Alessia Korvessis | The Chronicle
At only 16 years old, Mason High School (MHS) students are stepping beyond the traditional school classroom into the world of healthcare through Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training. These students are able to gain hands-on experience in the medical field and explore their futures all in one.
The CNA program lasts four to 12 weeks and combines classroom instruction, hands-on training and clinical experience. Ohio allows students to begin CNA training at 16 years of age, giving teenagers an early opportunity to learn about patient care, medical terminology and responsibilities of working in health care.
Senior Lillian Tant completed CNA training over the summer. Tant said her two-week course was a rigorous experience.
“There were at least six lectures a day, and they were all 30 minutes long,” Tant said. “Then you’d have four days of clinicals, so you learn all the procedures and treatments.”
While some students choose CNA training to strengthen their college applications, others do it to help choose their college path. Tant said the experience helped her determine whether she wanted to pursue a career in health care.
“My family doesn’t come from a medically oriented environment,” Tant said. “I don’t really have many medical connections. I think it was important for me to get an idea of how much time, effort and sacrifice [medicine] requires out of you, and putting it into a real experience helped me decide what I want to do in college.”
Senior Kami Useche also completed the CNA program over the summer. She said she learned that being a CNA involves more than mastering medical procedures. Building relationships with patients is also an important part of the job.
“It’s called bedside manner, and it’s how to really talk to the residents and how to manage them,” Useche said. “Especially depending on whatever mood they are in, you just want to make them as comfortable and as happy as possible.”
Useche said CNAs can sometimes be overlooked compared to surgeons and other medical professionals who require more education and training. However, she said the level of responsibility CNAs have, especially at a young age, makes the job significant.
“I think [CNAs are] overlooked because [the job] doesn’t take as much schooling as people who are higher skill leveled, but we are doing a lot for the patients,” Useche said. “It scared me at first a little bit just because I am a kid and they’re much older than me, you have to understand that it’s not the age that defines you.”
Junior Maggie Schumm completed her CNA training in July before taking the state test, allowing her to officially apply for CNA positions. The test consists of a knowledge exam with online test questions and a skills-based exam in which four skills are randomly selected.
“It went over protocols, different skills, anatomy, medical terminology and even food diets,” Schumm said. “After you pass the test, you’re on the Ohio Nurse Aide Registry list, and then you’re able to apply for jobs and actually start working.”
Schumm said the program gave her firsthand experience in health care. She said it helped her consider which area of the medical field she may want to pursue in college.
“I’m glad I got to do it early because if I end up not really liking it, then maybe I would know that nursing isn’t for me,” Schumm said. “We’re so young, and this is one of the few opportunities that we have to do this and see what it’s like to actually be in the medical field.”
