The snap of gloves, the beep of monitors and the rustle of scrubs fill the room as students in the Clinical Nursing Assistant (CNA) program spend the year learning skills and receiving clinical hours to get their license.
“It [the CNA class] prepares students for healthcare careers by providing on the job training, clinical experience in nursing homes and hospitals and an industry certification,” CTE health science teacher Jaime Davidson said.
The course is aimed at giving students insight about healthcare careers, and is divided in half with the first semester focused on teaching students the basics about patient care.
“You spend time learning all the skills before going to nursing homes to get your hours before you can get your [CNA] license,” senior Maiya Chandarraju said.
Alongside doing many unexpected skills like bed baths, CNA students also practice their confidence and empathy through interactions with nursing home residents.
“I really enjoyed this one resident who we [CNA students] would talk to and always hang out with,” Chandarraju said. “She would keep us for [multiple] hours at a time, just telling us stories about her life and giving us advice.”
After receiving their CNA license in December, students who plan to get their Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) license spend the second semester building on learned skills that contribute to CCMA skills.
“The second semester is more versatile because while they may be shadowing a healthcare professional, they are also needing to understand the basics in order for it to be a meaningful experience,” Davidson said.
In order to help CNA students learn the material, they spend each week in second semester shadowing at the local hospitals which makes it crucial for them to provide help to the patients on a daily basis. This makes the application process important to ensure the success of the program.
“I had to submit my current grades from the semester along with answering short answer questions [and submitting attendance],” senior Aadhvika Madhula said. “I also had to submit two teacher recommendations.”
Since the course is so selective, the curriculum is focused on helping students prepare for their certification exams.
“I have the students complete weekly modules pertaining to different content areas of the test [certification exam],” Davidson said. “I bring them back to campus [for] a couple days to review what is learned and practice skills. When we get closer [to the exam], they will take various practice tests that are offered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).”
Not only are students in this course able to meet with different healthcare specialists like respiratory therapists and radiology technicians, but they also are able to prepare themselves for a potential future in healthcare.
“Make the most of your opportunity,” Davidson said. “Your experience is what you make it and recognize that it is a privilege that not everyone gets.”
