Nurse Aide Training (CNA) is a health services program offered through Collin College as a dual credit class for juniors and seniors. It provides a pathway for students who want to pursue a career in the nursing field including nursing, hospice care. 

Prior to becoming a part of the CNA program, students must fill out an application through Collin College, with tuition costs located on the website. There is an acceptance rate of 20 students for each school year. 

“I think it is a good foundation for anyone who wants to go on healthcare,” CNA professor Dr. Naomi Myers said. “Bedside manners are key for this profession.” Bedside manners is an etiquette that doctors and nurses follow to provide friendly and respectful service for patients. 

The class is split into two semesters, one semester at Rock Hill and another doing clinical rotations at the nursing home. The first semester includes learning nursing skills that help students for nursing homes or in hospitals. Some techniques from lectures include, providing care to patients and helping patients to do essential skills. 

“In the CNA program you learn things such as how to feed, transfer, and ambulate patients, etc,” junior Saniah Alexander said.

However, in the second semester students are given the opportunity to do clinical rotations in nursing homes. This will assist them in getting their 60 hours of classroom instruction and 40 hours of clinical study. 

“You then start going to the nursing home and put all the skills and information you learned to use on real people,” senior Katie Mata said.

Throughout the school year, CNA students can simulate patient manicans and practice what they learned from their lectures. 

“I also met some of my best friends in the CNA program, one was Emerson Harrigton and we went through all the clinicals together and we were able to rely on each other during stressful and difficult times,” Mata said. 

Clinical Rotation provides students with the medical experience working in a healthcare position. The hours students gain from this class will provide them with their certification needed to become a licensed nurse and to gain entry-level healthcare jobs. 

“After that, you would be eligible to complete the state test to be certified in the state of Texas,” Myers said.

After completing the required hours and finishing the exam, students will gain the certification of practicing nursing in Texas. 

“She fully prepared us for the state exam and also made sure we were comfortable in situations at the hospital and nursing home,” Mata said. 

In the labs, students can simulate and practice with each other. Students partner up and one person is the patient and the other is the caregiver. 

“CNA really does give you a clear answer to if healthcare is right for you and personally for me even though it was very stressful I absolutely loved every minute of it,” Mata said. 

This class allows students to develop different useful abilities even if they do not wish to pursue a career in healthcare.

“CNA is truly an amazing class if you are thinking about going into healthcare as it gives you some perspective on what to expect in college,” Mata said. “But also how each healthcare position functions and all the benefits and complications that come with it.” 

For more information about CNA, contact [email protected] with your personal email.