Premier Nursing Academy Updates Regarding COVID-19
We will be publishing periodic updates with respect to our ongoing operations related to both current classes for Premier Nursing Academy, as well as information about future classes. This is a constantly evolving situation in both of our campus areas and the company. Our overall goal is to continue to ensure the health and safety of our students, staff, alumni, and the patients and personnel within the facilities we work.
In all markets, our staff and students have been designated as essential personnel, able to continue to work in our facilities and exempt from any stay at home orders or instructions. We are enforcing social distancing and limiting the gathering of people as much as possible. In addition, all students and staff, along with any visitors allowed entry to our campuses or clinical sites, are required to complete a daily health screening before any educational activities can commence.
As of now, most operations for current classes are proceeding as normal, and students are completing programs to become certified nursing assistants.
For information on operations at specific campuses:
Fort Wayne Campus News
During the declared State of Emergency by Governor Holcomb, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) has issued two notices relevant to our programs.
First, ISDH has announced that, while it will not remove the clinical portion of training requirements for CNA programs, they will extend the time in which students can complete this requirement. This means any students currently enrolled in CNA training programs can finish the clinical portion of their education at a later time without needing to retake the entire program.
Second, ISDH has approved a temporary Personal Care Attendant (Waiver Aide) position requiring eight (8) hours of instruction, with five (5) hours in the classroom and three (3) hours of simulation and competency check-offs. This instruction must be completed by a Nurse Aide Program Instructor.
Future Classes
- We are no longer providing classes in the Fort Wayne area.
- We will be working with government officials and employer partners to help current students complete their clinical hours in order to meet state requirements.
Pinellas Park (Tampa) Campus News
The State of Florida Department of Health has issued an Emergency Order for “the purpose of preparing for, responding to, and mitigating any effect of COVID-19.” As part of this, the state has temporarily allowed the use of remote live or videoconferencing for classroom education and simulation for all supervised clinical instruction hours.
Premier Nursing Academy is complying by providing all clinical training within our simulation lab and will continue to provide classroom instruction in-person within our facility. This provides the most protection for the vulnerable patient population within these facilities and limits the number of people our students and staff are exposed to during training.
Students will still be provided comprehensive training and education to enable them to sit for and pass the state-approved certified nursing assistant examination.
Current Classes
- All current students will complete their CNA training within our campus classroom using the simulation lab to replace instruction previously planned to be done at a clinical location. Students will graduate on the same schedule as planned with no changes or interruptions to their education.
Future Classes
- Our next evening class is scheduled for August 24.
- Our next day class is currently scheduled to start on August 31.
Zephyrhills Location News
Future Classes
- At this time, all future classes in the Zephyrhills area for Premier Nursing Academy are on hold.
- If you are interested in enrolling in future classes, please find more information about our programs and classes in Pinellas Park.