Starting Salary
​25k

Job Growth:
​High Need

Salary
25k - 90k

Check

Out

Nursing

​Assistant
Course Description
Students will learn the skills to be a supportive caregiver through clinical experiences in nursing homes, hospitals, and private homes.  Topics of study include: personal care procedures, anatomy and physiology, body mechanics, body structures and functions, medical terminology, nutrition, human biology, disease treatment and prevention, and medical legality issues. During clinical rotations, students perform personal care procedures, learn to take vital signs, and assist patients with mobility using crutches, canes, walkers and wheelchairs. 

Concurrent Enrollment Credits 
Tompkins Cortland Community College
-HLTH 104: Medical Terminology (3 credits)
-HLTH 205: First Aid and Safety Education (3 credits)
​-HLTH 206: Personal Health (3 credits)
Course Content
  • Body structures and functions
  • Common signs of illness
  • Anatomy and physiology
  • Legal and ethical responsibilities
  • Medical terminology
  • Personal health and wellness
  • Direct patient care
  • CPR and first aid
  • Basic nursing procedures
  • Nutritional and environmental needs of clients/patients
  • Pediatrics, elderly, disabled and chronically ill
  • Clinical Rotations
nursign student with mannequin Picture
Image was taken pre-pandemic.
Career Opportunities Can Include:
  • Home Health Aide
  • Personal Care Aide
  • Hospital Aide
  • Residential Aide
  • Physical Therapy Aide
  • LPN
  • RN
  • Phlebotomist/Lab Tech

College Agreements with:

fran h Picture
Marlo Capoccia

Nursing Teacher

After working in the CNA Classroom as the Clinical Assistant for five years, Marlo began teaching in 2022. With a background in medical/surgical telemetry and focus on mental health and lifestyle health, Marlo's goal is to combine practical, skills-based learning with the realities of working in healthcare today. Marlo has 3 sons that went to school in Ithaca, 2 very naughty dogs and a small farmette in the country where she does battle with weeds and grows flowers for gift bouquets.

Deborah Mansfield
Outreach Manager at Cayuga Medical Center

"The Nurse Assisting classroom at the Career and Tech Center is a very helpful tool for any students that are interested in getting their phlebotomy certificate. Giving them all the basic information and having them practice finger sticks gets them ready to train in our lab, and it helps to build confidence. When we interview for our positions, we are looking for that initial guidance they have had from the BOCES program, which then gets them closer to their goal of finding a position.
We have hired many Nurse Assisting students because they have come to our lab through the BOCES program.  These experiences give us the ability to see their progress as they learn, and it helps to form a relationship with these students, which makes the decision to hire graduates easy since we already know them."

Emily Jackson
2018 Trumansburg Alum

"Since graduating from the Nurse Assistant and Health Occupations class, I have had many opportunities to use the skills I acquired during my two years and apply them to jobs in the healthcare field. I have been using my phlebotomy certification for the past one and a half years at Cayuga Medical Center, where I have worked as a laboratory assistant in the outpatient laboratories. I also work as a Home Health Aide, another certification I received, at Bridges Cornell Heights. The clinical practical experiences through this program allowed me to see the many job opportunities that are out there for young healthcare workers. I am now a junior at Elmira College, and in the spring of 2022, I will be finishing my Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Nursing and will then be taking the NCLEX exam to (hopefully) become an RN. Through the Career and Tech program, I found a career path I know I want to follow, and I was given the confidence and skills to excel in my future career."

Mariyah King
2021 Ithaca Alum

"I’m a senior in the Nurse Assisting and Health Occupations class, and it has done so much for me. Being in this class has helped me learn a lot about health in general, which is good for helping others, but also myself. This class helped me really decide that I wanted to continue on in the medical field after high school. The skills I have learned in this class also helped me find a better job, that I love and feel good about going to!  I have made new friends that I adore. Both of my teachers are amazing women who offer help and support, not only in the classroom, but in  the student’s personal life as well. The CNA class and teachers helped push me toward trying to achieve amazing things, and I can confidently say that because of them, I’ll be able to do those things."

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