RIVIERA ISD STUDENTS EARN CNA — Pictured are front row, from left Adriana Alvarado, Mika Womak, Gabby Taylor, Kenny Cox, Jose Castillo; back row, Instructor Missy Hubert, Natalie Guajardo, and Leslie Bennett. Riviera ISD offers classes to train students to become Certified Nurse’s Assistants (CNAs). The first step of the process is taking the Principles of Health Science class.

After the prerequisite class is complete, the CNA students participate in a year-long program to prepare them for the state board certification exam.

During the program, the students experience clinical rotations at the nursing home where they work with nursing home residents by bathing, feeding, helping them walk, increasing their range of motion, communicating with them and just being there to give the residents someone to talk to.

“All of the students did a wonderful job and put forth the effort necessary to obtain their certification. I am proud to say that all of them passed their state board exam and are now certified nursing assistants and ready to go into the medical field,” Kaufer High School Health Science Technology Instructor Missy Hubert said.

After earning a CNA, students are qualified to work in a hospital, nursing home, home health, and skilled nursing facilities. According to Missy, the salary for these types of positions ranges from about $19,000 to about $23,000.