Thomas Healthcare Institute for CNA class?

WHNP715, APRN, NP · Jul 28, 2008

:no: i did not have a good experience with t.h.i. i actually live in the lake norman/charlotte area and thi had a "satellite" location in charlotte, nc. i went through phlebotomy training with them and i paid triple what i was originally told for the program. i had an instructor that was not licensed nor did the instructor stay for 3 days. we then gained a new instructor who had just flunked her final exams and needed to work. she also had "personal" problems that meant she had to teach our class while tending to her children....in class! we had to locate our own (each student) clinical sites. this was very hard considering all but 2 sites had ever heard of them and out of the two that did, one was open to giving them "another shot" at taking a student! at the end of the program when we needed references from our instructor...all numbers had been disconected and we had no way to retrieve school records from them to prove that we recieved training from them. needless to say, i had to do the whole program again but i was smart and did it at an accreditied community college.

i would highly recommend that you, as did i, seek cna training at a community college. the majority of the nc community colleges offer cna training through "continuing education" which means that it is non-curriculum but very inexpensive considering how valuable the program is! the cost can randge from $60-$150. i paid a total of $60 for my program and the school was fully accreditied. also many hospitals will "sponsor" you. this means that they will pay the full cost of the program (enrollment fee, cpr, books, uniform, and certification costs) in exchange that you will work for them for the next 6mths to a year! this is very helpful because not only will your costs be off your back but a job will be at the end of the journey! i have since then earned a degree in medical assisting and i am pursuing nursing. i will always value the cna and phlebotomy programs that i went through. i love the feeling of knowing what it is like to be a different type of healthcare "professional"(i feel this way about every person in healthcare). i hope that this was helpful to you and good luck to you!!!!

kellmoiselle · Jul 28, 2008

Thanks for the reply! I have already signed up so I'm hoping it works out ok. When I called I started to grill the guy a bit. Class is for one week and then you have clinicals for another week. He told me the clincals will be at nursing homes in the Raleigh area. Sounds like you had a crappy experience. The only reason I didn't do the CNA programs at the community college is that I am moving back to NC in October so it will be mid semester after they have started, plus I didn't want to not have a job for 3 or 4 months while I'm taking one course and it would be silly to get a job and then quit after a few months after I get my CNA certification. I'm hoping that your horrid experience was due to it being a satellite/newer campus. The guy said they had been in business for over 20 years and they are well known in the Raleigh area. I also checked them with the BBB and they had no complaints. I'll have to hope for the best!

rerechlt · Jul 30, 2008

Hi ncNurse2b715 -

I also live in the Lake Norman area and was thinking about going to school for medical assisting. I looked into several schools like Kings College, ECPI and Brookstone, but they were all so expensive....approx $16,000-$22,000 for a 10-14 month program. I also researched them online, and the few reviews that I found on each school weren't all that encouraging. The one thing that I read about all 3 schools was they didn't spend enough time on the clinical training. I've been in banking for 15 years, and I have no experience in drawing blood, taking vitals, etc., so I wanted a place where there would be a tremendous about of time spent on clinical training. Anyway, I ended up signing up for some classes at UNCC. They have some classes for Medical Office Administration (continuing education) which start next week. There is no clinical training in this program, but I figured it's a good place to start and see if the medical field is really where I want to be. I went to the info session and met some previous students, and they all gave this class wonderful reviews. So, my questions for you are: 1). Where did you go to school for your medical assisting training? Would you recommend this school? Approx tuition? 2.) Where are you going to school for nursing? 3.) Did you go to CPCC for your CNA training? Thanks!

nmb123 · Oct 8, 2008

I am responding to the dissatisfied prior student of Thomas Healthcare Institue of Charlotte. I read your comments of what sounds like the unprofessionalism of the former instructor/instructors. Yes, FORMER! You must have been a student before the middle of 2006. My personal knowledge and experience is that all instructors are licensed healthcare PROFESSIONALS with 9-13 years of experience, and just as important, they display the character of INTEGRITY towards their employer, and the students. The students are assigned a clinical site by the school without difficulty.You don't have to go into years of debt either after going there. Everyone and everything has a past, whether good or bad. What matters most is how you cross over!

