For the first time during the 2018-2019 academic school year, UA Cossatot offered a nursing assistant training program to Ashdown High School seniors.  A pinning ceremony took place at Ashdown High School on Thursday, May 16, 2019, where nine Ashdown students received a training certificate and a pin for completing the training program.

The college's Continuing Education department and Ashdown High School partnered together to offer Ashdown High School seniors the chance to receive nursing assistant training in high school, to prepare for the certified nursing assistant training exam after graduation.  After passing this exam, these students can earn a license to work as a Certified Nursing Assistant.  Students who participated in the training program received one hundred hours of training, with sixteen hours being in a clinical setting at Pleasant Manor Nursing Home in Ashdown.

The ceremony began at 6:00 PM with a welcome by Ashdown High School Superintendent, Casey Nichols.  UA Cossatot's Director of Public Services and Workforce Development, Tammy Coleman gave an overview of the program and also recognized individuals who made this partnership and program possible.  The students were then presented with certificates by their instructor Sharon Shelton and then received a pin from UA Cossatot's Continuing Education Coordinator, Zebbie Launius.

The nine students who completed the nursing assistant training program included Alicia Hale, Angel Hamilton, Ta'Neka Hamilton, Deniyah Hemphill, Madison Johnson, Holly Jones, Jasmine Richard, Destinee Robinson, and Ariyonna Trotter. 

Ashdown High School is the first high school to partner with UA Cossatot to offer a nursing assistant training program to high school seniors.  The college does plan to partner with other area high schools in the future to provide this opportunity to more seniors in high school.

Job prospects for Certified Nursing Assistants are bright.  The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the demand for Certified Nursing Assistants will rise at a rate of eleven percent through 2026, which is much faster than the average job growth.  As the population ages, demand for round-the-clock nursing services will continue to be needed. 

To learn more about nursing assistant training programs through UA Cossatot, please speak with someone in Continuing Education at UA Cossatot at 870-584-4471.

Photo:(from left to right) Zebbie Launius, Sharon Shelton, Holly Jones, Angel Hamilton, Deniyah Hemphill, Ariyonna Trotter, Alicia Hale, Madison Johnson, Taneka Hamilton, and Destinee Robinson; not pictured: Jasmine Richard.