Eight graduate from PVAEC CNA program

DOVER-FOXCROFT — It takes more than a high school degree and over 200 hours of instruction to become certified as a nurse’s assistant. It also takes determination and exceptional time management skills — especially when you’re a single parent.
Being a mom and juggling kids’ schedules were high on the list of challenges cited by the eight recent graduates of the Picataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative (PVAEC) CNA class.
“You all had to arrange for child care, cooking and shopping while attending class and making time to study,” PVAEC Executive Director Thelma Regan told the graduates at their pinning ceremony in October. “That’s not easy.”
The CNA curriculum ranges from the care of newborns to cadavers and includes CPR, first aid, diseases and job searching.
Nancy Hoskins, RN, is one of two CNA program instructors at PVAEC. Hoskins began her long nursing career as a CNA when all her training was the on-the-job. That’s why she loves teaching the 80 hours of clinicals. “We’re in nursing homes and hospitals, dealing with real people not classroom examples,” she said. Her pediatrics session even includes a student “Bring Your Children Day” to provide hands-on training on youths of all ages.
Besides the clinicals, the CNA program also includes 92 classroom hours and 36 lab hours.
“Her experience in the field and her passion for the career helped make the class much better in terms of knowing the book knowledge and how it’s applied in the real world,” wrote graduate Aaron Lamoreau of Newport about Hoskins.
For 12 of the lab hours, students practice important personal patient care and comfort skills on each other such as bathing, shaving, shampooing, feeding, brushing teeth and trimming nails.
“You are the eyes and ears of patients- 24/7, in their home, long-term care or short-term,” noted Hoskins. “Stand your ground if you see something wrong.”
The job market for CNAs is strong in Ccentral Maine with a growth rate over the next decade estimated at 21 percent according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
And the certification is “worth a few dollars more per hour,” according to recent CNA graduate Shelby Richards of Bradford who is currently a direct service professional. That’s good news for Brittany Bressette of Dover-Foxcroft, who told Hoskins she will enjoy doing something she loves.
“Hospitals need CNAs for their accreditation,” noted Regan. She also thanked the graduates for their long, hard work. “Your job is vitally important and is also a career springboard.”
For graduate Rhiannon Rosso of Dexter, becoming a CNA is the first step toward her goal of becoming an RN. Elizabeth Bailey of Wellington was also in the class though she was already a CNA in New Hampshire. Maine doesn’t recognize her certification.
“Maine has the highest CNA standards in the country. A certificate from Maine is accepted almost everywhere,” Regan said.
That portability appeals to Mandi Cluney of Bangor, a single mom with two small kids. “I want to be a traveling RN. But I need a job because schooling doesn’t pay the bills.”
Cluney, like so many other students, relied heavily on the support of her family. Cluney’s mother, Corliss Fanjoy of Dexter, helped with the kids.
“You do what you can to help,” Fanjoy said. “I’m just so proud of Mandi.”
Graduates were presented with a pin, diploma, a copy of their skills sheets and criminal background report and an application for the state Certified Nurses Registry.
Two spring 2017 CNA classes are scheduled at PVAEC in Dexter and Dover-Foxcroft. Potential students are required to have their high school diploma or HiSET (formerly GED) and attend PVAEC’s pre-vocational classes to brush up on their reading, math and computer literacy skills. Class size is limited.
PVAEC consists of four school districts in central Maine who banded together 10 years ago to provide a flexible adult education environment for both enrichment and academics. Serving varying age and learning levels, PVAEC helps academic students finish high school, earn a high school diploma equivalent (HiSET), prepare themselves for college or gain certification in a career. All courses are tailored to each individual learner and their unique needs. These classes may be in a traditional classroom setting with any of PVAEC’s four instructors or online via their extensive career and technical education program library.
For more information on the CNA programs or any of PVAEC’s academic or enrichment classes, please call 564-6525 or 1-800-551-6525, on Facebook see “PVAEC” or check pvaec.maineadulted.org.

Photo courtesy of PVAEC
CNA GRADS — The 2016 PVAEC CNA graduates are, from left, Mandi Cluney, Rhiannon Rosso, Elizabeth Bailey, Shelby Richards, Tiffany Langlais and Chelsey Gustin along with their instructor Nancy Hoskins. Not pictured, Aaron Lamoreau and Brittany Bressette.