Our MIssion is All About caregivers

The National Institute of CNA Excellence aims to support direct care professionals by providing no cost or low-cost education to help them deliver the highest quality of care and promote well-deserved respect and recognition.

People living in congregate care settings, those recovering from illness or injury, or someone being supported to live in their own home, all rely on the dedicated direct caregivers who make up today's CareForce™.

Caregiving is a rewarding and challenging career choice. It is estimated that millions of direct care jobs need to be filled today and, in the future, making the CareForce™ a top focus of everyone who cares about healthcare. NICE is exclusively aimed at helping to build and retain that CareForce™ through easy access, high quality education.

NICE gives caregivers one-stop, on-line access to training selected and developed to help the new caregiver be successful, and to open doors to career advancement for those already in the profession who want to continue learning and growing.

The National Institute for Caregiving Excellence (NICE) mission is to help meet the growing need for well-prepared Private Caregivers and Certified Nursing Assistants ( Caregiving) by offering learning opportunity that includes the basics of direct care, then goes beyond those basics into the training and education called for by nursing assistants to help them give the best possible care to those they serve. NICE is committed to fostering excellence and promoting continuous professional growth.

OUR COURSES

NICE courses meet your special needs. We know you want to learn more and advance your skills beyond the basics. Courses focus on understanding the environments and person-centered approaches used in the home or in congregate care settings like assisted living, skilled nursing and hospitals.

Courses are designed and selected to ensure your entry into caregiving starts on a strong foundation of knowledge about the diverse roles and complex care tasks faced daily.

Courses are developed by experts and selection for course inclusion is guided by CNAs and other professionals in caregiving.

Courses can be taken to help you move forward on your path to Certification with confidence.

Course offerings for existing caregivers focus on creating opportunity for advancement and building on your skills to help ensure the highest quality of care is delivered to the person.

Online, self-paced courses fit well into the busy lives of caregivers.

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to provide caregivers with the learning support they deserve, empowering them to thrive professionally and personally, while ultimately improving the lives of those they serve.

Through our online, self-paced courses, we strive to enhance the knowledge, skills, and confidence of CNAs and other Caregivers, enabling them to deliver compassionate and high-quality care to patients, residents, friends and family.

NICE is committed to help professional certified nursing assistants find opportunity for ongoing development and skill building through a targeted career growth lattice of course content.

OUR VISION

NICE is dedicated to helping meet the growing need for well qualified caregivers by creating a learning community for people starting or continuing to grow as a part of the direct care CareForce. NICE aims to help establish and promote the availability of professional certification via nationally recognized core competencies that eliminates entry barriers and help caregivers to stay in the profession.

OUR VALUES

There is no greater opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people who depend on the physical, social, and emotional support of others.

NICE is driven by a deep sense of respect, compassion and appreciation for Certified Nursing Assistants, and Caregivers working across the health care continuum as well as those caring for family and friends. All caregivers must have access to the resources, education, and recognition they need to excel in their vital role.

The Healthcare Economy is dependent upon availability of personal and professional caregivers that need a quality, easy to access source of information to inform their caregiving, helping ensure quality of life for themselves and the people they care for.

How Does NICE Work FOR YOU?

The National Institute of CNA Excellence has a one-stop shop for online training, certification, and career growth preparation. NICE training content helps:

Caregivers helping friends and family in the home
Newly employed caregivers
Caregivers seeking certification
CNAs, HHAs, DCPs, and other professional caregivers
Employers
Schools and instructors

NICE course materials make conducting classes easy and consistent for RN instructors with schools or employers.

Employers can find an edge up in recruiting and retention with NICE. Hosting classes gives the opportunity to meet and select future team members. Providing high quality on-going training, and career lattices is a key factor in any retention and quality improvement program. NICE creates a way for employers to have these advantages using the on-line program to promote self-paced learning with content that is evidence based and guided by CNAs and other professional caregivers.

coming soon...

If you're looking to hire without holding classes, use your login to access a list of NICE graduates in your area and begin your interview process.

Pretty simple, isn’t it? So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!

All The Tools You'll Need

Prepare to become a successful certified nursing assistant (CNA).

A Comprehensive Approach

Equipping CNA's for the “real life” field experience they need.

Going Beyond Compliance

Skills in team building, conflict resolution, and communication.

