CHURCH HILL — Eight students at Volunteer High School successfully completed coursework to become certified nursing assistants during the fall semester.
The eight were required to take three prerequisite courses before being eligible to be accepted into the nursing education class. The prerequisite courses include introduction to health science, medical therapeutics, and anatomy & physiology.
Before students can take the state CNA licensure exam, they must complete 40 hours of lecture/content delivery, 20 hours of classroom labs, and 40 hours of clinical experience.
Students must take both the knowledge and skills portion of the exam.
“While becoming a CNA is a foundational steppingstone to becoming a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or a registered nurse (RN), it can also be a valuable start to a variety of careers in the healthcare industry,” said Brandon Williams, Career and Technical Education supervisor for Hawkins County Schools. “All eight students have plans to further their education after graduation.”
• Emma Brown will be attending Walters State Community College, where she will major in occupational therapy. She plans to work as a CNA while attending college.
• Lillian Cicero will be attending Tennessee Tech University, where she will major in human ecology with a concentration in nutrition and dietetics. She plans to work as a CNA while attending college.
• Grace Cox will be attending Carson-Newman University, where she will major in nursing. She plans to work as a CNA while attending college and wants to be a pediatric registered nurse.
• Kailee Gibbons will be attending Northeast State Community College, where she plans to attain her EMT licensure while also working as a CNA.
• Kyrsten Patrick will also be attending Northeast State, where she will major in nursing. She plans to begin work as a CNA immediately.
• Reagan Skelton will be attending East Tennessee State University, where she will major in radiology. She plans to work as a CNA while attending college.
• Tanner Spears has been accepted to Tennessee Tech University and Carson-Newman University, although he is undecided where he will attend. He plans to major in diagnostic medical sonography while also working as a CNA.
• Josie Templeton will be attending Walters State, where she will major in nursing. She is currently seeking employment as a CNA and wants to be a registered nurse in the NICU.
The nursing education instructor at Volunteer, Keri Masters, said that she has enjoyed seeing her students’ hard work pay off.
“They deserve to be celebrated and should be very proud of themselves. They will be an asset to any post-secondary program they attend.”
The entire 2021 class said that they were grateful for the opportunity to become CNAs while in high school.
”We want to thank Ms. Masters, our parents, and Volunteer High School for giving us this opportunity,” said the Fall 2021 Nursing Education class.
https://www.timesnews.net/news/education/students-at-volunteer-high-school-become-cnas/article_ed4d3c0e-7887-11ec-9239-fbb5448596cf.html
