Mental Illness and Neurological Disorders in Long-Term Care: Certified Nursing Assistants' Perception of the Initial Training Program

Background: This study addresses the training of certified nursing assistants caring for patients diagnosed with mental illness and neurological disorders living in long-term care facilities. An influx of patients diagnosed with these conditions is partly due to the reduction of mental health facilities and services for the elderly population. The Texas 100-hour Certified Nursing Assistant Program focuses on Activities of Daily Living. Although these components are an essential part of patient care, certified nursing assistants cannot assist patients beyond these measures. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to (1) identify whether the Texas one-hundred-hour training programs for certified nursing assistants adequately prepare graduates to effectively care for patients diagnosed with mental illness and neurological disorders and admitted to long-term care facilities, (2) assess the attitudes and perceptions of certified nursing assistants working in long-term care regarding their initial training program, (3) assess the attitudes and perceptions of certified nursing assistants regarding specific content within the curriculum that addresses caring for patients with mental illness and neurological disorders. This study seeks to answer the research question, how do graduates of the 100-hour Texas Certified Nursing Assistant program working in long-term care facilities perceive their initial training program as it relates to providing care for patients diagnosed with mental illness and neurological disorders? Methods: This was a qualitative study with a Grounded Theory methodology. Grounded Theory was selected for this study to gain a better understanding of the participant's experiences. Purposeful sampling was utilized to select participants. Theoretical sampling was used to ensure that all emergent codes were investigated. Data was collected through interviews using a moderator guide. The data were analyzed using NVivo software. Results: Through comparative analysis and inductive analysis, the researcher identified emergent theories; The Theory of Training by Job Significance and The Theory of Self-Efficacy in Healthcare Education. The Theory of Training by Job Significance demonstrates how training programs such as certified nursing assistant programs focus on job-specific training. These programs are designed to provide a basic foundation, but do not include advanced topics such as mental illness and neurological disorders. Thus, this type of training program structure will often fail to deliver adequate training to meet the real world's demands and changes. The Theory of Self-Efficacy in Healthcare Education demonstrates how work experiences and continuing education can fill the knowledge gap that certified nursing assistants face in caring for patients diagnosed with mental illness and neurological disorders. Conclusion: Certified nursing assistants face an immense gap in knowledge regarding caring for patients diagnosed with mental illness and neurological disorders. The study's data provides guidelines to develop specific content for a curriculum to minimize the knowledge gap. Although extending the initial training program may not be feasible, additional training can be offered through the workplace, local community colleges, and certifying states to ensure that certified nursing assistants receive the necessary information to care for the changing patient population.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Professional Leadership, Education

Grantor

University of Houston

Year dc:date.issued

2021

Author dc:creator

• Washington-Pierre, Olympiayatta

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• McNeil, Sara
• Hausmann, Robert

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Handoko, Erwin
• Pollard, Bernadette

• Health Sciences, Nursing
• Education, Vocational
• Health Sciences, Mental Health

Language dc:language.iso

English

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10657/21031

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uh-ir.tdl.org:10657/21031