are approved by N.C. Division of Health Service Regulation. Qualified candidates must be RNs with an unencumbered current license, and experience supervising nurse aides, and/or teaching adult learners. Nurse aide instructors also need computer skills, knowledge of college policies and procedures, grading systems, attendance rolls, and geographic locations of teaching sites under A-B Tech. In addition to managing their courses, instructors must be able to manage a very diverse population in the classroom. A-B Tech values a diverse and inclusive work environment and welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds.
It's a terrific opportunity for nurses looking for inspiration, a career change, or additional work, Robinson said.
"Nurse aide instructors are in the health care field because they care for people," she said. "They invest their hearts to teach students to step into their shoes one day. They have faced their personal fears and returned to the classroom because they have integrity in their commitment to students, to each other, to supervisors, and to A-B Tech.”
Interested applicants should contact A-B Tech’s Health Occupations Department at (828) 398-7878 or via email at healthoccupations@abtech.edu. The application may be found at Employment at A-B Tech.