NICE Caregiver Training Faculty

Lisa Sweet, RN

Program Instructor, NICE Co-Founder, National Association of Health Care Assistants

(Lisa Sweet Bio)

As co-founder, Lisa serves as a steward of the National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA) mission and vision. In addition, she is responsible for developing state of the art learning systems and educational content to ensure the Association’s success in motivating, educating and developing frontline excellence. She is a gifted communicator and educator.

For more than 30 years Lisa has served long term care as a CNA, LPN and RN. She is uniquely positioned to develop specific core curricula to advance NAHCA members in professional development. As a former CNA, director of nursing and corporate nurse consultant she understands the educational needs and requirements of any skilled and/or assisted living community.

Lisa’s authored NAHCA’s Geriatric Care Specialist Certification program for CNAs, understanding their desire to expand their education and enhance their skills in caring for the aged. To date more than 5000 certified nursing assistants have successfully earned the distinction of Geriatric Care Specialist (GCS).

Vicky Castillo

Founder/Owner at FACETS Healthcare Training

(Vicky Castillo Bio)

Coming Soon...

Dr. Micheal Waserman

Role Info - Medical Director (find details)

(Dr. Micheal Waserman Bio)

Coming Soon...

NICE Board of Directors

Cindy Frakes, ACHA

NICE Board Chair and Executive Director

(Cindy Frakes Bio)

Cindy knows well the needs of caregivers and their employers, having spent decades helping people find and receive quality care, experiencing firsthand the need for training beyond the basics to build quality and retain care teams. Cindy began her journey to NICE in a small rural hospital with opportunity to experience many roles as a support team member. She earned her CNA in 1978, then licensed as an Adult Care Home Administrator in 1980. After serving as an administrator, then Regional Vice President for a multi-facility Midwest community operator she owned and operator a small residential care home that provided 24-hour care for 6 elders. Cindy then spent several years in long-term care pharmacy customer support and as a long-term care subject matter expert for an electronic health record developer. She is proud to have experienced working almost 20 years in an SNF with a solid, quality driven team of CNAs, Nurses, Environmental, Nutrition, Therapy, and Social Services, and Business Office staff who proudly received no deficiency, low deficiency licensure & certification surveys over many of those years. Respect, recognition, training and opportunity to grow for all roles was a key factor in that success.

Tim Holahan DO, CMD

NICE Board Member

(Tim Holahan DO, CMD Bio)

Dr. Holahan has served or currently serves in many roles in the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) and Nursing Home setting. His main passions include caring for complex patients in the SNF setting and being a leader in advocacy to improve care in nursing homes at a state/national level. He has served as medical director of multiple SNFs in Rochester, NY and also is the attending physician on ventilator patients at 2 local SNF ventilator units. He also attends on patients at Highland Hospital in Rochester NY as a geriatric hospitalist. He has served on multiple committees as well as served in leadership roles for state and national organizations such as the American Medical Directors Association (AMDA), The New York Medical Directors Association (NYMDA) and the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY).

If the COVID-19 pandemic showed us anything, it was the need for well trained, compassionate and knowledgeable front line care givers in post-acute care. They are truly the lifeblood that makes a post-acute care facility function at its highest level and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) are at the forefront of that. For many years, I have felt that this specialty and area of the care force has been largely ignored. It is the goal of NICE to change this for the better and train the next generation of CNAs which will significantly improve the care of our older adults in post-acute care. I am humbled to play my small role in such a great organization and initiative.

University of Rochester

Division of Geriatrics

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Medical Director of the Monroe Community Hospital Ventilator Unit Medical Director of Aaron Manor and The Hurlbut Skilled Nursing Facilities

Jane Zacardi, RN, BSN, MA, Ed.D.

NICE Board Member

(Jane Zacardi Bio)

Jane firmly believes that our direct caregivers are the most important members of the healthcare team and supports development of programs to enhance their preparation, career success, and growth. She has dedicated most of her nursing career to caring for frail elders in a variety of care settings, advocating for improved access to and quality of care for seniors, and/or educating nurse aides, medication aides, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Registered nurses to provide care for senior adults with multiple, acute, and chronic health care issues.

Jane is currently retired and enjoys traveling and spending time with her family. During her nursing career, She worked as an Independent consultant in Senior Care and as a Legal Nurse Consultant, Regional Clinical Consultant, Director of Nursing, Staff Development, Charge Nurse roles in Long Term Care, as well as Intensive Care and Coronary Care Nursing in Acute Care Hospitals. Jane has held positions in Community Colleges as a Director of Nursing and Allied Health, Faculty and a Director of Practical Nursing and Health Occupations.

