Looking to grow in your healthcare career? Gain insider information on what a course completion through The Mason Center for Healthcare Education could do for your career. Doug Bryant and Brandi Miller Cox highlight details like what to expect in courses, how many hours are required, what to wear, and what jobs are likely for candidates who have completed a course at The Mason Center for Healthcare Education. Plus, hear exciting information about the upcoming 5th Annual Knox Rox benefit concert with Lavonda Cantrell.

‍

Learn more about The Mason Center for Healthcare Education here

‍

Certify It is sponsored by Propel Insurance

‍

Produced by Solinity Marketing

‍

Listen to more episodes of Certify It

‍

‍

Intro

You're listening to Certify It the podcast for advancing your career in care. Powered by The Mason Center for Healthcare Education. Hear news updates and discussions from thought leaders in healthcare around advancing your career through continuing education. Now, here's your host, Doug Bryant from The Mason center.

‍

00:17 - 01:11

Doug Bryant

Welcome to certify the podcast for advancing your career in care. Thank you for joining us today. And today I'm very excited that Brandi Cox, you just got married. Brandi Cox, the executive director of the Mason Center for Healthcare Education, is with me today. And we wanted to share with our listeners a little bit about what we offer and how students can find us and the different things that we have available to them. So I know that we received our Tennessee Higher Education Commission authorization. So now's a great time for us to talk about how things have been going and the different programs of study that we have available to people. So can you tell us a little bit about the classes that we're offering now, the Mason center?

‍

01:11 - 01:50

Brandi Cox

Yeah. Thank you for having me here. We have several classes going on right now. We have our Certified Nursing Assistant class. We have the skills class, which used to be known as A-B certification. That is a class for LPNs who have been at work for six months, and they cannot pass meds, via IV cert medications until they have the certification. We have CPR classes going right now. BLS American Heart Association, for healthcare provider instructor-led classes. And we also have our Medication Aide class.

‍

01:50 - 02:03

Doug Bryant

Okay. So the CNA class, let's take these maybe one by one a little bit. So the CNA class, if I was going to want to become a CNA and take that course, what type of time commitment am I looking at for that?

‍

02:03 - 02:27

Brandi Cox

Our classes are a little bit longer than most classes because we believe in making sure they are fully prepared for not just their state task, but fully prepared to make a career out of this and to do a really good job at it and to be there for their patients. And so this class is seven weeks long. We do five weeks here at The Mason Center, and then we do two weeks in clinicals.

‍

02:27 - 02:31

Doug Bryant

So the clinicals are at Clinical Partners that we partner with?

‍

02:31 - 02:35

Brandi Cox

Yes, we have a few different sites that we use for our clinicals.

‍

02:35 - 03:07

Doug Bryant

It's interesting that you're talking about how it's a little longer than everyone else's. That makes sense now while on the last podcast, and if you missed that, we talked to Ellen Lamkey at Island Home, who is a director of nursing there, and she was talking about how the students that come through the Mason Center always seem more prepared to do the than the actual work of a CNA, probably because of the seven week, the longer time period and the time that they have to to work on their skills.

‍

03:07 - 00:03:32

Brandi Cox

When developing that program, I just sat down and thought, okay, what? I want to be somebody who's never stepped foot in a healthcare facility and has ten days of work in front of me rushing through to complete it, and a brief little clinical time and go work that just didn't sit well with me. I really feel like this is a job where they need to be prepared.

‍

03:32 - 03:39

Doug Bryant

Especially for the end user. The people that we’re serving want those people to be very much prepared.

‍

03:39 - 04:01

Brandi Cox

And it's hard work. And we do have some people who come through the class who once they get in clinicals, they're like, okay, this is not for me. And that's probably not a bad thing. It happens that way because if it's not for them, they really don't need to be there. So we really feel like we prepare our students, for after class, for after they test.

