{"id":2925,"date":"2021-09-10T19:10:52","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T19:10:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-professional-education\/?p=2925"},"modified":"2021-09-10T19:18:35","modified_gmt":"2021-09-10T19:18:35","slug":"a-call-to-care-heather-morrisons-cna-success-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-professional-education\/2021\/09\/10\/a-call-to-care-heather-morrisons-cna-success-story\/","title":{"rendered":"A Call to Care: Heather Morrison\u2019s CNA Success Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"nurse<\/p>\n

\"Heather<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After working as a long-term caregiver for over a year, Heather Morrison knew that she wanted to\u00a0pursue a career\u00a0focused on helping others.\u00a0Before taking the full leap into healthcare, she decided to\u00a0move forward with a small stepping stone\u2014ensuring she was on the right route for her\u2014by becoming a certified nursing assistant! Now, Heather is working at Parkridge as a CNA and using what she learned in UTC\u2019s course in her role.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Marah: What did you enjoy most about\u00a0<\/span><\/b>UTC\u2019s Certified Nursing Assistant course<\/span><\/b><\/a>?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Heather: I loved the hands-on experience\u00a0portion\u00a0of the course; specifically, the clinical\u00a0portion\u00a0at Siskin Hospital.\u00a0The\u00a0Siskin\u00a0nurses and CNAs were so helpful and encouraging to our\u00a0cohort. I enjoyed building relationships with the patients\u00a0and watching them get better throughout our time at Siskin!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

M: What was your interaction like with the course instructor? What about with your peers?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

H: I felt so lucky to be a part of my cohort. Our class had an incredibly close dynamic and has even kept up with one another after the course. UTC is a large school, but the class size made us feel connected. The instructor was also great; I appreciated that she was a nurse and could give us pointers on what we are learning as someone who has done it all firsthand. She was very helpful, and my classmates and I felt comfortable asking her questions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

M:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>What advice would you give to someone wanting to take the CNA course, particularly to those who don\u2019t have previous healthcare experience?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

H: Take the course!\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0only five weeks, and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0not incredibly difficult. The clinical\u00a0experience will allow you to see if the healthcare field is truly something you want to\u00a0enter into. The class\u00a0provides\u00a0a very clear\u00a0image of what\u00a0being a CNA is like.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also learn important skills that are part of the non-healthcare aspect of the role, such as how to communicate with different people, how\u00a0circumstances affect patients in various ways, etc. I cannot\u00a0overemphasize\u00a0that\u00a0the course is a great starting point for anyone wanting to do anything\u00a0remotely in healthcare.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

M: How did you prepare for the CNA state licensing exams?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

H: A couple of weeks before the exam date, I began reading through the skills packet nightly. Doing so takes a long time but is worth it. Obviously, you can\u2019t physically do a lot of the hands-on skills by yourself, but just going through the packet and verbally saying how I would carry out the tasks helped a lot.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The night before the exam, a couple of friends and I met and went through our study materials together. We found it helpful to talk through and reread things as a group! The day of the exam was nerve-wracking, but the class prepared us well for what was to come. The written part was almost exactly like the mock exam we took in class.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

M:\u00a0What\u2019s\u00a0next now that\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0certified?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

H: I have accepted a job at Parkridge and am working PRN as a CNA! I am also enrolled in an alternative medicine school and will be transferring into a nutrition program next year, with plans to become a dietician. As a CNA, I hope to become<\/span>\u00a0more acclimated to the healthcare field.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

M: Is there anything else you would share about your CNA course experience?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

H:\u00a0I would share two final pieces of advice; first, don\u2019t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone! Two, ask questions.\u00a0No question is\u00a0dumb or silly. At Siskin, there were workers asking questions who had worked in healthcare for 30 years. It\u2019s all part of the learning experience!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I would also say that the CNA experience has been so humbling for me in that I am able to do things for people\u00a0with medical conditions who simply can\u2019t do things for themselves. There are hard days, but I\u00a0know\u00a0I am better\u00a0because of the lessons I am learning.\u00a0I am so glad I decided to become a CNA.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/h4>\n

\"Marah<\/p>\n

Marah Whitaker (think Laura with an M) serves as the marketing assistant for the UTC Center for Professional Education. During the workday, she spends time writing blog posts, creating content for social media, developing email campaigns, and building relationships with CPE\u2019s customer base. During her free time, you can find her getting lost in a good book, having spontaneous dance parties, playing piano, and going to Buffalo Wild Wings on Wing Night. Professionally and personally, she aspires to live by Mr. Feeny\u2019s advice, \u201cDream. Believe. Try. Do Good.\u201d She strives to use her passions to serve others and contribute positively to the world around her.<\/p>\n

Connect with Marah on\u00a0LinkedIn.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  After working as a long-term caregiver for over a year, Heather Morrison knew that she wanted to\u00a0pursue a career\u00a0focused on helping others.\u00a0Before taking the full leap into healthcare, she decided to\u00a0move forward with a small stepping stone\u2014ensuring she was on the right route for her\u2014by becoming a certified nursing assistant! Now, Heather is working… <\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1540,"featured_media":2930,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[108731,110214],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2925","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medical-courses","8":"category-student-success-stories","9":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nA Call to Care: Heather Morrison\u2019s CNA Success Story - UTC Center for Professional Education Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Call to Care: Heather Morrison\u2019s CNA Success Story - UTC Center for Professional Education Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  After working as a long-term caregiver for over a year, Heather Morrison knew that she wanted to\u00a0pursue a career\u00a0focused on helping others.\u00a0Before taking the full leap into healthcare, she decided to\u00a0move forward with a small stepping stone\u2014ensuring she was on the right route for her\u2014by becoming a certified nursing assistant! 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