Before entering college, dozens of students already have hands-on experience in the medical field. With the help of medical professions classes, aspiring physicians are able to dedicate themselves both inside and outside of the classroom to a deeper understanding of the career they are pursuing.

Current Medical Professions II students now have the opportunity to participate in off-campus clinicals. The idea is that students will be exposed to the demands of becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA).

Teacher Chris Humphrey has headed up the program for three years. He noted that it is the third quarter that students are truly introduced to the real-world experience.

“[Students] transport themselves off campus to our facility which this year is Citadel Post Acute [in east Mesa],” Humphrey said. The Citadel is a nursing and rehabilitation facility that meets the needs of several types of individuals.

When they arrive, students make the rounds with the residents to see if they need ice or water, Humphry explained. They also answer phones and work on interacting with real people with real needs. “You can’t teach that in a lab,” Humphrey said.

The first semester of the Medical Professions II class is mostly focused on studying and prepping for off-site experiences, using lab set-ups and demonstrations. During the second semester, the 21 participating students participate in the clinicals within a 8 week long period, with a requirement of 40 logged hours.

Senior Madison Conway has been participating in these clinicals since they began in January. Students are paired with a CNA, assisting with jobs from helping a person move up in bed, feeding a person, emptying a catheter, giving showers, giving bed baths and brushing teeth, Conway explained. “All kinds of patients need all kinds of different things, so we do a lot,” Conway said.

The clinical hours are held on block days from 12:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., with the students getting paid solely in experience.

Senior Onieda Hutson adds, “At first, I thought it would be terrible because it’s like six hours out of your life, and you’d think that it’d be really long and hard but it actually goes by really quickly and you enjoy every moment… I wouldn’t say it’s ever a waste of my time.”

Through the Medical Professions II course, students are able to test for their CNA license upon it’s completion, allowing them to even further advance their pursuit towards the medical field straight out of high school.

“This group of students this year, they are really go-getters…they are in it to win it, they are eager for every experience they can possibly get, and so far,” Humphrey knocks on his wooden desk, “they really appear to be enjoying it.”