High Tech North nursing program graduates nine
High Tech North recently graduated another round of nurses in its practical nursing program. Nine graduates of the school will now begin their careers in the health industry somewhere in Lee County.
According to Assistant Director Bob Fain, the graduates can change bedding with a patient in bed, give shots, check vitals and administer medications.
Recent graduates include Shelby Guthrie, Senior Airman Francisco Magana-Zaragoza, Michele Gaudreault, My Chau Le, Rochelle Nester, Meri Jo Grunsted, Camila Holguin, Melanie Jimenez and Daisy Brown.
In the graduating class, two students were recognized for their excellence. Nester received the highest grade point average in the program, while Magana-Zaragoza was honored with the TLC award.
The graduating class was a diverse group of students who came together to learn the fundamentals of nursing.
Class President Meri Joe Grunsted said she is proud of the class for finishing the program, while nursing instructor Jackie Houle said the class managed to form unbreakable bonds of support throughout the semester.
“This was a very cohesive class,” said Houle in a prepared statement announcing the graduates. “They learned to depend on each other and to challenge and support one another.”
The program is an academically rigorous series of classes that total 1,350 hours. Nursing students learn about human anatomy and physiology, the procedures associated with nursing, history of the health profession and laws that will govern their careers.
In the laboratory stages, the students learn important procedures that they will use every day in a hospital or clinic. They learn how to assist a patient with hygiene and walking, the correct way to administer medication, checking vitals and recording important medical information.
Throughout the lab stage students practice the procedures on one another.
In the High Tech North nursing program the students have a chance to work side-by-side with health professionals in facilities throughout Lee County. The opportunity serves as an internship where they can use the procedures learned at school in a treatment facility.
After graduating the students must pass the NCLEX, an exam that tests their competence as nurses, in order to receive their license. According to Fain, the school has a 96 percent pass rate.
High Tech North has 22 technical and career programs. For more information, visit: www.hightechnorth.com or call 574-4440.
Source: High Tech North