RHS health science provides certifications
RHS' CNA students spend at least 24 hours in clinicals at a nursing home to receive their certification.
RHS health science internship students participate in clinicals at different places across the county, like Russellville Hospital.
RHS student Courtney Lacey practices her phlebotomy skills during a health science course.
Through her classes, students learn from textbooks as well as from hands-on clinical practice.
“Having the clinicals is important because it shows the students what it’s actually like out in the field, and they can determine if they really like it or not,” Oliver said.
Before students can advance to clinicals, however, every health science student has to take Oliver’s foundations class, which she said is usually her biggest section – about 70 students this year.
The medical terminology is exactly what it sounds like, but students in this class have the immediate option to take it a step further. Oliver said students can take the class as a dual enrollment course with Northwest-Shoals Community College. Seven out of the 14 students in the class are taking it for dual enrollment credit.
“This is the first year that it’s not free for the students to take it as a dual enrollment credit at Northwest,” Oliver said. A grant ended that allowed the students to earn the credit for free.
Oliver has 44 students who are participating in clinicals this year. Starting in February, Mondays will be normal class days for these students; Tuesdays through Thursdays will be clinical days; and Fridays will either be for testing or reviewing or for starting the next lesson.
To participate in clinicals, the students have to sign out of the classroom and take their clinical folders with them to their sites, where they spend an hour working and learning, then return to the school and sign back in.
“It’s a good experience. It helps students decide early on what they want to do or not do. It’s great to have hands-on training, and it looks good on a résumé,” said student Victoria Shook, a junior who is working toward her CNA certification. She said she plans to pursue a degree in physical therapy in college.
Nurse aide courses at RHS are part of the CAN certification process for students. Those who complete the requirements will become certified in April and can immediately obtain jobs.
“Every year, except for the first one, we have had a 100 percent pass rate for the certification,” Oliver said.
In the internship course, the main focus is patient care tech, which includes learning about topics like phlebotomy and EKGs. Students who take the pharmacy course do half of the work online, and the other half is completed through clinicals. After completing the requirements, students can receive a pharmacy tech certification.
