I can not support this petition in its' entirety.  

I support using licensed hospitals "in addition to" the LTC arena but not "rather than".  Students have valuable experiences in the LTC setting, including but certainly not limited to communication challenges, holistic care, basic personal care, positioning, and establishing a relationship with residents.  The turnover in acute care often does not allow this to occur. 

I have to question if on-site working RN's and LPN's can give the NA the attention that is often necessary when clinical rotation begins. The introduction to providing care to a patient in an acute care facility may differ from care in LTC.  LTC allows for direct care to be completed versus acute care may be more of observational role.

I do not believe, RN/LPN's need LTC experience prior to teaching the NA class.