Senior
Dakota Auflick was among donors at the American Red Cross blood drive Tuesday
at Mansfield Senior High School. With him are junior Sierra Frampton, a student
in the health technology program, and Diane Anderson of the Red Cross, a 2011
Senior High graduate.
Blood drives
sponsored by health technology career tech students at Mansfield Senior High
are so successful that they probably will move to larger quarters.
Forty-one pints was the goal for Tuesday’s 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. drive in the health tech classroom. Technicians from the American Red Cross Richland County Chapter screened donors and drew the blood.
“We have a full schedule and 20 donors on the waiting list. I don’t think most on the waiting list will get in,” said health tech instructor Jennifer Johnson.
“We want to have two more blood drives this year. We may have to move to the gymnasium.”
Johnson said
her students also may sponsor a blood drive at one of the elementary schools in
the spring for parents and other adult donors.
Many of the 16 seniors and 22 juniors in the health tech program were involved in Tuesday’s blood draw.
“Some were checking people in at their scheduled times, some were with donors in the recovery room after their donations and still others observed the blood draw procedures,” said Johnson.
By January
seniors will be ready to take the test to earn state certification as State
Tested Nurse Aides (STNA). Before they are ready for the test they will finish
classroom study and complete their clinical work at Liberty Nursing Center.
STNA testing
is done by D&S Diversified Technologies through a contract with the state.
Testing covers 25 skill areas ranging from abdominal thrust on a conscious
resident to making an occupied bed and from range of motion hip and knee to
stand pivot transfer from bed to wheelchair using a gait belt.
Seventy-nine
questions on the written part of the test deal with topics that include
infection control, patient safety and mental health issues related to combative
behavior.
Senior High
is an accredited STNA testing site.
Johnson also
requires her students to complete 20 volunteer hours in the community. Some
volunteer at nursing homes, others with athletic trainers.
“Once they earn STNA certification they can begin working, even before graduation,” she said. “For some, STNA certification will be a step toward becoming an LPN (licensed practical nurse) or an RN (registered nurse).”
Johnson also has 26 freshmen in in the health tech foundations course, which is designed for students to determine if they want to pursue training as juniors and seniors.