WHNP715, APRN, NP · Oct 8, 2008

I went to Mitchell Community College. Approx tuition for the entire program may cost you $2,000.00 (not $20,000 like I have been hearing). It is a public NC Community College. The tuition rate is around $40 per credit hour. You must meet the admissions requirements and take applicable placement testing. I loved the program but I just want to do more in healthcare. I am planning on applying for the August 2009 admissions for Presbyterian' School of Nursing @ Queens University since I work for Presbyterian Healthcare. I earned my CNA I Certification from Mitchell Community College. The program was $60 + book and CPR training. The hospital that I used to work for paid for the training in exchange that I worked for them for 6 months!! Good luck to you!!!

WHNP715, APRN, NP · Oct 8, 2008

Thank you for writing back on that! I was hoping that what I went through would not happen to anyone else. I wish I could have talked to YOU then!!! :wink2:

kenez14 · Apr 18, 2009

My experience with Thomas Health Care was the worst I have ever had. I think they

are not concerned about their students. I paid the full fee hoping to finish the course in due

time and get to do the state exam to get the state license.

They seem not to be organized: They change the time table according to how it suites them.

Our class had to be divided into two during the clinical s i.e. Men/Women. This happened because

we (men) could not go to Brighton Gardens with the ladies (the facility didn't want men there) I

wonder why. Then we had to wait for two to three weeks to get another facility that accommodated us

(springmoore).

They don't state their goals clearly. Our tutor said we would have at least 24hrs clinical s and that's

what the ladies had. When we finally went there we are told we have to do 40 hrs.

Doesn't sound professional There's an English exam they tell you to do before getting enrolled to the programme and the instructor tells you not to worry because he's going to fill in the answers in for you!

I hope they can do better than what they are doing at the moment. I wish I had gone to Wake Tech or any nice community college around here

adorblepuppy · Apr 18, 2009

I have not heard good things about them. When i want for my state test there was two girls that want there and they said they were not even taught how to do a bedpan. I do know one girl that want there that said it wasn't that bad. I want to take phlebotomy but don't have the time or money right now. I am hoping to take it soon.

kellmoiselle · Apr 19, 2009

Well, since I'm the one that started this thread I thought I'd report back. I took the CNA course last Novemeber and I had a small class of only 5 people and we had a really wonderful instructor. I didn't really have any major issues with the school, it just seemed kinda off at first. Like the first day I was supposed to be there at a certain time and no one showed up till about an hour later. The facility is not the greatest but if you get the instructor I had she was fabulous and I learned a lot from her. I did my clinical at springmoor and honestly I learned more in the classroom than I did at the clinical. I never took the state board as I was accepted into nursing school before I finished the CNA course and will not be working in school.

I think the school is realtive and your experience seems to depend on the instructor, class size, and other factors.

The reason I chose that program rather than wake tech is I didn't want to spend 3 months taking a course and wanted to get it over with. I guess it's kinda hit or miss.

If you are interested in taking a CNA course with them please send me a private message and I will tell you the name of the instructor (I'm not supposed to mention instructors names on this board) I had so maybe you can take class with her because she was very good.

reformedlibrarian · Apr 30, 2009

hey kelli, for some reason i can't send private messages, but i am very interested in the name of the professor you had. the cna class is my very last requirement to get on the waitlist at my local community college, so i am trying to do it as quickly as possible.

i sent a friend request, maybe you can message me the name of the professor once i am in your contact list?

thanks for the helpful post

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · May 7, 2009

Reformedlibrarian, once you get to 15 posts, you'll be able to send & receive PMs. :)