By Gabriel Aguilar, ROC Small Business Entrepreneurship    

Bakersfield, CA - Students at ROC in the Nursing Assistant program are developing their medical skills with hands-long learning in an effort to prepare them for their upcoming community internships. For many, this will lead to entry-level employment within the medical field.

For now, students are able to learn through classroom presentations, lectures, and academic book work. For three-hours a day, 15-hours per week, these students are developing the personal care skills they will need in order to attend to residents at long-term care facilities and acute hospitals.

In addition to classroom work, the students are also active in the ROC medical lab, where they work on projects with mannequins and take vital signs on each other.  Students work both individually and in groups to complete projects and observations.

Teacher Mrs. Hallmark prepares her students very well in order to have them ready for internships and any future classroom projects. Students are able to take a CPR class as part of the program in order to receive their certification.

“I don’t like the program, I love the program!”, states Ridgeview High senior Vanessa Avecedo. “I also enjoy collaborating (with students from other schools) and meeting new faces.”

For Jirnique Burton, a student from Mira Monte High School, a favorite project is the mannequin assignment. She really enjoys the experience and the hands-on skills she is able to learn.

The students are very eager and open-minded to the lessons that Mrs. Hallmark presents to them. It is not hard to imagine that someday soon these young students will be furthering their careers in medical facilities and colleges throughout the area.