Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) serve a critical role in the care of older adults. However, CNAs often experience significant professional and personal burdens related to caregiving work. Professionally, CNAs experience exorbitant workplace stress (e.g., physical injury, burnout, emotional exhaustion, staffing shortages, turnover). Personally, CNAs may have only a high school education, are subjected to low-paying jobs, and little opportunity for career advancement. Further, CNAs are disproportionately of minority race. Clearly, CNAs are negatively impacted by many social determinants of health. Ultimately, these burdens negatively impact older adults’ care provision and quality of life. Transitioning to a nursing career may alleviate some of these complex problems, but this has scantly been explored. A qualitative descriptive study was designed to 1) identify interest in a nursing career, and 2) explore perceived barriers and facilitators of transitioning into a nursing profession. CNAs from nursing facilities participated in private, semi-structured interviews. Recorded interviews (n = 6) were transcribed verbatim. Preliminary thematic analyses yielded two overarching themes: The Dream and The Reality. Rich subthemes began emerging from both overarching themes. Example subthemes from The Dream were: family legacy in healthcare, and finding purpose. Example subthemes from The Reality were: versus (CNAs vs. nurses; nurses vs. nursing care), and work-life balance. These preliminary findings suggest that CNAs express desire in becoming a nurse, although a range of personal and professional barriers and facilitators exist. Making the nursing dream become reality may improve CNAs’ social determinants, workplace outcomes, and resident outcomes, but further exploration is warranted.

Purpose The study purpose was to examine the effect of interprofessional naloxone training on students' knowledge, confidence, and interprofessional collaboration competency. The overarching goal was to decrease mortality related to opioid overdoses. Design/Methods A training session for interprofessional students consisted of a lecture presentation, demonstration, and hands-on practice regarding appropriate administration of naloxone for suspected opioid overdose. A questionnaire elicited baseline and change in knowledge, confidence, and interprofessional collaboration competency scores at pretraining and posttraining. In addition, changes in knowledge and confidence were also measured 3 weeks after the training. Thematic analysis explored training components that students perceived as valuable or needing improvement. Results Participants (N = 100) were nursing (n = 33), physician assistant (n = 37), and pharmacy (n = 30) students. Pretraining and posttraining comparison demonstrated increased knowledge (P < .001), confidence (P < .001), and collaboration scores (P < .001). At 3 weeks, knowledge and confidence remained higher than pretraining (P < .001). Knowledge was trending downward compared with posttraining (P = .09). Thematic analysis identified 4 themes: (a) indications for administration of different naloxone types, (b) learning modalities, (c) knowledge application, and (d) improvements. Conclusions An interprofessional naloxone administration training resulted in increased knowledge, confidence, and interprofessional teamwork. Educators can adapt this training for a variety of future or current healthcare professionals to improve immediate intervention and outcomes in suspected opioid overdoses.

Nursing assistants (NAs) are an integral component of the older adult nursing care team. Although NAs provide the majority of hands-on care, they often experience disproportionate personal and professional challenges related to their roles and responsibilities. Likewise, NAs may have minimal opportunity to transition into a nursing career. The purpose of the current scoping review was to identify and examine nursing career transition pathways designed for NAs. A scoping review of the literature revealed nine career transition programs designed for this unique sector of the nursing workforce. Although NAs may express a desire to transition into a nursing career, sparse programs have been implemented. Effective NA-to-nurse career transition programs may help improve NAs' personal and professional outcomes, older adults' care outcomes, and ultimately, improve diversity in the nursing workforce. [ Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 48 (2), 36–42.]

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