HELENA, Mont. (NMB) – A collaboration of state agencies announced Thursday the donation of medical exam tables to Aaniiih Nakoda College to assist the school in growing its Certified Nursing Assistant Program, which connects graduated students to critical healthcare jobs on the Fort Belknap Reservation.
A press release says Lieutenant Governor Mike Cooney joined Department of Administration Director John Lewis and Labor Commissioner Galen Hollenbaugh to celebrate the growth and success of Aaniiih Nakoda’s apprenticeship program since its inception in 2016 and discuss how critical apprenticeship is to build a strong workforce in Montana.
Lewis donated the unused tables to the Department of Labor & Industry with a goal to find a new purpose supporting a healthcare apprenticeship. The tables transferred to Aaniiih Nakoda will help students complete the clinical portion of the apprenticeship curriculum. The tables could help the program take on more students in the coming years as interest in the program increases.
Aaniiih Nakoda’s Certified Nursing Assistant apprenticeship is one of the first tribal college apprenticeship programs in the nation and is among the first registered apprenticeship programs integrated with post-secondary institutions.
Aaniiih Nakoda has graduated six students in the CNA program and the majority have found jobs in their community.
After being introduced to the healthcare field through the CNA program, some students have decided to continue their education and pursue a degree in Registered Nursing, fulfilling a goal for Aaniiih Nakoda to grow its own nurses.
