Students practicing taking temperatures, drawing blood and listening to heartbeats of a special mannequin.
Those vital signs reveal that the new licensed vocational nursing program at the Tulare Adult School is up and running.
The 19 nursing students also are juggling clinical work at local health care centers.
"We don't waste any time," said Sylvia Silva, director of vocational nursing education.
The program's October opening marked the end to years of planning and hard work, said adult school director Marie Pinto. The program is a partnership between the adult school and Tulare District Hospital.
"I have paperwork from about 10 years ago that actually shows us doing cost estimates and research for what the community needs are," Pinto said. "It was nice to see it actually come to fruition."
After students complete the 18-month-long classwork and hands-on training, the goal is to bridge them to registered nursing programs, said Tulare District Hospital spokesman Rick Elkins. That way, he said, students would stay in the county and work at local health care centers
"It's self-serving in that it'll help alleviate the nursing shortage that we're all facing in this county and state," Elkins said.
Participants also find the work satisfying. At 46, Rhonda Riedel joined the nursing program because her dream is to become a registered nurse.
"It's just something I really wanted to do," the Visalia woman said.
She now works as a certified nursing assistant and home health aide. She said simple tasks such as helping people drink water out of cups make the work worthwhile.
"They may not be able to say anything, but just from the look of their eyes, they're saying 'Thank you,'" Riedel said.
Tia Christossel knew she wanted to be in the health field when she was 13.
Her mother had cancer, and a nurse was providing her with hospice care.
There was just something about the nurse that gave her a sense of calm, Christossel recalled last week. "I want to have the same impact with patients," the 22-year-old said.
She said the program's workload hasn't been easy, because she is juggling three days of classes and clinical work with about 35 hours of invoice work at a Goshen mill.
"I knew it was going to be a challenge," she said. "You have to stay focused and be committed 100% to keep up the grades and balance your everyday life."
The adult school's licensed vocational nursing program is possible because it has received lots of community support, Pinto said.
"There is such a need for these programs, however, they're so expensive to start," she said, citing a $5,000 mannequin that allows students to find a heartbeat and pulse.
The adult school program has received donated linens and an electronic hospital bed, estimated at $3,000. The program also received a $160,000 grant from the California Wellness Foundation, which helped develop the curriculum. |
