Ten Ridgewood High School students celebrated their graduation from a new six-week nursing assistant program on the afternoon of Feb. 28 at the Norridge Gardens nursing facility.
The program developed out of a partnership between Norridge Gardens, 7001 Cullom Ave., Norridge, and the Norridge high school with the intent to allow students to become resident attendants and be certified by the state.
Following the graduation, students were offered employment opportunities and continued education to earn their certified nursing assistant qualifications, according to Bree Sabin, public relations coordinator for Ridgewood High School.
The initiative is a step toward bolstering the roster of local CNAs who can help care for nursing home residents and introduce students to a career path in nursing, said Gloria Kas of Norridge Gardens. Kas is also on the nursing faculty at College of DuPage.
“I had the honor and the privilege of teaching these fine young men and women in our resident attendant program,” Kas said. “I’m truly happy that you are the first class that we graduated here — the Illinois Department of Public Health-approved program — you are amazing.”
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The six-week program took place during three-hour increments on Mondays, amounting to 18 hours of training that taught students about residents’ rights, infection control, hand hygiene, how to feed residents, oral hygiene and more, Kas said.
Kas explained that she has been a nurse for 44 years and has spent her entire career working at Norridge Gardens.
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A student named Martina Vitale spoke to attendees about the students’ experience in class and the ability to learn and work with nursing home residents.
“This is the first class graduating in this program, which is really exciting, and we definitely had a lot of fun,” Vitale said. “It was really a great experience and we’re very thankful for Ridgewood and Norridge Gardens to organize this and hopefully get the next generation of nurses started.”
Lisa Balata, Ridgewood’s division head of Career Pathways & Innovative Programming, noted the importance of the program in teaching students how to help residents with eating, drinking and personal hygiene for the hands and face.
“This comprehensive program equips non-nursing staff with skills to provide safe, competent and compassionate assistance for residents,” Balata said. “This program increases workforce capacity and allows for more pleasurable dining experiences.”
Students also learned fire safety and shaving, Balata said.
Kas, both a nurse and the teacher of this program, collaborated with Balata and Ridgewood High School to create the certification as a first step in the school’s Health Careers Pathway. The six-week program was created as an effort to help ease students into the nursing education process, Balata said. Kas felt that the CNA program — an intense 12-week training program — might have been too overwhelming an introduction.
Of the 10 students who completed the Resident Attendant program, five will begin the CNA certification in May, and six will be employed as resident attendants, Balata said.
“At Ridgewood High School, we are creating our Career Pathway work to help students find the right postsecondary plan,” Balata said. “Sometimes, learning what you do not want to do in college can be cost effective.”
Norridge Gardens provides both the resident attendant and CNA certification at no cost to the student, Balata said.
“We want to provide our students with educational experiences as well as the best return on investment to avoid student loan debt,” Balata said. “We are incredibly proud of our new community partner, Norridge Gardens, and looking forward to a long relationship.”