Michelle Borunda, standing, practices a range-of-motion exercise with Gloria Watts during class at the CareGiver Resource Center, which now has a permanent home for its nurses aide training program.

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A local nonprofit is offering an expanded training program to help increase the number of workers in the high-demand field of nursing aides.

Nursing aides are the "front line workers" in nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, hospitals, hospice centers and homes. The nonprofit Direct CareGiver Association wants to give those agencies a high quality work force and help with turnover by upgrading and stabilizing the existing work force, said executive director Judith Clinco.

The association has offered training at a variety of locations for four years but now has a permanent home, the CareGiver Resource Center, at the Goodwill Industries complex, 1940 E. Silverlake Road. The center includes two classrooms, a skills lab with beds and a demonstration kitchen.

Since 2000, the association has trained 254 people, half of whom are low-income, Clinco said. The program has about an 85 percent graduation rate, and 85 percent of graduates are working, she said. Many are now training to become nurses and therapists.

The goal is to graduate another 90 people next year, Clinco said.

The demand for nursing aides is great. One subcategory, home health aides, is projected to be the fastest growing job through the next eight years, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Problems driving the nursing-aide shortage include:

● Plenty of job alternatives in the $10 per hour range. Nursing aides in Tucson are paid about the same wages as hair stylists and receptionists. "It's a livable wage, but the wages don't equate to the demands of the job," Clinco said.

● Demographics. The labor pool, historically young and middle-aged women, is shrinking as the number of people who need services grows.

● Turnover and burnout. Agencies experience a 50 to 150 percent annual turnover, Clinco said. Vacancies and the shortage of nurses means extra work for aides.

● High physical and emotional demands. The job requires a lot of standing and lifting, and seeing a patient deteriorate or die can be traumatic. Nursing homes also have one of the highest rates of workplace injuries and illnesses, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

● Poor training opportunities. Arizona requires certified nursing assistants to have 120 hours of training. Once in the field, there isn't a way to move up without more education.

Career focus

"I think we're training a higher-quality individual who's not just looking for a job, but who's looking for a career in health care," Clinco said.

That's why students get 200 hours of training at the center, she said

"The more training somebody receives, the more confident and competent they are with their skill and knowledge," Clinco said. "They are more likely to stay long-term at the same job and continue to work in the industry."

Not all of the trainees see caregiving as a career. Ashley Taylor, 21, sees caregiving as one step on her ladder, she said. She has worked for a year at El Dorado Hospital as a patient-care technician and also works as a home caregiver. The training program means back-to-basics lessons and, she hopes, a pay raise once she is certified, she said.

Taylor's mother is a nurse, and she thought that she, too, would become a nurse. But now, Taylor said, she is in nursing to help pay for classes at the University of Arizona because she wants to be a lawyer.

Even though it's not her career choice, the work is rewarding, she said, recalling the way one client smiled when she gave her some paints. The client had been a painter and loved the surprise, Taylor said.

"When you help people, they appreciate you," she said.

Applicants screened

To get into the program, the association heavily screens candidates, who must undergo a psychological profile, pass a reading test and provide character references. The association has chosen fewer than 300 out of 1,400 applicants so far, Clinco said.

Once in the program, trainees get a lot of help overcoming obstacles that could keep them out of class, Clinco said. They can get help with bills, including gas and child care. A retention specialist also connects them with local social services as needed.

Students can choose a 12-week evening program or a seven-week day program to become certified caregivers and certified nursing assistants.

Job-training grants cover most of tuition costs, depending on a student's income. An average student pays about $300 of the $3,000 actual program cost, Clinco said. By comparison, a Pima Community College program for nurse aides costs $924 and includes 120 hours of training.

If they stick with it, the trainees are pretty much guaranteed a job, Clinco said.

Fourteen agencies pay dues to the association to have access to the new graduates. The employers also pay a placement fee to hire trainees, and they contribute to job-training funds.