Students Recognize Flexible Programs as Critical to Their Success

Shakeitha Johnson knew she wanted to go into nursing, but she knew that working full-time and raising her child would make a two-year nursing program incredibly difficult. When she found out that York Technical College was offering a patient care technician package that would enable her to get CNA skills with more flexibility, she was sold.

“I really wanted to take the program because you learn so many other skills,” she said.  “I know that when I go to work I’ll be able to work with patients or work behind the computer,” she said. “Ultimately I’d like to work in a doctor’s office because it would be very fulfilling to use all of the training I have.”

Instructor Dorothy Mitchem agrees. The training can be beneficial in giving a student’s education a jumpstart.  “Even if a student plans to be a nurse, they can take these programs because they are inexpensive and enable you to work while learning to be a nurse. Also, when you start in nursing you are so nervous in the beginning,” she says, “but having these classes can really relieve your fears.”

One of Shakeitha’s favorite parts of the program was the clinical aspect because it gave her the chance to work with patients. She and her patient, Miss Estridge, connected with each other. “It didn’t feel like work because I enjoyed being with her and taking care of her,” she said.  Shakeitha assisted Miss Estridge with dinner, using the restroom, hygiene and other tasks that help with her daily activities. “I’ve always liked being around and working with people.”

Working with patients also showed her how beneficial her cross training could be because she was able to utilize it in a work environment.  Another advantage of the cross training is the fact that she has really been able to figure out her strengths and weaknesses in the field. “After the classes you have so much training under your belt,” Shakeitha says. “The more things you know the better off you are.”

“This is a great package for the length of time it takes to finish. It gave me the chance to better myself, while still enabling me to handle the other responsibilities in my life like work and family.”

Shakeitha would like to come back to York Technical College for RN training in the future and she knows that she will have a head start over people who come into the program without any training. One reason she would like to come back is because of the instructors. “The instructors didn’t just throw the information out there and expect us to grab it,” she said. “They were good at giving us the material that we needed.”

“I love being of use to people who need me to teach them,” says Dorothy. “I’m still as thrilled today as I was 16 years ago. There’s a need and I’m happy to meet that need. I tell my students they are the eyes and ears of the nurse. They are the foot soldiers on the hospital floor.”

“I think this is a good program for someone who wants to go into the medical field. The classes are good and I recently recommended the program to a friend,” Shakeitha said. 

Students take CNA training first, then they move to classes where they learn about catheters, wound care, dressings, EKGs, and many other things.“I love doing this program because it gets people into jobs fast,” says Dorothy. “It is a great program for people who are unemployed, underemployed or just want to better their lives. It is a wonderful way to get started in medicine.”

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