‍

04:01 - 04:34

Doug Bryant

Okay. So the Medication Aide. Now, that is something that is fairly new in Tennessee. For us to be able to use them in healthcare settings in the long term care setting, especially. Tell us a little bit about what that class looks like, and about how long that takes and the qualifications. If I wanted to be a Medication Aide. I know CNA is pretty much entry level and I can just sign up for that with minimum requirements. What are the requirements to take that Medication Aide course as well? 

‍

04:34 - 06:02

Brandi Cox

So the requirements for Medication Aide is you have to be a CNA for a full year, 365 days. So seniors who are brand new, we've had some seniors come through the course that are like, I want to go ahead and sign up for the medication. I'm like, well, gotta work for a year as a CNA, you also have to work full time. You can't do it part time. The state says that you have to work full time in that position. You have to work at 2 places or less. So if you've had three jobs in that 365 days, then you were not allowed to even test out of the program. It all doesn't have to be together.

‍

The 365 days. You can be a CNA for 20 years, and have worked in two different facilities in the last year and qualify for the program. So the 365 days for the qualification is from the time you apply to test. So when we have students that come into the facility, I tell them to go home, sit down, write in a calendar for a year, all the jobs you've had, and from the time you're going to apply to your test, from 365 days back, how many places have you worked?

‍

And a lot of times they'll call me and say, okay, I can't do the class because it's been three, or I've only worked at this job for seven months. Can I still take the class? And at that point, we will let them go through the class as long as they apply to test. They have been at that position for a year.

‍

06:02 - 06:14

Doug Bryant

So does where I have worked as a CNA matter? Like if I've been a CNA at a hospital, does that qualify for the 365? If I've been a CNA for home health, does that qualify to meet that requirement?

‍

06:14 - 06:20

Brandi Cox

That does matter. You have to have worked in long term care, assisted living or PACE facility.

‍

06:20 - 06:23

Doug Bryant

Okay. So that's important. That's for people to know.

‍

06:23 - 06:30

Brandi Cox

No hospital, no home health. It has to be long term care or assisted living.

‍

06:30 - 06:52

Doug Bryant

So basically for those who are CNAs, you know, they have the requirement that they have to work eight hours to keep their certification renewed every two years. And where they've been working is a huge part of whether they can be recertified. So it appears that the same qualifications for getting your CNA renewed is the same for the Medication Aide.

‍

06:52 - 07:00

Brandi Cox

Yes. And they go hand in hand. You have to maintain your CNA license in order to maintain your Medication Aide license.

‍

07:00 - 07:05

Doug Bryant

Well that's important to know as well. So you'll be keeping both of those up once you get them.

‍

07:05 - 07:17

Brandi Cox

Yes. And we've had students who would come through the program and say, you know, once I get out of Medication Aide, I'm just not going to be a CNA any more and I’m just gonna let my license go. And we're like, you can't do that. You have to keep them both going together.

‍

07:17 - 07:40

Doug Bryant

The other thing about Medication Aide that I found interesting is even though you have to keep both of them, you can't be doing CNA work at the same time on the same shift that you're doing Medication Aide. I heard you actually, I think I overheard you talking to a candidate about that.

‍

07:40 - 08:47

Brandi Cox

Yes. When you are on the schedule as a Medication Aide, that is your job for the day. Your outfit is supposed to be completely different. Most of the time when you're a CNA, you're going to be in scrubs. For Medication Aide, the state really wants you to stand out. So we have implemented a uniform policy for our students that you have to wear khakis. Cargo pants are fine. Scrubs if they’re khaki in color and a polo shirt, the little buttoned up collared shirt, a bright color. So you have to completely stand out as a Medication Aide. And if you come into work and you're on a schedule as a Medication Aide, you're in your Medication Aide uniform. You cannot be pulled to go do any other work, because it's kind of confusing to the residents at that point.

‍

Because it can be confusing. You know, one day you're the CNA and the next day you're passing the medications. And so the different uniform really helps you stand out as a Medication Aide. And when you're in your CNA scrubs, you can pass medications. So it makes a big difference what uniform you're wearing.

‍

08:47 - 09:05

Doug Bryant

So if I was to be a person, a prospective student and I have listened to all these requirements, I'm like, yes, I meet all of those and I would like to sign up for this class. What am I truly signing up for? How long is that class? What am I going to learn in that class and how does that work?

