English 12, pre-calculus, NJROTC, and art are all typical senior classes, but can you imagine taking a nursing class that includes working with patients on top of those classes? Twenty-one students at Benjamin Carson High School are doing just that.
Along with the courses required for graduation during one’s final year in high school, seniors at BCHS have the option of taking a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) course. This course includes learning medical terminology, over 20 physical skills, and hands-on work with patients at Detroit’s very own John D. Dingell Veteran Affairs Hospital. BCHS seniors Marie Pearson and Alexia Richardson are just a couple of the students who are enrolled in the course.
"Taking this CNA course has been a life changer for me. It has taught me medical skills and terminology that I can use in everyday life,” said Pearson.
Richardson echoed Pearson’s sentiments.
"This class directly helped me learn how to take care of the elderly not only in the right way, but in a professional way," said Richardson. However, the CNA course also carries much responsibility, causing some students to feel overwhelmed at times.
"Having the stress of working with patients can affect you if you let it. I would say the workload and working with patients would be the most difficult tasks in this course,” said Pearson.
What’s more, while working in the hospital with real patients can be beneficial, there are risks as well, sometimes life threatening. There are many risks with patients at the Veteran Affairs Hospital. Residents suffer from a variety of health issues such as Alzheimer's disease, dementia and post-traumatic stress disorder. Being in this environment can be a hazard for teenagers. Not all students could handle dealing with this responsibility.
“It depends on your maturity and patience level whether or not you can handle disease- ridden patients,” said Pearson.
Taking this course does require a level of maturity considering most skills are hands on and require some “uncomfortable” tasks, like changing a patient's soiled bed linens, assisting patients using a bedpan, and taking a patient’s vitals.
There are over 20 skills you must master before finals, and for BCHS CNA students, finals are approaching. The final includes two parts, a written portion that ranges from 60-120 questions and a physical portion that will include demonstrating three skills with mastery. This is stressful to some, but Pearson says it's all about time management.
“Studying little by little is the key to passing these finals. Don’t overwhelm yourself by crunching everything in at once,” said Pearson.
