We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Back Row L-R; Deanna Bigby, Kaye Brown, Ashley Dawson, RN, Joni Myhre NCO,RN, Haeli Gardipee, Barbara Gardipee, Tia Zander and Tylanna Adams. Front Row L-R; Peggy Castillo, LaShauna Janis, Aryn LongKnife-Jake, and Lara Lawrence.
The students from Professor Cheryll Alt's Introduction to nursing class were asked to sign up for a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) class during the course. Twelve students, out of 26 that were in the course, did sign up and participated in the Certified Nurses Training over the Christmas holiday break. Ten students successfully passed the State of Montana CNA exam given at the end of the training. The students are Barbara Gardipee, Haeli Gardipee, Kaye Brown, Deanna Bigby, Tia Zander, Tylanna Adams, Lara Lawrence, Aryn Jake, LaShauna Janis, and Peggy Castillo.
The class was offered at the Sweet Memorial Care Center in Chinook, MT. Ms. Jenni Pula, CEO, RN, Joni Myhre CNO, RN, and nurse educator, Ashley Dawson, RN, agreed to take the Aaniiih Nakoda College students for the CNA class to be held in their center. It was no holiday for the ANC students who started on the 22nd of December with a 3 day break for Christmas, then were in class even on New Year's Eve (but out by 5pm), and finished the first week of January. They took their Montana CNA test on Sunday and Aaniiih Nakoda College started the very next day! Some of the students had to catch the transit from Hays/Lodgepole to get to the ANC campus very early in the morning. Will Gray, ANC Facilities Manager would then drive them, in our newly appropriated bus (named the "Polar Express") to Chinook, returning back home late in the evening. Although these students are currently attending classes this semester, they can now work as a licensed CAN, earn money, and help provide for their families. They all hope to enter into the nursing education program being developed at ANC which will start in September of 2016.
The CNA class for the Aaniiih Nakoda College students is funded through a 5-year grant from the Administration for Native Americans (ANA), US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The grant, entitled Caring for Our Own: Aaniiih Nakoda College Health Careers Training, to "Grow our Own" is for the purpose of developing a nursing program as well as providing CNA certification for students. By the smiles on their faces after having been presented their certificates by Joni and Ashley they are ready to take the next step in their sojourn of becoming an RN student, and one day help to uplift the health of the Fort Belknap Indian Community where we 'Grow Our Own'.
