To be approved, a nurse aide training program needs class instructors as well as a coordinator or director of training. The director of training must have a current Colorado registered nurse (RN) license and at least 24 months of professional nursing experience, with at least 12 months in a long-term care facility.
Instructors for CNA courses in Colorado can be RNs or licensed practical nurses, as long as they have 12 months of experience caring for the elderly or chronically ill. Because the director of the training program meets the credentials to teach, he can serve in both capacities if he chooses.
Colorado requires one instructor for every 10 students participating in the clinical experience. Each student needs at least 16 hours of clinical experience to be eligible to sit for the state certification exam. When applying for approval, the program should sign a legal agreement with the facility where the clinical experience will occur, and submit this to the state along with copies of the facility's insurance policies.
CNA training programs in Colorado are required to have an admissions and dismissal policy that explains how students will be admitted and what behaviors or actions call for dismissal. Also required is a student records policy that addresses what information will be kept in a student's file and for how long, and a tuition policy that specifies how much students must pay and when.
An appropriate location must be available for the training program. Though Colorado isn't specific about the type of location or facility that must be used, it requires that the location be conducive to student learning. To ensure it meets this criterion, applicants for approval must submit diagrams of the classroom and lab used for CNA training. In addition, details must be provided about the equipment and supplies available.
Applicants for CNA training program approval should develop a course schedule of the content and skills that will be taught. The number of hours that will be spent on each section should be listed as well as the name of the textbook to be used. Colorado also requires applicants to submit a lab and clinical skills checklist, which will be used to ensure that all students have the opportunity to practice specific skills in both settings.