◆ Eight students are currently enrolled in the program.

Swift Creek High School has opened a new facility in which students can complete a Certified Nursing Assistant program, adding a certification to their diploma at graduation from high school.

Through funding provided by a grant that the school acquired, all equipment and supplies needed to administer the program are now available to students on the SCHS campus.

“We are grateful that we were able to get that grant and that we have been able to buy all of this brand-new equipment,” said Tyler Jack, SCHS Principal. “It’s all state of the art. We have our own first aid equipment and mannequins – everything we need to run the whole course from start to finish. We used to have to go to SVHS and use the CPR stuff or to the EMT garage for other needs.”

Eight students are currently enrolled in the course now offered entirely at the SCHS campus. McKenna DeGarmo, Sierra Humbert, Shiann Jacobs, Bailee Long, Kasenya Scott, Saige Stevenson, Sophia Watkins Hodgson and Sierra Wolfley are all participants in the new program and will spend 3 and a half hours in the lab each day for the next six weeks. At the conclusion of the six-week course, they will complete two days of clinical work and then take the state exam.

The new CNA lab features beds and curtains, which are set up as a mock emergency room. Students have all the personal protective equipment that they would need in a medical setting as well as other training and medical equipment that would be used in a real medical or care facility.

“We have such a great group of students,” said Kelsey Bryson, course instructor. “They are very engaged. I am really excited for them to be part of the hospital or part of our community of care providers. This is a great program and we have the nicest equipment here. I am so excited for them.”

Each student involved with the program has carefully considered the impact this program will have on their future. They all recognize the value of vocational training at the high school level and feel blessed to have the opportunity.

“I think it looks good on college applications and you can always widen your career with it,” said Bailee Long. “I thought this was going to be really hard, but it’s actually been pretty easy. CPR only took 4 hours to learn and I passed my CPR test with 100 percent. It’s fun working with everyone else and it’s fun to have it be hands-on.”

“I am eventually going to move up from CNA to Phlebotomy and then higher,” said Sierra Humbert. “This is just a good base level right now. It’s really nice because it’s at school. I’m getting everything I need and it’s free to us. I love it so much. The instructor we have is amazing. Everything is well taught and well explained. The the hands-on is my favorite part about it. The book work is my least favorite. But you have got to do it. When we did the CPR and had the mannequins, that was really fun.”

“I have always been interested in medical stuff,” said Kasenya Scott. “I want to be a dentist and I feel like this is a good start for me. I just really like taking care of people. I have actually enjoyed going home and reading ahead of where we are. When we did CPR, that was really fun. It’s crazy that as a 16-year-old, I am now legally able to attempt to save someone’s life. I can do that now, and I know what to do. It’s cool that I have these opportunities to possibly make it easier for someone who is in hospice or has a terminal illness. I might even have the opportunity to save someone’s life.”

“I wasn’t planning on going to college like everyone else and there’s a lot of need for health care in the valley, so I decided that was the best way to go,” said Sophia Watkins Hodgson. “The school pays for everything with the program, so I just did it. There are a lot of medical terms that we need to learn and how to communicate with people in a professional way. We’re not in the books all the time, and we move through it quickly. We still are able to grasp it and really understand what we are supposed to be doing. We all work together and help each other.”

“I have never really looked towards my future, so I thought this would be a great chance for me to actually have a career and a goal and something that I could succeed in,” said Shiann Jacobs. “It’s been rough for me. The reading and the comprehension and trying to understand and remember every little thing has been rough. But it’s been so fun. All the girls are so fun. We love each other and we love this class. My favorite part is the connection with the other girls. We have a good connection with everyone at the school in general.”

“It’s a good opportunity for these girls,” said Jack. “A diploma is great, but this is more than just a diploma. It gives them the opportunity to see that they can have a job with benefits. Even while they are in high school, they can work there. We are just grateful to have the opportunity to provide this vocational skill.”