‍

09:05 - 09:57

Brandi Cox

Our class is 100 hours and it is four weeks. So it's one month and we go through all kinds of stuff. We go through anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, body processes, medication, and do's and don'ts. There's a lot of material in that month. And technically, it's three weeks because we do classroom work for three weeks, and then we do clinicals for a week. It's a very hard class. So if somebody is trying to decide if it's something that they can work in, they need to make sure they have time to study at home at least 2 or 3 hours or not. And about an hour or two, and not to practice your skills. So it's a very taxing, very complicated course.

‍

09:57 - 10:04

Doug Bryant

So with all of that information that's been gone over, why are we only doing that for four weeks?

‍

10:04 - 10:14

Brandi Cox

That was the allotted amount of time that we were, given by the state. So in the state regulations, it does say that you have to complete this in 30 days.

‍

10:14 - 10:51

Doug Bryant

So a lot of the requirements for this course are not even dictated by The Mason Center. They're dictated by the state, and there's not a lot of leniency there on us being able to let people bypass that rule or these aren't rules that we have created. These are rules that we're adhering to so that the state will allow you to test. So if I was to go to the CNA class, just kind of comparing the two, when I'm done with the CNA class, I go in just to set an appointment to test and that's it. It works a little differently with the Medication Aide as well.

‍

10:51 - 11:12

Brandi Cox

It's different. Almost anybody who's been through nursing school and applied to test after nursing school will understand. It's a different process. This process is very similar. You have to, send in your application, to the state. You have to go through a different drug screen with them. You have to go through a background check with them.

‍

It's a little bit more extensive of a background check than even we do. You have to submit several different types of paperwork to them and then get an approval letter from them that says you were allowed to test if you show up to test without this approval letter, the test advisor will not let you in to test.

‍

11:31 - 11:49

Doug Bryant

All this is very good information for students to know. So if I've listened to this today and I'm a listener of the podcast and everything, it still sounds like, yes, that is something I really want to do. How do students find us and how do they apply? What does that process look like?

‍

11:49 - 12:11

Brandi Cox

You can go to our website, and we have applications that are on there, that you can apply for the different courses that we have. Once I receive your information, sometimes we get people who were like, I can't afford to get through the course, do you have financial help? And I'll send them in the right direction and I'll help them out in that way. And then we get you signed up for the class.

‍

12:11 - 12:18

Doug Bryant

And what are those different financial resources that are out there if I can't afford to just pay cash to go to the course?

‍

12:18 - 13:13

Brandi Cox

We have different partners that we work with and some of these partners will sponsor the students to go through the class. We have facilities who pay their students just to come to class because we all have bills, we all have to pay our bills, and we can't really afford to take a week, let alone a month off, to go to class, without having means to pay our bills.

‍

So, a lot of facilities understand that. And they'll sponsor these students and they'll pay them an hourly rate to come to class. They'll pay for them to take their test. So that's one option that we have. For financial aid as well. And we also have a discount rate on our program right now. It is a 50% sign on discount if you send your application in through the website, and you pay cash, which we have our definition of cash on the website as well, then you get a 50% discount right now.

‍

13:13 - 13:27

Doug Bryant

That's very good for people to know as well. So the healthcare partners that we have, we have both long term care and assisted living partners that we've been working with, that can help with that financial assistance.

‍

13:27 - 13:48

Brandi Cox

Yes. We do. We have had our last Medication Aide class. We had a student who was sponsored by the Courtyards in Kingsport. We had a student who was sponsored by Shannondale in Maryville. And we have put other students through the program from different partners as well.

‍

13:48 - 14:05

Doug Bryant

Okay. And I know the Hillcrest Foundation is one of those sponsors, and I know, I was looking back over the last six months with them and they've been able to add not only Medication Aides, but they've added, I think it's something like 23 CNAs. Through The Mason Center and through that partnership.

