High school seniors graduating as CNAs

What parent wouldn’t be interested in providing their student with an early jump start on a career and not spending expensive college money in the process to do it? A program in Bonneville School District #93 offers that type of education with a drastic savings.

“(It’s) awesome that I’m so much ahead. I mean, seniors get out of high school and they don’t know what to do. My classmates and I have jobs, good-paying jobs, once we’re done,” said Noemi Rivas, a senior at Bonneville High School who is enrolled in the two-year certified nursing assistant (CNA) program.

That’s a good problem to have immediately upon graduating from high school. It provides a head start on college, with already a real career, and money remaining in your pocket without attending a day of college yet.

Rivas is one of a handful of students enrolled in the CNA program. Nicholas Seedall is another.

“With my CNA, I hope to continue to become an RN and then later on go to medical school or even anesthesia school to become an anesthesiologist,” said Seedall.

As high school juniors, the students study anatomy, physiology, medical terms, career and life skills. Then as seniors, they apply the first aid and CPR skills they’ve learned and do their clinicals in a real-world setting, out in the community working with doctors, dentists, fire departments and physical therapists like Dr. Jay Ellis.

“If they can see it, work with it firsthand, it gives them a better understanding, a better vision of yes or no. A good yes or a good no, that’s all we are looking for. They need a good yes or a good no. ‘Is this what I want to do or do I want to look into something different?’ That’s what this offers them,” said Ellis.

Indy Gneiting is one of the students about to graduate. He is doing his clinicals with Ellis.

“This program has really benefited me. I’ve really matured. I’ve really grown as a person. I’ve really found out what I wanted to do in the future,” said Gneiting.

Nancy Galaviz is now a senior at Idaho State University. She went through the same high school program four years ago.

“Now I’m four years down the road. I loved it in high school. So now I’m back here again, trying to apply to physical therapy school,” said Galaviz.

The options are wide open, even beyond medical.

“This program is great for a foundation. It opens a lot of doors. And I’ve always been interested in the medical field, but I chose dental just because of the good pay, honestly, and more of the stability as a working mom and the flexibility for jobs,” said Ashley Jenkins, a senior.

“I think this program gives you a great foundation that you can build on,” said Seedall.

Here is where that foundation begins. Connie Scott is their teacher. She’s been teaching for 21 years and spent five years in a hospital emergency room. She credits the surrounding community as the key to these students’ successes.

“Absolutely. The community is part of our program. (We) couldn’t do it without them. We could not do it without the community,” said Scott.

The advantages are a win-win. The businesses get extra help. The program saves parents a lot of college money, and the student benefits the most. But that’s only part of why Scott has done this for more than two decades.

“(It’s) for the students. The bottom line to all of this is the students. It’s why I come back every year. They’re intelligent. They’re compassionate. They love the patients and they love the work that they do. And so to be able to be part of that is fulfilling to me,” said Scott.

The program is offered in Bonneville District 93, so it’s at Hillcrest High School as well. There are other fields available, including culinary arts. Skyline High School in the Idaho Falls School District offers a similar medical program.

Scott said she will have 19 seniors graduating in a couple of weeks with a combined 152 college credits.