A little about me:   I've been a RN for 15years & Certified Surgical Technologist for 19 years.  I have experience in the Operating Room(assisting surgeons with operations), Telemetry(caring for people with Heart problems),  Medicine Unit (caring for  individuals with various general illnesses) & Home Health Care.  I have been a volunteer First Responder with Livingston Parish Dist. #10(Holden) for 23 years where my husband, Warren, is the current Chief.  My role with the Fire Dept. involves resonding to emergency medical calls, assisting on Fire calls, training medical personell, and helping keep track of  paperwork.  
This is my 9th school year at Albany High School. I previously taught  Patient Care Technician(PCT) at Louisiana Technical College in Hammond & Greensburg.  I have throughly enjoyed my nursing career and the various opportunites that have been offered to me though this career choice.
   
Opportunities for students who take my classes:
     Nursing Assistant: Students must be 16 years of age and in the 11th or 12th grade.  It is a full year class with all hours completed or No high school credit awarded(2 credits). The course consists 160 classroom hours & a required minimum of 100 clinical hours.  Clinical hours are divided between the Nursing Home & Hospital.  The student is dually enrolled with LTC and recieves credits that are applied to the Practical Nursing degree or PCT. After successful completion of this class, students become Certified Nursing Assistant's and can work in various job settings.  As a senior student, they can continue to become Patient Care Technicians(PCT) or take classes which apply towards a degree as a Practical Nurse. 
Patient Care Technician includes learning Phlebotomy(sticking patients to obtain blood samples for testing) & learning to perform EKG's(recording the various rhythms of the heart to help with diagnosis) . 

    Medical Terminiology: Students will learn how to read, write and speak medical terminology.  This is a required portion of Nursing Assistant. After completetion, they are eligible to sit for the Nursing 214 exam given by Southeastern Louisiana University at the Literacy & Technical Center.  Upon passing the test and enrolling in SLU, they receive 3 college credit hours for Nursing 214 a highly recommended class for all students planning to enter the nursing and/or medical field in general.