‍

14:05 - 14:10

Brandi Cox

They have sent 23 students, the rest who have completed in our CNAs.

‍

14:10 - 14:55

Doug Bryant

One of the things I hear from one of our buildings that utilizes Medication Aides frequently is it really allows the nurse you the utilization of that medication and allows the nurse to get back to what people got in the nursing to do. They're not tied to a med cart. They actually get to go and spend time with the residents and chart and do those assessments that sometimes get, let's just be honest, it gets lost sometimes, depending on how many meds you're trying to pass. And, you know, in today's day and age, the med pass for nurses in nursing homes becomes the majority of the job. So, I mean, who better to answer that question? Someone who’s actually done it, right.

‍

14:55 - 15:52

Brandi Cox

Being a nurse in long term care for several years. It's rough. It's a very rewarding job. And that's why we do it. But it is rough. There's been days I've got in my car, and I've just had to calm and collect myself before I drive home, because it's just such a rough position sometimes to be in. You have so many things you have to get done. And, when your med passes priority, you know, it kind of shuffles everything else kind of down the list a little bit. And you have labs you have to do, you have assessments, you have to do, patients going to dialysis, patients coming back from dialysis, family members taking patients out. And you have to get them ready. And, it's a very stressful job. So having a Medication Aide in the building who can take over your top priority allows you to open up your day for other priorities. And, it's more efficient. You get to run more efficiently in a

‍

15:52 - 16:21

Doug Bryant

So as an operator, if I've never had Medication Aides in my building before, when I read the regulations, there's all of these rules that I have to then come up with. I have to create my own policies. I have to do all of that. Is there any help that The Mason Center gives partners in that? Let's say that they, you know, have a new assisted living facility that would like to start using Medication Aides, but they have no idea where to even start being able to use them in their building.

‍

16:21 - 16:25

Doug Bryant

Is there any help that comes when they become a healthcare partner with us?

‍

16:25 - 16:51

Brandi Cox

When they decide to partner up with us and send us students, a lot of those partners will become clinical sites for us as well. So it kind of helps introduce Medication Aides into their buildings. And then we also have a large binder that I've put together that has a lot of sample policies and a lot of the things the state looks for when they come in the building with Medication Aide.

‍

16:51 - 17:29

Brandi Cox

It has education that you need to provide your entire staff, because when you have Medication Aides in your building, you have to educate everybody from, housekeeping, dietary, students, nurses, CNAs, as well as family members. You have to educate everybody. So this book kind of lays it all out for you and says, here's what you should be educating them on. Here's the updated policies. Here's some sign in sheet. It's kind of a let me walk you through what a Medication Aide should look like in your building and everything that you need to get everything at once you meet those regulatory requirements.

‍

17:30 - 18:17

Doug Bryant

Well, it sounds to me like if I was going to do this, I would become a partner so that I don't have to go create my own. We would love to have it. We've already done that for you. So thank you so much for spending time with us today and talking about the Medication Aide program. I learned something sitting here with you.

‍

I know that your office shares a wall with my own, and sometimes I overhear things, and I'm like, not that I mean to, I’m not eavesdropping but, you know, you just can't help but to hear certain conversations. And it's always very interesting, the students that you get to talk to and the different ways that they found us and, and how they end up here. And it's just it has to be rewarding on your side to be able to help someone meet the goals that they have.

‍

18:17 - 18:34

Brandi Cox

Yes. It's very rewarding. Especially when you see somebody who is struggling, and doesn't know what they want to do with their life. They come and see us, we get them in a CNA class, and then two years later they're a nurse. That is the most rewarding part of my job.

‍

18:34 - 19:12

Doug Bryant

Well, thank you so much for being here. And, keep up the good work. I mean, none of this would have been possible without the things that you've done. And, I really appreciate that. And the Hillcrest Foundation appreciates that. And our community years from now when we've put hundreds of students through our, through these programs, our community is just going to be better for it, the senior services that we're going to be able to offer because of the healthcare workforce that we've been able to, to grow in this area, everyone's going to be able to benefit from that. So thank you so much.

