Mahatma Gandhi once said “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Hanna Fields, a Level 3 Senior at CPACTC from Boiling Springs High School, is doing just that as a co-op capstone student employed at Sarah A. Todd Memorial Home.
Hanna decided to apply and enroll at CPACTC because she wanted to explore her career interests to ensure she was making the right post secondary decision; attending Slippery Rock University as a student in the Biology: Accelerated Pre-Physician Assistant Program. Growing up she always knew she wanted to help people. Being a student in the Healthcare Pathways Program gave her the chance to make sure that a career in the healthcare industry is really what she wanted to do because healthcare is not for everyone… and in Hanna’s words, “it for sure did help her discover her love for the healthcare field”; especially now that she is working as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)... all because she was afforded the opportunity to earn her CNA certification at CPACTC.
Sarah A. Todd Memorial Home is a new employer-partner for CPACTC this year, all because of Hanna’s initiative to apply for a CNA position. Hanna stated that the staff were welcoming from the moment she walked in and she knew Sarah Todd was a great fit for her after her interview with Luanne, the Director of Nursing. There is a lot more to being a CNA than people realize. CNAs help a unit run smoothly, especially for nurses with multiple medically complex patients. It is Hanna’s responsibility to assist with daily patient care tasks like dressing, bathing, and checking patient vital signs. She provides AM care to a set of 7-10 residents every morning. Besides those responsibilities, as a CNA, she makes snacks and passes cold waters. Hanna’s favorite thing about working at Sarah Todd is the amazing team of CNAs she gets to work with; as well as the management staff. Everyone is understanding and works together! Hanna says… “My job itself is challenging; however I am the most challenged by learning the ways the building runs. Every facility runs differently and has its own procedures. I feel like I am still learning ST quirks.” Over the course of this school year as a co-op student, Hanna hopes to hone her patient care skills by observing and getting to work with the interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals (Physicians, Nurses, Registered Dieticians, Therapists, etc.) at Sarah Todd, so that she is better prepared to be a physician assistant in the future.
Hanna’s advice to future CPACTC co-op students is to start early! “Take initiative! Begin looking for jobs in your program as a Level 2 student. Work part time until you can enroll in co-op. Finding the position is part of the co-op experience!”