From left: Rudy Briskar, Dale McMurren, Helen Molinek, Cassandra Clark, Jennifer Clark and Mieko Wenglikowski recently graduated from the Wrangell Medical Center CNA program.
Six Wrangellites have taken the first step into one of the fast-growing medical fields in the nation by completing a six-week course offered by Wrangell Medical Center that prepared them to sit for the CNA certification exam.
The six local students - Rudy Briskar, Jennifer Clark, Cassandra Clark, Helen Molinek, Dale McMurren and Mieko Wenglikowski - recently completed the course.
The CNA training offered at WMC is certified by the State of Alaska, which requires programs to have a minimum of 80 hours of theory and 32 hours of clinical or bedside care. There are 22 licensed programs in the state; WMC’s program is one of only four that are offered by Alaskan hospitals. In addition to the required coursework, students must also be at least 18 years old and be able to pass a background check.
CNAs are described by the Nursing Assistant Guides website as “gatherers of vital information about patient’s conditions,” information which is then transmitted to the nurses and doctors.
“CNAs play an important role in the care of the resident,” said Carin Rhodes, instructor for the course and a nurse at Wrangell Medical Center. “CNAs assist the residents with bathing and dressing, with ambulation and activities, they assist the residents with their meals, they escort residents to their lab and x-ray appointments and participate in their care conferences.”
When asked about challenges the students faced, Rhodes added, “Students say that the first clinical shift on the floor is the scariest. Getting to know the residents, the employees and the routine of the hospital can be a challenge at first.”
Rhodes added that she enjoys “watching all the students evolve into full fledged health care workers.”
Elaborating on her own experience, she added, “I started out as a phlebotomist and a CNA and have now been an RN for over 20 years. Healthcare is a rewarding and challenging field. You can never suffer job burnout; as medicine is always changing and there is always something new to learn.”
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