16 students at Westside High School recently received their Certified Nursing Assistant Certificate through Nebraska Medical Center. Most of the class was online but, once a week, each student would go to the Clarkson building at UNMC and spend a few hours doing in-person training.

Junior Jenna Brown was one of the 16 students who received a CNA certificate. She said that the class covered every skill you’d need to know if you were to work in a hospital setting. 

“We went over pretty much everything that you need to know if you were to be a nurse,” Brown said. “From feeding, to eating, to changing.” 

Brown sees a future career in the medical field for herself. 

“I took this class because I want to be a nurse or do something in the medical field one day,” Brown said. “I thought taking this class would give me a good idea of what it would be like if I did go into a career like this.”

Brown said that balancing all of the work was the most challenging part of taking the class, especially because she was involved in sports at the same time. 

“There was a lot of work outside of class, and it was really hard to balance it with all of the other classes I was taking, too,” Brown said. “Being in a sport at the same time became a challenge too.” 

Brown said that she really enjoyed the class, and that she recommends it to others that are interested in working in the medical field. 

“If nursing is a field you want to go into, this class would be a good idea for you to take,” Brown said. “It gives you a really good idea of what you’ll be doing in this career field. My overall experience was really good and I recommend it.” 

Westside High School Nurse April Matthews said that students learn very useful skills in the program that can be used throughout life, even if students don’t end up working in the medical field.

“The things you learn give you insight if you’re ever a patient or if you’re a family member of someone who is in the hospital, you’ll just know the hospital environment,” Matthews said. “If you work in a Pediatric ward, you can hold, feed and change babies, and that’s a useful skill for life.” 

Matthews said taking the CNA class is a great idea if you are thinking of having a career in the medical field in the future. 

“Depending on where you are in the hospital or if you’re in long term care you will get to see the general flow and if it’s an environment you’d ever want to work in,” Matthews said. “If you want to be a nurse it’s a great place to figure out and see if it’s a job you would want.”