53 did it! So can you! – Nursing Assistant boot camps are huge success

Moraine Park nursing assistant female grads

This summer, 53 students successfully completed Moraine Park Technical College’s Nursing Assistant (CNA) boot camps – a rigorous three-week learning experience. Additional camps are planned for January and March, 2017!

Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College Career Training (TAACCCT) ACT 4 Healthcare Grant program, the CNA boot camps condense a typical 8- or 16-week, three-credit Nursing Assistant course into an accelerated format. They provide classroom theory, laboratory experience and clinical learning that teaches students the skills to perform duties such as taking vital signs, bathing, dressing, making beds, and other direct resident care. Community agencies are used for clinical learning and include long-term care settings. Offered at all Moraine Park campuses – Beaver Dam, Fond du Lac and West Bend – the grant funded CNA boot camps will continue through March of 2018.

Approximately 200 students are expected to complete the camps over the three year grant, qualifying them to take the Pearson Vue Wisconsin Nurse Aide Certification Exam.

CNA training is required for students interested in pursuing many healthcare related fields, including nursing, radiography, physical therapy and more.At Moraine Park, students must successfully complete the Nursing Assistant course prior to enrolling in the Associate Degree Nurse program.

Some CNAs go straight into the workforce. Others continue their studies toward an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.

All 16 Wisconsin Technical Colleges, including Moraine Park, are three-year grant recipients, with each institution developing its own supplemental healthcare programs under the Act 4 Healthcare consortium project. “Moraine Park already offers CNA classes during the academic year. But the classes are in demand and many times filled to capacity. We felt there was a need for this condensed boot camp offering.

Boot camp Nursing Instructor Tina Cordell enjoys teaching an array of students – ranging from 18 to 60 years of age – within a small class environment. Cordell is a registered nurse and holds a master’s degree in nurse education.

“It’s a very busy full-time job for each of the three week sessions,” she said of the course. Students complete the theory portion of the course online on their own time and master hands-on skills for 120 hours of training in the classroom and clinical settings. A grade of C or better and 100 percent attendance are required for successful class completion. Boot camp sizes are capped at 10 students per instructor, creating an intimate learning environment.

Several clinical sites serve as training grounds for students engaged in the CNA boot camps, including Hillside Manor, in Beaver Dam; Fond du Lac Lutheran Home, in Fond du Lac; as well as Samaritan Health Center and Cedar Community, both in West Bend.

The boot camp format appeals to many. Dislocated workers, veterans, and students on summer or winter breaks can complete their Nursing Assistant course in a three-week accelerated format and take the certification exam,” she said. In doing so, they quickly move forward on their path of continued healthcare education and/or employment.

In order to participate in the upcoming grant funded boot camps, students must attend an information session, complete a criminal background check and meet specific health requirements.

To discover more, visit www.morainepark.edu/4health or call Moraine Park at 920-924-3329.

boot camp 1

Beaver Dam boot camp grads From left to right: Nursing Instructor Tina Cordell, Dolores Kaczmarek, Jasmine Linden, Katelyn Marquardt, Thomas Helgeson, Desiree Wild, Tiffany Bartmann, Dakota Washtock, Brenda Butterbrodt

boot camp 2

Fond du Lac boot camp grads Left to right: Nursing Instructor Tina Cordell, Nursing Instructor Dorothy Kleinke, Grant Manager Anne Lemke, Dean of Health Kristen Finnel, Linda Garriety, Shawna Peterson, Ben Falter, Misty Allar, Diana Patzlaff, Michelle Donovan, Bridget Murphy, Nicole Heimark, Teresa Williams-Blaclock, Emma Kuntz, Sydnee Perkins, Shauna Dunn, Courtney Schmitz, Lexi Peterson, Annika Engstrom, Adrianna Schultz, Dawn Brand

boot camp 3

West Bend Boot Camp 1 Grads Left to right back row: Dean of Health Kristen Finnel, President Bonnie Baerwald, Nursing Instructor Tina Cordell, Kathy Fell, Ashley Stritchko, Angie Voit ,Jennifer Mayer, Sara Gionet, David Koehler, Baelee Shell, Emily Frey, Caroline Krebs, Yana Daniel, Ciara Rohlinger, Nursing Instructor Dorothy Kleinke, Grant Manager Anne Lemke Left to right front row: Samantha Garvey, Boakuo Lor, Amber Haines, Brianna Scannell, Dianne Kreutzer, Brianna Buchman

boot camp 4

West Bend boot camp 2 grads Left to right: Associate Dean of Nursing Marylou Mercado, Grant Manager Anne Lemke, Derek Freund, Katlyn Long, Delaney Schmitt, Tehani Dee, Danielle Dee, Tehani Dee, Emma Schmitt, Lauren Zobel, Courtney Scoles, Jeanette Howerton, Maria Grant, and Nursing Instructor Tina Cordell

boot camp sisters

Bootcamp sisters and future RN’s! Left to right: Tehani Dee, Emma Schmitt, Delaney Schmitt, and Danielle Dee

 

Written by Anne Lemke
Student Community Impact Coordinator