If you’re looking to become a certified nursing assistant… Fremont County has an intensive course training students for the healthcare field Fremont County BOCES Technical Director Dr Kristen Benson said “this is a hands-on class, there is a theory component of it which is very important, but there are skills where you have mannequins, we have hospital beds down there we have stethoscopes, we have blood pressure cuffs.”
CNA students say the hands-on training and an experienced teacher get them ready for their clinicals and the work-force beyond.
CNA student Tiffani Manor said “her feelings and her hands on of the handling of different situations is something you don’t get in a lot of classes, they’re not taught by a lot of people who have been out in the real world. So it’s nice to have that knowledge coming from Terri and that hand-on experience to share with us.”
Students vary in ages from 16 to 65… each one has a specific reason they want to be a nursing assistant.
Manor mentioned “there’s a lot of people in there taking it for personal reasons to help out family members and relationships at home that are actually getting to take care of loved ones which is wonderful. The rest of us are kind of looking at a way to try and help out other people in our lives and that’s kind of wonderful all the way around.”
Dr. Benson stated “they take a special person to do that, that care for the elderly, our elderly are you know they’re our history they’re our grandparents, they’re our aunts and uncles.”
The program is not for the faint of heart and students learn what it’s like to work in a fast paced environment.
Dr. Benson said “we usually have ten to twelve students in a class and they usually last three and a half weeks, four hours a day, it is an intense class. Five days a week, four hours a day.”
Manor stated “it is hard-core and it is pound it out, Terri Wilson is a great instructor and we’re learning a lot and she’s keeping us very upbeat which is wonderful.”
Long-term care facilities across the state have a high interest in the nurses trained with this program.
Dr. Benson said “they call us, or they say have you had a class yet? When will they be done? All the time we get those calls and it’s pretty encouraging.”
High-school students who take part in the program earn high school credits as well as healthcare experience.
The certified nursing program has been active for over ten years….and is approved through the Wyoming state board of nursing.
