HANCEVILLE, Ala. – Two Health Science students, Riley Daugherty and Briece Buxton from Cullman Area Technology Academy (CATA), recently received their Nursing Aide Certification and AHA BLS Instructor certification, meaning they can now instruct others in first aid techniques, CPR and cardiovascular care. The two are seniors at West Point High School and third year students at CATA.
Their senior year has been dedicated to hands-on clinicals and obtaining their CNA and BLS Instructor certification. They both have plans to attend Wallace State Community College and plan to become RNs. This year, the pair were the only seniors in the Health Science program at CATA. Instructors Tracy Smith and Adriann Basch shared that they usually have many more seniors, but due to Covid, they have had fewer students going into nursing in the last two years.
Daugherty and Buxton can now enter the workforce in their industry if they choose to as CNAs and get a jump start on their college education with hands-on experience. Daugherty shared her appreciation for the experience she gained at CATA, “I loved attending CATA. Our instructors made sure that we were well prepared for whatever plans that we had for our future and made sure that we were comfortable in whatever field we take in our future.”
While Buxton still plans to pursue nursing, she said that she has already received a job offer from Cullman Regional Hospital where she will be getting certified as a telemetry monitor technician. She stated, “I think CATA did help me a lot because I went into their class not knowing what I wanted to do or even be. Funnily enough wanted to do cosmetology when I first heard about the career center, but then I went into their class and absolutely loved it.”
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