Students earn CNAs

AZLE —This year, 32 students completed a certified nursing assistant program, offered by Azle High School, with a 100% pass rate. Students work at the eldercare facility from mid-October through the first of December, earning their state required hours. Health teacher Tiffany Shaw, who has worked at Azle ISD since 2008, said that by earning these certifications they’re in a better position to earn additional specialized certifications later in the year.

AHS' Health Science Technology pathway offers various certifications, including certified nursing assistant, phlebotomy, electrocardiogram, patient care technician, pharmacy tech and most recently, emergency medical technician.

“Not many schools give as many certifications in the way that we give,” Shaw said. “So, we're probably unique at Azle High School in giving four certifications in one class and then their senior year, they can choose to take pharmacy tech and get their pharmacy tech certification.”

The CNA program requires 100 hours, with 60 hours of classroom instruction and 40 hours of clinical experience at Azle Manor guided by registered nurse Cherie Stone. Since 2016, the program has provided more than 1,500 certifications, with around 350 for CNA alone. Despite the perfect pass rate, Shaw said the program presents no shortage of challenges to students.

“Health science is a rigorous program,” Shaw said. “Every now and then we have a little stumbling block where they experience failure, which they need to experience failure, and they're in a safe space to experience that here at the high school, through our program. We can take care of that, and we can retest, or we can learn what we need to do better.”

Around 2010 Suzanne Murr, the district’s career and technical education director, approached Shaw with the idea to start a health science technology program. Pharmacy technology was the first certification the school began to offer with many others following. The school started its CNA program around 2016 and the program has grown significantly, now employing four health science teachers.

These programs are provided at little to no cost for students, which Shaw said is effective in removing a barrier to entry that might otherwise stop some students from breaking into the medical field. Many students use these certifications as steppingstones to higher education or direct entry into the medical field.

“I've had a couple of them who have worked using their certification at nighttime, and then they'll go to school during the day, because that's the opportunity that was given to them, and that's how they made it through college,” Shaw said. “So, the program really helped the students get a good quality job that's also going to allow them to network and make contacts so they can have a successful college career, and just career in general, in the medical field … We’ve also had students who absolutely just love the CNA work and so there's probably an equal amount who they thrive working at our long-term care facilities around the area, you know, Lake Worth, Weatherford, Azle. So they've also made their career at just at working at one of the long-term care facilities because they enjoy that, the population that they get to work with there.”

Through hands-on training and practicing medicine just like industry professionals, students participating in the program receive a strong foundation in a medical career path. Some students, Shaw said, have even made medical accomplishments before ever receiving their certification.

“We had a student last year who was running an EKG, and she's going through the points of the EKG, and she's like, ‘this doesn't look right.’ She found a conduction problem on another student and so she ultimately saved his life. That's probably one of the most rewarding aspects that I've had teaching,” Shaw said.

In another instance, after her father had a heart attack, Shaw recalled being approached by a former student in a hospital cafeteria. The student now worked at the hospital and was thankful for the jumping off point and opportunities she received in high school.

“It was hard, but we're glad you pushed us to get to where we are,” Shaw remembered the former student saying. “And one day it could be me (in the hospital). I obviously want to, want to train them up well.”