Even before the pandemic, teachers have been using virtual techniques in creative ways to help their students to learn new skills. Not everything can be taught first-hand and that can be particularly challenging given the limitations of classroom spaces and schedules. But, Joanne McMahon has come up with a simple virtual solution for her students at the Region 10 Technical High School to learn one of the skills they need to earn their Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) degree.
Students training for a CNA degree have to learn how to support the medical staff that they work with by doing a variety of tasks. One of the most basic services a CNA can provide is to take measurements of a patient’s vital signs. Sometimes this is simple, like taking someone’s temperature, but other times it is more complex. Blood pressure is one of those more complex measurements. There’s systolic and diastolic and getting the pressure just right. The way to learn how to do it correctly is through repeated practice.
Joann McMahon
Joanne has been a nurse for 39 years, so she has a pretty good handle on this. But, her students are new to it and need some intense practice. To that end, McMahon applied for a $2500 grant from the Brunswick Community Education Foundation (BCEF) last winter to purchase two “blood pressure arms”. These “arms” connect to iPods that register whether the measurements are being done correctly.
Joanne has been teaching in this program for eight years and oversees 22 students each year in the one-year certification course. It’s a quick timeline for the students to learn the skills they need to get started in their careers. But, tools like this help to accelerate their learning. True to the focus of the Region 10 School, this program will help students to get applied job training while they are still in high school. In this case, they are actually earning college credits through Southern Maine Community College (SMCC). And, they’re able to do this free of charge through the public school system. “Students feel very fortunate to be able to begin their health care careers while in high school,” says McMahon. Indeed, this is just the first step for many of the students. “The majority go on to college to further their education,” she adds.
This is just one of the many projects funded by the Brunswick Community Education Foundation (BCEF) that support the creative efforts of teachers across all of Brunswick’s public schools. Creativity in education is key right now during the pandemic and teachers like McMahon are taking advantage of opportunities like those of BCEF to provide funding to bring their ideas to fruition. Students like those in McMahon’s class are the beneficiaries of creative thinking to utilize technology to accelerate learning. BCEF board member Cheryl Crockett notes that “This training is especially vital during a time when health care workers are essential and it’s wonderful that we (BCEF) can support future health care workers through our grants.”
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