CNA students from REC get to check out the Anatomage computer at Maria College
Certified Nursing Assistant students from Rensselaer Educational Center (REC) visited Maria College on October 27. CNA teacher Kelley Shader organized the visit with the Admissions Office at Maria. The class spent several hours at the college getting a feel for campus life and meeting with several different departments on campus.
Director of Admissions John Ramoska welcomed the students and gave an overview of the various health programs offered at Maria College. He presented information on the nursing tracks offered at Maria – including Licensed Practice Nurse (LPN) and Registered Nurse (RN). He also presented about the Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy tracks.
Ramoska also discussed the Financial Aid process and the various scholarships and federal and state aid available to many students. Several students completed information cards to meet one on one with an admissions representative.
The group also met with Dr. Melissa Boles who gave the students an Anatomage tutorial. An Anatomage machine is a touch screen, body size computer that allows students to dissect the various different body parts in order to best learn human anatomy.
“This is the future of anatomy and physiology. It’s not your high school biology dissection lab. If you make a mistake, you can start over,” said Dr. Boles. Students had the chance to try out the machine after the demonstration.
A student performs CPR on a live mannequin at Maria College
The group then visited Maria’s Nursing Simulation Lab and had the opportunity to work on “live” mannequins. Live mannequins blink, close their eyes, cough and have audible breath sounds. Students took the “patients” vital signs and found both normal and abnormal results.
CNA student Veronica Thompson from Brunswick CSD tried CPR on one of the live mannequins and said it was an excellent experience.
“This is great practice. It gives us the chance to make mistakes and learn from that experience,” Thompson said.
An added bonus- Maria College is no stranger to REC graduates.
“We have three CNA graduates currently enrolled now at Maria and they’re doing great. Visiting a college campus where many of our students actually wind up attending is a great experience for our students,” Shader says.
