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Mid-Carolina AHEC Celebrates 100 Percent Pass Rate for CNA Trainees

From left:  Miyonta Mavins, Vanessa Harris,  Margaret Christy, 
Kyara Livingston, Daven Chiles,  Tytiana Georges,  Lauren Gillian, 
Taylor Harden
This past summer, Mid-Carolina AHEC partnered with Westwood High School to offer graduating Health Careers Academy seniors the opportunity to take a Certified Nursing Assistant course.  The course was taught at Westwood High School by Amanda Ashley, RN.  The course is regulated by the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and has very specific curriculum and guidelines.  There were eight students who participated in the two-week course that included 60 hours of classroom instruction and 40 hours of clinical instruction.  Prior to beginning the course, these students completed coursework that included reading and answering all review questions from the textbook.  Students learned objectives including safety, infection control, legal and ethical principles in healthcare, elderly care and a variety of nursing assistant skills. 

Upon successful completion of the classroom curriculum, students received clinical experience at Rice Estate in Columbia.  Rice Estate Director of Nursing Amanda Burgess facilitated the clinical portion of the class by allowing students access to the facility and residents.  Students were able to practice the nursing assistant skills that they had learned in the classroom including feeding residents, taking vital signs, ambulating patients and much more.  At the end of the course, students attended a mandatory review session with Ms. Ashley.  Finally, students were able to take the South Carolina Certified Nursing Assistant Exam.  The exam, given at Westwood High School, included a written test with 70 multiple choice questions and a skills exam where students had to accurately perform five skills in 30 minutes.  Mid-Carolina AHEC is proud to report that all students passed the exam!

In the future, Mid-Carolina AHEC anticipates offering more CNA courses to students who meet certain requirements.  Mid-Carolina AHEC would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Ms. Ashley and Ms. Burgess for their willingness to teach the CNA class and provide students access to clinical experiences.

For more information, please contact Mid-Carolina AHEC HCP Coordinator Erica Davis at ericadavis@comporium.net.
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