‍

19:12 - 19:13

Brandi Cox

Thank you. Thank you very much.

‍

Mid-Roll

You're listening to Certify It the podcast for advancing your career in care. Brought to you by Propel Insurance. Find innovative insurance solutions in the toughest risk management environments. Over 500 senior care providers nationwide trust propel to keep their business thriving. Find your momentum with Propel Insurance.

‍

19:36 - 19:44

Doug Bryant

Now I would like to welcome the vice president of the Hillcrest Foundation, Lavonda Cantrell, back to the podcast. What have you been doing?

‍

19:44 - 19:45

Lavonda Cantrell

Just planning events, Doug.

‍

19:45 - 20:25

Doug Bryant

I know that. We're glad you're doing that. I just had a conversation with Brandi about the different courses that we offer, and we were talking about different financial resources that are out there. So for the listeners that would like to support students at The Mason center or support any of the other wonderful things that the Hillcrest Foundation does, I know there's a very special event coming up. I tried to get you to give us a sample of the music, but you said no, but there's a very special event coming up that is not just not only a way to support the foundation and all the different things that we're doing, but it's also fun.

‍

20:25 - 20:27

Lavonda Cantrell

Yes, a lot of fun.

‍

20:27 - 20:28

Doug Bryant

So tell us about that.

‍

20:28 - 21:11

Lavonda Cantrell

Okay, so the Knox Rox benefit concert. It's our fifth annual. Five years. I couldn't believe it when I looked at it. It's been five years. So the fifth annual Knox Rox benefit concert will be Saturday, April the 26th at 865 Axe Throwing which is off of Washington Pike in the North Knoxville area from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are still available online, and I'll give you more information about that in just a few minutes. But it's a ton of a ton of fun. Great fun for the whole entire family, adults and kiddos. And we say, fur babies, bring your lawn chair, come out and enjoy some great music. So I sing in a band. Doug.

‍

21:11 - 21:14

I know. I tried to get you to today, and you told me no.

‍

21:14 - 23:04

Lavonda Cantrell

I know, I know, I'm sorry to disappoint you. But yeah, so it's a lot of fun because the band is made up of folks that are in healthcare professions primarily. And again, we just get up on stage and we sing 70s, 80s and 90s. We have the best time ever. The band's name is Lovanda and the 865 Bandits. Interesting, right? I know I did not select that title, by the way, but it's stuck. And here we go. You know, five years down the road and here we are. And we're still live on the 865 Bandits. But it really is great. 100% of the proceeds go to benefit the Hillcrest Foundation.

‍

But the unique thing about Knox Rox is that every year we select another local nonprofit to also receive 50% of the proceeds. So this year we titled this nomination form or award the Knox Rox Impact Award. And we were really searching for another nonprofit that impacts primarily seniors, works with primarily seniors because that's our specialty. And so, we had non outstanding nominations that were submitted and the foundation planning committee voted.

‍

And this year's recipient is Knox Paws, which is pairing animals with seniors. And so it's just a phenomenal program that works with the local animal shelters in pairs and animals up for adoption with seniors searching for companions. And they pay through this program, they pay for all of their veterinary bills, they pay for grooming and anything, food, everything. So the seniors do not have to worry about cost being a barrier to taking care of an animal. And I love that this program was selected. It's so great.

‍

23:04 - 23:11

Doug Bryant

That is great. So fur babies have always been welcome, but this year fur babies are really welcome.

‍

23:11 - 23:14

Lavonda Cantrell

Fur real!

‍

23:14 - 23:18

Doug Bryant

And look at what you did there. I love to have you on the podcast because you do things like that.

‍

23:18 - 23:45

Lavonda Cantrell

Oh my goodness. But yes, it really is. It's going to be a lot of fun. So I'm very excited and we'll have other people out there so you can do some ax throwing. So that's great. All you can throw for $10. So there'll be food vendors, Two Coaches Catering will be there. He'll be selling tons of delicious food. Kendra Scott will be there, and they, all of their proceeds on everything that they sell, they donate 20% back to the Hillcrest Foundation.

