HASTINGS (SNR/STC) – This summer, St. Cecilia High School in Hastings sent five new state-certified nurse assistants into the world through the school’s new Nursing Assistant Training Course.
Now, instructor Kyla Lindeque, R.N., is preparing to launch another round next semester.
Lindeque, the school nurse, brought the idea for the class to St. Cecilia High for the 2019-20 school year after seeing the success of such a program at a conference during the summer of 2019. She said the class would both offer a unique and beneficial program to the students, as well as allow her more time to share her passion for healthcare with students.
Only two high schools in the area – one in Grand Island and one in Superior – had such programs, Lindeque said, making it another way that Hastings Catholic Schools may give students an advantage after graduation.
So after earning her teaching certificate, and receiving approval for the class from Hastings Catholic Schools administration, the Nebraska Department of Education, the State of Nebraska and the Diocese of Lincoln, Lindeque was ready to hit the ground running. Before doing so, the program needed equipment.
After collecting the majority of the supplies needed through donations, including two hospital beds from Central Community College - Hastings Campus, valued at $4,500 each, everything was in place.
The class began after Christmas break, with five students enrolled.
The nurse aid class allows students to study through bookwork, worksheets and hands-on lab experiences to earn proficiencies in “Activities of Daily Living.”
These skills include a wide variety of activities that are meant to improve the overall quality of life for those in need of medical care. Students will study and must pass lessons on nutrient/food care plans, ambulation, bed baths, intake and output monitoring, lift techniques – both physical and electric – and taking, measuring, and reporting on vitals such as blood pressure and heart rates.
Lindeque said the role of a nurse’s aid is extremely important because they are the nurse’s eyes and ears, directly interacting with the patient more frequently than other medical professionals.
Students within the program must complete 80 hours of classroom and lab work to be eligible to test for their NA, formerly titled CNA.
Students at St. Cecilia meet for an extended amount of time; a combination of their lunch and fifth period class. The students complete approximately 30 minutes of in-class bookwork each week, and two hours on bookwork outside of class. The rest is hands-on labs and testing with the medical mannequins.
The class not only focuses on the technical aspects of the medical field but also the social “bedside manner” portion of the career, learning to treat each patient as a person.
“They are someone’s grandmother, mother, daughter, sister. We teach students to genuinely care about every person,” Lindeque said.
In order to work on their patient interactions, Lindeque requires students to communicate with the mannequins, asking how they are doing, explaining the tasks they are completing and other general conversation pieces. Communication is not the only intangible that is discussed in the class.
Being able to share a spiritual aspect in the lessons is also a huge benefit to the overall future success of our students, Lindeque said.
“They have to be able to lean on God and take care of themselves,” she explained. “It’s incredibly important to be able to hand things up to God. Nurse fatigue is a big reason we don’t have enough nurses.”
The NA students saw additional benefits of the program being offered at STC.
“There’s a bigger advantage here because you get a lot of one-on-one time so whenever you have a question, you don’t have to wait... to get help from a teacher,” said Gali Pedroza, who took the class last year as a junior. “We have the time to practice our skills because it’s a smaller class so we get things done quicker.”
Lindeque agreed that the class, leading to NA certification, will give St. Cecilia graduates early access to the healthcare field. NA certification is a requirement to get into nursing school and many schools prefer that students work with the certification in the field before applying. By starting the testing and certification process as juniors and seniors, the students will have a jump start and be able to work in the industry, giving them an advantage over other students just starting their certification after high school graduation.
Lindeque spoke of the shortage of nurses and looks forward to offering this course again in the spring of 2021 to help combat the shortage. Although the first year’s program was affected by the COVID-19 school closure, the students reach their 80-hour requirement through summer courses.
Two of the students who completed the course and graduated from St. Cecilia this year, Paige Jacobi and Chloe McCauley, are students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln pursing nursing degrees and able to work in NA jobs in Lincoln.
The other three students who completed the course this summer were juniors. Carlos Buenos has moved to another city for his senior year but hoped the class will be a stepping stone to get into the medical field. Gali Pedroza is a senior at St. Cecilia and plans to pursue education in nursing and work with her NA after graduation. Senior Ashlyn Ziemba is currently employed as a NA at Perkins-Good Samaritan Village in Hastings.
“These teenagers are amazing kids,” Lindeque said. “They’re dedicated kids and that is such a joy for me. I can’t wait for them to be part of the healthcare field because they are going to be amazing.”
