The Nursing tech program has worked hard to make the changes necessary to continue their hands on learning, while staying COVID-19 safe. The program has achieved many accomplishments by creatively thinking and working hard everyday throughout this pandemic. 

Teacher Gabrielle Keyser, along with some help from director of pupil services Mark Parent,  has been coming up with new opportunities for the students to learn. Although COVID-19 has created many setbacks for this program, students have still found many ways to shine and continue their hands on learning.

This program typically has many field trips to give medical assistance at various places, but this year their trips have been limited. 

“This year we are not able to go to the hospitals to perform clinicals as often as we were last year, and if we do go we have to be wearing gowns and gloves,” Keyser said. 

While students are adjusting to less clinicals, Keyser has been seeking other opportunities for her students to learn material through competition.

“One student in our program named Alex Gill placed first in the Life Support Skills competition, when it is very hard to even get 5th place,” senior  Taylor Hill said. 

Another competition that students in the program placed very well in was the Anatomage competition. A team of five students had to compete on a virtual cadaver  by dissecting the body online.

This team was up against 29 other teams in the state, including some collegiate teams. They ended up placing third in the state. 

These results show the amount of hard work and intense learning the students put in everyday. 

“The program is filled with a great bunch of kids that really care about people and want to improve and help people everyday,” Keyser said. 

The students in this program have much work to do each class, whether it is doing vision screening three times a week or doing a clinical at a hospital, they do solid work.

“We are constantly learning, we usually start off with med term, then dive into a lesson and get some hands on skills with something we either are struggling with or something we wanted to see done,” Hill said. 

Students also learn how to draw blood and perform EKG’s. There are many different skills that the students learn each day.
“I think my favorite part of the nursing program is learning about all the bones in the human body,” junior Mia Lowry said. 

Although the program has attained many accomplishments, they are continuing to make COVID-19 safe choices everyday. The program looks at the pandemic as a learning opportunity to make quick and smart decisions to keep everyone safe.

“We have to learn how to be smart in this position and make smart choices to keep everyone safe and help people at the same time,” Keyser said.