‍

23:45 - 23:49

Doug Bryant

Now, what is Kendra Scott for? Those people who don't, I know you're wearing.

‍

23:50 - 24:09

Lavonda Cantrell

I am jewelry, it's awesome jewelry. I didn't even plan this, but looky there. So yeah, Kendra Scott, they have a jewelry store here, very popular among women of all ages. I would just say that. And they're so great to do give back events, Kendra Scott, give back events for the community.

‍

24:09 - 24:28

Doug Bryant

Well, and that's a great time for them to be there because Mother's Day will be right around the corner after that. So yes, you can come and buy a mother's day gift from Kendra Scott, which also will give back to the Hillcrest Foundation in this very worthy Knox Paws, nonprofit that we're sharing proceeds with exactly.

‍

24:28 - 25:10

Lavonda Cantrell

No perfect timing of all of that. We also have fund merchandise. So one of the really cool things I'm so excited about this year is that we, our t shirts that we purchased this year, the residents at our three nursing facilities will be studying those. So they're going to be super unique and original and so much fun and, you know, helping get participation from our residents. And everybody loves that because it makes them feel so awesome that they've helped contribute to one of our fundraising events. And then, you know, the public loves the fact that, hey, this was handmade by one of the residents of Hillcrest healthcare, so it doesn't get more special than that. So it's just really a fun event. Doug. It's a great time.

‍

25:11 - 26:03

Doug Bryant

Fun. Yes. So this it's just a great way to be able to have fun and give back and support what's happening in this community and what the foundation is able to do with all kinds of different things. Mobility is Medicine. The Mason Center, it's just a great thing that you all are doing through the foundation. I know that we, as recipients of some of your funds here at the Mason Center, greatly appreciate that. So if any of our listeners or people that watch us on YouTube would like to like and subscribe to the podcast, that's one way that you can help support the foundation and the Mason center. If you go to the foundation website, you're going to be able to find sponsorship or donation information they can donate directly through. That they can also buy tickets for Knox Rox.

‍

00:26:03:26 - 00:26:26:23

Lavonda Cantrell

We have it set up also through Give better. So if you get on the givebutter.com website and just search Knox Rox, it should pop right up. You can purchase tickets there. And they're on sale until the day of the concert. So you can buy them at the event as well. But we, you know, our goal this year is to get 250 people out there and raise $25,000 for 2025.

‍

26:26 - 27:36

Doug Bryant

So very good. So it's not lost on us that listeners and viewers that watch this are really the people that help support us to be able to do all of the things that we're able to do. So first of all, thank you all very much for listening every month and for any donations that you've maybe been able to give, whether you volunteered in any of the Hillcrest facilities or you've been able to give monetary donations or attended one of our events like Knox Rox or the Grinch Breakfast, that we do every year at in December. And it's also, this podcast actually is only made available as well because of our sponsor, Propel Insurance, who's been a wonderful partner with us. They're very supportive of the senior space and senior services throughout, not just Knox County and Tennessee, but the nation. So I just wanted to give a very special shout out to them for making this podcast available so that we can get the word out in all the ways that we're able to impact our community. And its partners like Propel Insurance that allows us to be able to get that message out. Thank you so much for coming today.

‍

27:36 - 27:37

Lavonda Cantrell

Thank you.

‍

27:37 - 27:38

Doug Bryant

Thank you for telling us about Knox Rox. And we will put in the notes, down below all of the links to everything we've talked about today. And you'll be able to get tickets from Knox Rox there. But thank you so much. You've been listening to certify the podcast for advancing your career and care. Until next time. Thank you so much.

‍

Outro

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Certify It by the Mason Center for Healthcare Education. Get connected with us on social media and at themasoncenterknox.com. If you haven't yet, subscribe to this podcast on YouTube and anywhere you get your podcast. And if you're interested in sponsorship or donations to help further our cause of providing affordable, flexible healthcare certification programs for individuals seeking career mobility in skilled nursing, senior living, and long term care fields. Visit themasoncenterknox.com.

‍