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It is a program wholly unique in Indiana and it can only be found in Clark County.

At its concept phase, the program was designed as a way to help generate revenues for the Clark County Chapter of the American Red Cross, but it also is helping to launch careers in the medical field.

Started in November, the Clark County Red Cross offers a three-week course to become a certified nursing assistant and since its inception, about 30 students have completed the program.

“It’s like the first stepping-stone in the health care field,” said Sheila Lowery, coordinator for nurse’s aid training. “To put people out there with the rising need that is coming with the retiring baby boomers, that need is going to be very prevalent. And with our economic situation the way it is now, this was a way for people to secure employment ... as well as provide quality care to the community.”

Former nursing assistant student Sherri Cunningham, 38, is using the program as a springboard into the health care industry, but she also had practical purposes for seeking out the Red Cross’ program.

“I need to have some kind of a job, I need to work part-time and there’s a lot of part-time opportunities in this field,” she said.

Now a part-time student at Ivy Tech Community College in Sellersburg pursuing a degree in nursing, Cunningham said the program has given her an advantage in a number of ways.

“It kind of gives you an in,” she said. “I would like to work in a hospital setting, so to already be established someplace I think would be good.”

The program is designed for a week of classroom work followed by two weeks of clinical, or on-site, work with patients. In order for the students to earn their state certification, they are subjected to a written test and a skills test. In the skills test, the nurses must complete four assignments in addition to several random tasks — chosen out of 50 possible tasks — to pass the test.

But for the students, the real advantage is the experience they are able to earn during the two-week clinical period.

“I felt very prepared going into the clinical setting,” Cunningham said. “It was intimidating at first ... but after the first day I really felt comfortable and I felt like I could give the care that people needed.”

Now that Cunningham has been in a setting where she was providing care, she is ahead of the curve in at least one aspect of her nursing program. She said the advantage of the Red Cross training course is it has helped her be more sure of herself and knowing how to work with residents.

Cunningham and Lowery explained that patients don’t always want to follow the direction of the health care provider, even if it may be in their best interest.

“It’s that critical thinking that is a part of this program,” Lowery said. “Unexpected and unanticipated — that’s the nature of health care. I think that’s very important to have that real-life experience.”

Once the students have that real-life experience and they are looking for a job, it may help them clear another obstacle.

“Our goal is hopefully they can get with an employer that would help reimburse tuition ... if they chose to go further,” Lowery said.

To help ensure the experience the students attain is worthwhile, a group of medical advisers helps to direct the program. The medical advisory board is made up of doctors and other medical professionals within the community and their suggestions are blended with state requirements to create the curriculum for the Red Cross’ program, Lowery said.

The attention paid to preparing the students for the health care work setting is what enticed Cunningham to enroll in the program.

“I actually called around to a few places when I decided this was the track that I wanted to take and I just asked them what program they recommended,” Cunningham said. “Red Cross was the first one that everyone said.”

While it has been an admittedly bumpy road to start the program, the heaviest lifting may be over and if the course continues to move forward, Red Cross may try to expand.

“Once we feel like we have a firmer foundation and we’ve got a bit more of a track record here, then we’re looking at expanding into other counties and possibly partnering with other Red Cross chapters to help them so that they don’t have to go through all of the torturous steps that we had to go through,” said Phyllis Wilkins, executive director of the Clark County Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Other Red Cross chapters throughout the state have expressed an interest in developing a program similar to Clark County’s.

Still early in the discussion phase, Clark County is determining whether to simply offer advice to the other branches or use the Lowery and Clark County to oversee multiple training sites.

“We still needed to be creative and look at other opportunities to generate revenues for this chapter so that it could sustain itself for the long-term,” Wilkins said. “That was one of the big driving factors. Not only could this be a revenue stream for us, but it would definitely meet some needs that were going on in the community.

“We knew that there were people in the community that were unemployed and may look at this as an option.”

The three-week training course costs $600 and some scholarships and tuition assistance programs are offered.

So you know

• The nursing assistant training program will have an open house from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. June 17 at the Clark County Chapter of the American Red Cross. RSVPs are requested. Clark County Red Cross is located at 1805 E. Eighth St. in Jeffersonville. For more information visit www.clarkredcross.org; call 812-283-8416 or 1-800-850-8894; or e-mail ccrc.nat@insightbb.com

• The next class begins June 21 and class hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.