Nurses in training get lifesaving certification

Published 9:00 am Saturday, March 6, 2021

A couple of Baldwin High School seniors in the certified nursing assistant (CNA) learning pathway say they have been in situations where medical emergency response training would have been useful.

Now, after undergoing that training this week thanks to a collaboration with Central Georgia Technical College, they say they are ready to help should a similar situation arise again. 

“On a scale of 1 to 10, my confidence level would be a 10,” said senior Miyonna Smith. 

The basic life support training was but one stop on the CNA pathway, which is one of several pathways offered at the high school that gives students hands-on experience in a career field they are interested in before they even graduate. Some programs are further enhanced by those who lead them. A partnership between the school system and CGTC allows the college instructors to come onto the high school campus to teach dual enrollment courses like CNA aide fundamentals at no cost to students.

“This dual enrollment program is a great opportunity for high school students,” said Ashley Hastings, CGTC instructor for the CNA course. “They’re actually able to see what the field is like before they even go to college.”

The future nurses receive 134 hours of combined learning and training split among classroom, lab and clinical settings. The clinical aspect, which makes up 24 of those hours, looks different this year due to COVID. Normally, the students would get to practice their skills in a nursing home, but the pandemic has closed that door for now. 

“That’s where they get the best experience because we’re taking all the skills that they’ve learned and they’re actually able to go out and do it,” Hastings said. “They’re not getting the full experience right now, but we’re trying our best with a lab practicum to make sure they complete their hours.”

Once the requirements are fulfilled, the students are free to take the state CNA exam where a passing grade can earn them certification and a leg up whether they decide to go straight into the workforce after graduation or attend college to further their nursing education. Senior Markayla Freeman plans to attend Valdosta State University in the fall but knows she could jump right into being a CNA if she decided to go that route.

“I feel very well-prepared to get into the field after graduation,” she said. “I was lost at the beginning, but the teacher helped us go step-by-step … I really recommend this program, even if you don’t want to go into the nursing field. It could help a lot of people.”

The CNA class is small right now, so the instructor Hastings, who says she wishes she had a similar opportunity in high school, hopes to see more students take advantage of the innovative program moving forward, especially because of all the employment opportunities locally. 

“In Baldwin County alone there are multiple nursing homes, the Georgia War Veterans Home and home health agencies. It could definitely benefit the community for these young students to get certified through their school and go to work straight out of high school and maybe while they’re in college.”