First you will need to acquire start-up funds. Grants are an excellent way to acquire funding to start a nursing assistant school. These can often be found through state governments or private foundations. If schools are unable to find grant money to fund the start-up of their program, they can seek monetary contributions from private donors or obtain a loan.
Find a facility to house the school. A nursing assistant school needs a traditional classroom for lectures and discussions while also housing a lab which gives the students the opportunity to practice the skills being learned in the classroom in a mock environment prior to performing their clinicals. Administrative offices also need to be located in the nursing assistant school facility since they are often the place for registration and enrollment of new students.
Develop a partnership for clinicals. With each nurse aide required to perform clinicals towards the end of the training program, a nursing assistant school must partner with a licensed medical facility for clinicals. This could be a nursing home, assisted living center or hospital. Once a clinical site has been identified, a contract needs to be written and signed by the medical facility and the school administrators, who are responsible for submitting the contract to the state at a later time to obtain approval of their program.
Hire the school's staff. A nursing assistant school needs to hire a director or program coordinator to supervise instructors and support staff while also managing the administrative functions of the school. Instructors and support staff also need to be hired as they teach the courses and manage student enrollment and general inquiries from the public. The director or coordinator as well as the instructors must have a current registered nurse's license issued by the state as well as experience working in a nursing home or other long-term care facility. In addition they may be required to complete a training course on how to teach a nurse aide course. Support staff aren't required by the state to have any specific qualifications or training, so requirements for this position are at the discretion of the school.
Establish nurse aide curriculum. Specific tasks and skills must be taught in a nurse aide class, and these are set by the state. Nursing assistant schools develop their curriculum by creating units of study around these tasks and skills. Once units have been established by a school, they are required to assign hours to them. These hours are the amount of time an instructor will spend teaching the unit, and added up they must meet the minimum hour requirements set by the state. For example, in West Virginia nurse aide programs must provide 120 contact hours of instruction to students. Adding up the time of each unit in a school's curriculum in West Virginia, the time must equal 120 hours for the program to be approved by the state.
Create procedures and policies for the school. Nursing assistant schools need to create a handbook outlining the school's policies and procedures as these help handle situations and guide the school towards success. Some of the policies and procedures are already established and mandated by the state such as the student-to-instructor ratio for a nurse aide class. Others can be created by the institution to cover emergency situations, cancellation of classes and student requirements for admission or enrollment in a nurse aide class.
Become accredited. It's important that nursing assistant schools seek accreditation and approval from their state as this allows students completing a nurse aide class at the school to take the licensing exam and get certified as a nurse aide. To apply for accreditation, a nursing assistant school needs to submit an application to their state along with supporting documents that prove the school has met the state mandates required for nursing assistant programs. These documents often include the contract for clinical facilities as well as copies of the curriculum and policies and procedures for the institution. In addition, resumes and transcripts showing proof of education and work experience for instructors and the school's director or coordinator are also required to be submitted.
Buy equipment for the lab. Most of the equipment needs for a nurse aide course are for the lab. Creating a mock environment for nurse aides to learn in requires purchasing a hospital bed, overbed table, wheelchair and possibly a patient lift. Some money for equipment may need to be spent on classroom supplies such as tables, chairs, desks and audio-visual equipment.
Find students to enroll. Once the equipment is in place and accreditation has been granted, a nursing assistant school can begin offering classes to prospective nurse aides. Promoting the school and recruiting students are important to ensure classes are full and the school is making as much money as possible for each class being offered. General promotion is a great way to spread the word about the school and its class offerings while marketing to specific groups such as healthcare facilities, unemployment centers and high schools can generate higher student enrollment.