By B.C. Manion
Seventeen-year-old Breanna Crabtree wants to pursue a medical career, but she doesn’t know the precise path she will take.
That’s why she enrolled in the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program at Pasco High School’s Academy of Health and Human Services.
“I figured it could help me decide what I wanted,” Crabtree said. At this point, she is considering careers in nursing or radiology, though it appears she may be leaning toward radiology.
“I think it’s so cool — how they can look inside somebody’s body like that,” she said.
The school has transitioned from its former Occupational Health program to the academy, and the program is enjoying a good bit of success.
Twenty-six students in the program recently competed in a regional competition hosted by the Health Occupations Students of America, and 19 of them have qualified to compete at the state contest in Jacksonville March 31-April 3.
The program also has received grants to cover the cost of field trips to Shriners Hospital, the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and the Museum of Science & Industry on one day and to Pasco Hernando Community College, All Children’s Hospital and Bay Flight on another.
The field trips help students broaden their perspective on future medical careers, said Jennifer Wilson, a registered nurse who teaches the program.
“A lot of kids think, ‘Oh, I want to be a nurse, or I want to be a doctor.’ But they need to know there are radiology technicians that work in a cardiac catheterization lab, that are hands-on for the physician to take pictures to make sure things are flowing,” Wilson said.
It’s also important for students to realize that they can work in a variety of settings and in various roles in the medical field, she said.
“You don’t have to stay in one position all of your life,” Wilson said. A nurse can work in a medical-surgery center, or in pediatrics, or can teach, she said.
Nurses have other options, too. “You can work in an office. You can work in a nursing home. You can be a supervisor. You can do anything you want.”
Students in the program offered a variety of reasons for signing up.
Eighteen-year-old Kyle Mullet cited a personal motivation.
“My mom had a stroke,” Mullet said. “I couldn’t help her out when she really needed me,” he said. He wants to be a physical therapy assistant so he can help people.
Others in Wilson’s class aspire to work in a wide array of medical careers.
“I want to be a sonographer, or ultrasound tech,” said Lauren McIntosh, 18. She’s glad to be enrolled in the CNA program because she thinks it will help prepare her for work.
“When we go out in the field, we’ll be ready to work,” she said. It’s not like just reading a book and not having a clue what to do once you start your job, she added.
Eighteen-year-old Renae Reynolds has a clear career goal. She wants to be a physician’s assistant and to work with babies.
“Ever since I was little, I have always wanted to be in the health field,” she said. She said she’s drawn to pediatrics because she loves babies.
She said the program at Pasco High helps students find out if they truly want to work in the health field.
The students have a chance to do rotations in a nursing home and a hospital, Wilson said.
They also have a mock hospital room — set up like a real hospital room.
Students practice with mannequins, which are life-size and weigh as much as an actual human being. They learn to lift the patients and do other chores that are done by certified nursing assistants.
Wilson said she tries to prepare students for their clinicals by teaching them how to communicate with professionals and how to speak to patients.
She asks them: “How would your mother or your grandmother expect you to converse with them?”
Students are sometimes shocked by the way some patients behave, Wilson said.
Reynolds agreed. She said she was surprised at “how rude some patients can be” but she attributes that behavior to “what they are going through.”
Seventeen-year-old Courtney Rubio said she’s surprised by how quickly she can form a connection with the patients she’s helping. “In the nursing home, you wouldn’t think it, but you actually get attached to the residents who live there,” she said.
Seventeen-year-old Beatriz Cruz is interested in working in a hospital, but she’s not drawn to being a doctor or a nurse. She wants to be a social worker.
Karina Maisonet wants to become a physical therapist and she thinks the CNA program will help get moving in that direction.
“It’s kind of like a jumpstart,” agreed Kara Bihorel, 15, who is considering a career in nursing. If she winds up choosing that career she’ll be following not only in her father’s footsteps, but in her grandfather’s as well.
Other students in Wilson’s program mention they want to pursue neonatal nursing, work in pediatrics specializing in treating ears, nose and throat, become an anesthesiologist, or work in sports medicine.
The school’s CNA program prepares students to become certified and enter the workforce, Wilson said. They take Health Science 1, Health Science 2 and Nursing Assisting 3 in the program.
They also have clinicials at Royal Oak Nursing Center and at Pasco Regional Medical Center. Some also do clinicals at Premier Community Health Group.
Students learn everything from what vital signs should be and how to take them and the meaning of complex medical terms. They also learn about physiology and anatomy, medical ethics, patient privacy rights and how to use medical equipment.
Students must apply to be accepted to the program. In addition to writing an essay explaining why they want to be in the program, the student must have at least a 2.5 grade-point average and a history of very few or no disciplinary issues. They also must sign an agreement stating they will abide by the program’s requirements.
Being self-disciplined is important because students must be able to handle challenging situations when they arise, Wilson said.
“If you can’t behave or control yourself at school, how do you expect us to trust you to control yourself in a healthcare setting where you have a patient who is confused, who may want to bite you or hit you or yell at you — and how are you going to handle that, or respond?” Wilson said.
STUDENTS WINNING HONORS
These students from Pasco High will compete in the state’s HOSA competition:
Taylor Edwards, Angelica Wheeler, Kevin McDougal, Peter Mercadante, Keshawn Davis, Sakina Tyson, Sheyanne Neidert, Courtney Wheeler, Courtney Rubio, Jennifer Sakellaris, Kelsey Ray, Beatriz Cruz, Jordan Glitch, Mariarose Kussler, Karina Maisonet, Breanna Crabtree, MariaElena Sanchez, Keiser Permanante and Lidia Moreno.