Brandy Wilson, CNA

NICE Board Member

Certified Nursing Assistant
Certified Restorative Aide

Certified Activity Director

(Brandy Wilson Bio)

Brandy has been at her current nursing center for almost 10 years! She began just as she had become a CNA. After working there for 3 months she started doing Transportation and working in the Restorative program. Over the course of her years there she worked primarily as a CNA, on all shifts, and has assisted in all departments including kitchen, housekeeping, laundry, maintenance, and activities.

In 2021 I got my Texas Food Manager and food handler certification and was considered for the Kitchen Manager position. When she didn't receive that position, she then took on transportation, medical records, ordering supplies, receptionist and office support duties. She continued to advance her training In 2022 by becoming a Certified Activity Director and completion of NAHCA Preceptor program for certification. Brandy assumed a leadership role in their CNA training program and was integral to supporting NAs on course to become CNAs, when they turned over their administrator and director of nursing.

Brandy works closely with the leadership to help the facility operate in a quality manner, no matter what the need. Over the last 10 years she has enjoyed being a part of this community and says "I try to help in any way possible whether it is with staff or patients".

Jerrie Rieck, CNA

NICE Board Member

Family Care Giver

Assisted Living Memory Care Certified Nursing Assistant Certified Medication Aide

(Jerrie Rieck Bio)

Jerrie brings her journey in learning to be the best CNA she can be to the NICE Board of Directors. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do “when she grew up”, so she chose to become a nurse aide after high school graduation. She recalls her mom being worried that she wouldn’t like the work but found that she loved being the best nurse aide there could be. Jerrie learned hands on, to touch gently, listen, and not talk too loudly, but clearly enough to be understood. She took her job to heart and knew she wanted to treat those she cared for as if they were her own family. She works that way to this day.

When Person Centered Care became the standard of care, Jerry remembers is as being hard for an “old timer” that was used to following schedules and telling residents when they needed to be up, go to meals, or have baths but has thrived in the change that puts the person first. In addition to being a CNA, Jerrie is a Certified Medication Aide and mentors, teaches and trains new CNAs and CMSs. She currently works in Assisted Living Memory Care as well as being the primary home care giver for her mother. Jerrie’s mother lives with Jerrie and her family and has increasingly needed support over the past several years. Jerrie knows well that caring for a loved one is tough emotionally and physically, and more so when added to her full-time paid career.

Kari Miller, RN, JD

NICE Board Member

Registered Nurse

Attorney

(Kari Miller Bio)

Karo is a Registered Nurse and Attorney with over 35 years of experience in senior housing, hospital, Long Term Care Post-Acute, Assisted Living, Memory Care, Independent Living and Private Duty Home Care. Admitted to practice law in Kansas and Missouri. Strong passion and belief that in order to improve resident care outcomes in our long-term care and Assisted Living space, we need to investing education, further training, and mentoring of those compassionate individuals who are called to become caregivers and CNAs.

Jody Jones, RN

NICE Board Member

Registered Nurse

Senior Vice-President MAK-SYSTEM

(Jody Jones Bio)

Jody has spent many years working with nursing and long-term care support organizations. Her experience working alongside CNAs and Nurses implementing care strategies has been integral in shaping her interest in offering training and support to direct care professionals, especially CNAs, caring for frail elders. She has held executive roles in organizations helping develop and offer and training solutions. Additionally, she has worked with organizations implementing electronic records, including solutions aimed at capturing direct care and improving communication for the health care team.

Shawn Crawford

NICE Board Member

Certified Nursing Assistant

(Shawn Crawford Bio)

...coming soon

Lori Craft

Secretary, NICE Board of Directors

Executive Assistant NAHCA Certified Nursing Assistant

Direct Care Professional

(Lori Craft Bio)

Lori has more than twenty years in healthcare that includes supporting Careforce members with the National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA). As Direct Care Professional working with Developmentally Disabled individuals in their homes, as well as in nursing homes. Lori is proud to be a part of NICE in helping to prepare caregivers for the “real-life” situations they experience. Lori knows firsthand that CNAs and other direct care workers are the backbone of healthcare and that they deserve to have the proper knowledge and education to perform their duties, and to have the opportunity for successful and rewarding careers.