Jeffrey Hindy, 27, of Johnston, walks Rosgeria Seikel, of Newport, who plays a patient, during his test to become a nursing assistant.

The Providence Journal / Frieda Squires

LINCOLN — Jeffrey Hindy leans over a hospital bed and gently lifts a woman lying in a johnny until she is sitting up, her legs dangling over the side of the bed.

He makes sure she is steady and then, using a thick belt, he helps her to stand and walk a few steps. Later, he carefully washes her arms and face, giving the woman — a student playing a patient — a partial sponge bath.

Hindy performed these tasks yesterday as part of his final exam for the certified nursing assistant program at the Community College of Rhode Island’s Flanagan campus.

The CNA program — one of many job training programs offered by CCRI that have seen a jump in enrollment in response to the downturn in the economy — graduates more than 1,000 students a year. The program supplies Rhode Island with a steady stream of assistants at nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, and to elderly or disabled people’s homes. Certified nursing assistants help clean, clothe and feed patients and also observe patients’ health, looking for signs of labored breathing, discomfort or other signs of illness.

“CNAs are on the front line of patient care, and they catch that first sign that something is wrong,” said Virginia Burke, president of the Rhode Island Health Care Association, which represents 58 of the state’s 86 nursing homes. “No one is more important to the quality of life for residents at a nursing home than CNAs.”

According to Burke, there is a 15-percent vacancy rate statewide for CNAs. And with a growing older population, the need for high quality nurses and nursing assistants will increase.

According to a report last year by Northeastern University’s Center for Labor Market Studies, the proportion of Rhode Island’s population that is age 55 or older has gradually risen over the past 50 years. Between 2005 and 2015, the state’s share of the 55-plus population is projected to grow from 24 percent to 28 percent. By 2030, according to the study, 1 in 3 Rhode Islanders will be 55 or older.

For Hindy, 27, of Johnston, entering the health-care field marks a career shift. For the past decade, Hindy has put down carpet — physically taxing work that took a toll on his knees. Both of his parents are registered nurses, and they encouraged him to consider the health-care profession, he said.

This fall, Hindy took CCRI’s 10-week CNA course, passed a 70-question written test and received a temporary license. He accepted a full-time job working for a medical agency that sends him to patients’ homes.

“I like it a lot,” Hindy says. “It’s a good feeling because I know I am helping people to go on with their daily activities and to stay in their own homes. When I leave, they are so happy I came.”

Interaction with patients is as important as helping to care for their physical needs, Burke said.

“CNAs have to have a good heart,” she said. “A big part of their job is treating residents with dignity and kindness. It takes a certain kind of patience to do this job.”

THE CNA PROGRAM is one of CCRI’s most popular training programs, said Mary Parrillo, director of CCRI’s Career and Technical Education. Only drivers’ education and the commercial drivers’ license program are bigger.

More than 36,000 students a year take classes through the Center for Workforce and Community Education, which includes adult education; “personal development” classes such as computers, belly dancing, SAT prep and boating safety; and career and technical programs, such as CNA, environmental safety, electrical apprenticeship, culinary arts assistant and solar electric technology.

Interest in programs offered through the center has surged recently in response to the economic recession, Parrillo said. There is a month-and-a-half waitlist for the certified nursing assistant program, for example. Applicants must pass a reading comprehension test, undergo a physical and pass a criminal background check before being admitted to the program, which costs about $700. Some adult-skills grants and work-force grants for students who qualify for welfare can be used to cover the cost.

“It’s a short-term training program that is often a stepping stone to longer training programs or post-secondary opportunities,” Parrillo said.

CNAs earn between $10 and $12 an hour, and those who complete the program also receive six credits toward CCRI’s renal technology program.

Yesterday, Hindy passed his 25-minute clinical final, and received his state license. He said he will keep working for the medical agency as a CNA while he continues his studies at CCRI.

“I want to become an RN,” Hindy said.

CCRI’s CNA program is accepting applications for classes in November and December. Call (401) 333-7286 or 333-7283 for more information.

To see a complete listing of courses offered by the Center for Workforce and Community Education, visit: www.ccri.edu/cwce/ and click on “Fall Offerings.”

jjordan@projo.com