Warren Woods Tower partnership with Macomb Community College paves way for student certification as CNA
Warren Woods Tower High School (WWT) has recently formed a groundbreaking partnership with Macomb Community College (MCC) to formally educate and train students with passion and initiative to become Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs). The Nursing Assistant class is one of the many offerings in Career Technical Education (CTE). CTE classes provide students with practical and applicable skills that are utilized in current high-wage and high- demand career domains. The CNA program provides students with a tremendous advantage in their employability after high school and may serve as a strong foundation for further studies.
This is Warren Woods Tower’s first year collaborating with Macomb Community College in their Certified Nursing Assistant pro- gram. MCC instructors Mrs. Deb- orah Brown and Ms. Karen Black are fully invested in the partnership’s success as they collectively established the program and are actively executing the daily training sessions alongside WWT Health Science teacher Mrs. Jaclyn Kausch. They are very impressed with the outcome of the partnership with MCC; as Mrs. Kausch expresses, “it’s going really well…we work really well together as teachers, and then the students love the instructors, and the instructors love coming in to teach them.”
Students learn in the classroom and in interactive, real-world environments that provide handson experience through rigorous yet rewarding teachings. Students are taught empathy, attentiveness to patient needs and well-being, and aspects of health ranging from newborn to geriatric care. CNAs in training have essential curriculum, procedures, and laws that they must become proficient in understanding. This includes vital body systems, emergency response procedures, recording patient chart analyses, and learning patient care practices. Each student must complete 65 classroom hours and 25 clinical hours before proceeding to the examination phase of their studies. Students will earn their clinical hours in a local long-term care facility. In the final stage of training, they will be eligible to take the CNA skills test issued by the State of Michigan. Upon passing the skills exam, students have the option to work in the medical field at the age of eighteen. Ms. Black has high and attainable expectations for the class members, “it is an accelerated class…we expect that they will be able to conquer
all the skills and be able to sit for the competency test for the state and pass the very first time.” Once certified, students have a myriad of options for their post-secondary plan for success. Students may seek employment at long-term care facilities, hospitals, and other workplaces that demand CNAs on the scene. Students may also continue their education in the health sciences at MCC or other learning institutions. Jamila Mila, Fitzgerald High School Senior, who will be attending Michigan State University in the Fall, enthusiastically imparts, “I’m planning to work as a CNA after high school while going to med school.”
With a rising demand for frontline workers in hospitals and assisted living facilities, there is no better time than now to enter the healthcare sector. The data gathered by the U.S Bureau
of Labor Statistics states that between 2020 and 2030, CNA positions and openings are projected to rise in demand by 8-16%. A factor that explains the growth in overall demand relates to the aging baby boomer population. Many individuals are slowly becoming reliant on healthcare assistance to aid their progressive aging sequence in their later years. Another primary factor in the need for CNAs is connected to the effects of Covid-19 that are still heavily present today in medicine. Consequently, hospitals and retirement homes are still recovering from the pandemic’s impact on healthcare, specifically in the shortage of healthcare workers.
Students in the program have been molded by the uncertainty of the coronavirus and will be required to adapt to the ongoing changes in medicine and healthcare.
Our CNA students are embracing the challenge that Covid-19 has presented.
WWT Senior Isabella Popp, who is in both the CNA Nursing Assistant class and the Medical Terminology class here at Warren Woods Tower, comments that she has “never seen any other program like this available; the program is very well put together, and it gives you an idea of how fast-paced the healthcare environment is. Everyone in the Nursing Assistant course is working toward certification.” Isabella adds that the program teaches students the importance of building a connection so that all patients feel safe, heard, and supported.
WWT offers an array of courses that fosters a sound foundation for students planning to pursue a career in the medical domain. In addition to the Nursing Assistant class, students may enroll in Medical Terminology, Medical Assistant, and Anatomy & Physiology. These classes allow students to learn many critical skills in the health sciences. Students are exposed to the language of medicine through Medical Terminology, physician support and professionalism in Medical Assistant, and the human body and its functions in Anatomy & Physiology. Moreover, WWT health science teachers Mrs. Kausch and Mrs.
Erin Savela emphasize the importance of communication and collaboration by incorporating problem-solving, diagnostic reasoning, commitment, tenacity, leadership, soft skills, and evaluation skills. The courses are structured and thorough while giving students the freedom to explore the different branches of medicine, learn applicable medical procedures, and acquire the necessary skills regarding patient care.
The Southwest Macomb Technical Education Consortium (SMTEC) collaborates between Center Line, Fitzgerald, Van Dyke, and Warren Woods districts that allow their high schools to share CTE programs. The alliance enables students to enroll in courses that represent a variety of career pathways. Currently, there are nineteen students enrolled in the CNA program at WWT, with all consortium schools being represented. The collaboration between Warren Woods Tower and Macomb Community College provides the CNA students with viable options for their futures. The CNA program opens doors for students as it produces a pillar of support to find success, whether they use certification as a stepping stone for other jobs in the medical field or remain in their future position as a Certified Nursing Assistant.