When Annie needed to move from her bed to the wheelchair, Rachaya Jette, Kaylee Tebo, Evelyn Medeiros and Maia Ponte sprang into action. They knew to introduce themselves first and talk Annie through the procedure. They understood how to place a sling through Annie’s legs so she would not slide off the bed. They knew which buttons to press to operate the lift and to place a sheet over her legs to give her privacy.
They also knew that if anything went wrong there were no major consequences. Annie is a dummy and the girls were taking a high school class.
As students of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School’s career and technical education program, the four girls are studying health assisting alongside their regular schedule of academic courses. The newest addition to the school’s CTE program, health assisting is in its second year of operations and on its way to becoming fully certified.
Transcending the traditional vocational model, the career and technical options at the regional high school are integrated with the academic education, not a separate path or back up plan. This allows students to gain technical skills in an area they are interested in while receiving a standard high school education.
Freshmen can sign up for an exploratory course where they sample all the CTE courses offered, after which they choose a specific track to follow. For Rachaya, choosing health assisting was easy.
“I’ve wanted to be a doctor since I was three,” she said. She already has experience helping care for her diabetic grandfather. She learned how to dress his amputated toe and give him shots of insulin. She said she really enjoys attending the health assisting class.
“This is a more hands on class,” said Rachaya. “Practicing really helps.”
Evelyn Medeiros also has a familial connection to health services. She plans to become a paramedic and ER nurse following an example set by the many Medeiros firefighters and EMTs on the Island.
“My grandfather was a firefighter and EMT,” said Evelyn. “He was part of the first group of Island EMTs.”
The program is run by Mary Vivian, who for seven years was the nurse at the Oak Bluffs school.
“The girls come from all different experiences, but they all have great feelings about people,” Ms. Vivian said. “They are all hands on learners. Talking and doing is how they learn.”
When the girls are not practicing skills on the dummies they named Annie, Emma and Daquan, they are engaged in open discussions about the day’s topic. After watching a short video about respiration, they completed a worksheet together out loud, no hand raising necessary. Ms. Vivian said they can take the skills they learn in the class and use them in everyday life, whether or not they ultimately follow a health career path.
Ms. Vivian brings practical knowledge to the classroom of nursing, but also said there are multiple avenues students can explore. To expose the students to more options, the class has toured Windemere, met the health aids at Henrietta Brewer house, and hosted EMTs, paramedics and an acupuncturist in class.
“You can take your career in any direction,” Ms. Vivian said. “It’s not just nursing.”
Currently around 20 per cent of the high school students are enrolled in CTE classes. CTE director, Barbara-jean Chauvin said the health assisting program is in its infancy.
“It’s the second year of the program, we’re very fortunate to have Mary [Vivian],” she said. “We’re trying to lay a foundation.”
These girls are in the first iteration of the health assisting class. As the program grows, they plan to provide upper level students with clinical experience working at the hospital.
“This isn’t the old vocational model,” said Ms. Chauvin. “The programs now require strong academic skills. It shouldn’t be seen as alternative. It’s a choice like taking honors or AP. Students have to ask themselves: what do I want to do to compliment what my goals are.”
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