In 2008, Jesse Tudela was approached by Roxanne Diaz from the Department of Public Health which was interested in starting a nursing assistant program.
A survey done in 2005 revealed that there was a low number of local nurses on island. “That prompted them to build the local capacity (of nurses),” said SSHS principal Jesse Tudela.
The program comprises of training for lab, x-ray, pharmacy, respiratory, and nursing.
The credits are non-transferrable to college as it is not an Advanced Placement class, although the students who graduate from the program are eligible to take the Certified Nursing Assistant test to become certified nursing assistants.
SSHS is currently waiting for the Commonwealth Health Center and the Department of Public Health to prepare the exam for the students to get tested. Once the students pass this test, they can work at CHC.
The course is designed for a two-year program. A junior student with a 2.5 GPA may apply and be processed for screening. Interviews will be held by December. The course is strictly for determined students as it requires dedication and perseverance.
“We want to make sure that the students in the program are really serious,” states Leticia Reyes RN, who runs the program in the 5th period after school.
“More than 50 percent of my students usually pursue a nursing career after high school,” said Reyes.
The students do their clinical Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. at CHC with Johnny Aldan, a Northern Marianas College nursing instructor.
The nursing assistant program of SSHS is currently not open to students from other high school due to issues with class size and transportation.
