OCH hosts PCA clinicals

Nine Students from Petra Allied Health completed their clinical training at Gravette hospital and clinic

PCA student Kaitlin Holmes prepares to check blood pressure on OCH communications coordinator Jayna Cardetti Thursday while PCA students Tiffany Chandler, Elyssa Sheets and PCA instructor Lonnie Moll look on.
PCA student Kaitlin Holmes prepares to check blood pressure on OCH communications coordinator Jayna Cardetti Thursday while PCA students Tiffany Chandler, Elyssa Sheets and PCA instructor Lonnie Moll look on.

— Ozarks Community Hospital proved to be an excellent host last week for the clinical training portion of a patient care assistant program offered by Petra Allied Health of Springdale.

Nine students received their 28 hours of clinical training at Gravette’s hospital and clinic on Monday through Thursday. Under the supervi-From Staff Reportssion of OCH doctors and nurses and licensed practical nurse and clinical instructor Dana Crow, the students were able topractice the skills they had learned during their 48 hours of in-class training.

The specialized training - not to be confused with personal care assistant training (a short course for those who provide personal care to a loved one or friend) - is for certified nursing assistants who wish to learn more advanced patient care procedures which are often needed in a hospital or clinic setting. Included in their classroom training at Petra was training in electrocardiograms, simple blood draws, wound bandaging and sterile fields so that the CNAs can assist with numerousprocedures carried out in a sterile setting.

Clinical training at OCH turned out to be a perfect match because the hospital and clinic staff permitted the students to assist with so many of the procedures they studied in the classroom.

“My students were so excited to be able to practice the skills they had learned by assisting Ozarks Community Hospital staff duringtheir fourday clinicals there,” said Lonnie Moll, LPN, instructor and the CNA program director at Petra. She said herstudents called her and sent her text messages during the week, excited about their experiences at OCH.

“It was wonderful,” said Amanda Alley, one of the nine students. “Lonnie was extremely helpful and resourceful in the class. We got lots of hands-on instruction. And everyone at the hospital was so inviting and eager to teach us.” Alley said. “And that helped a lot. The doctors too were helpful and let us come in during their procedures.”

The class was the first PCA class at Petra, but more classes are planned, with another starting next month. And the schoolwas so pleased with the clinical experience provided for the students, plans are to return again to Gravette next month for clinical training.

“I was so thankful because our students had a wonderful experience at the hospital and clinic and were able to use so many of their skills,” Moll said. “Everyone treated them so nice there, and we look forward to a continued working relationship with Ozarks Community Hospital as more students take the PCA course at Petra.”

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Kaitlin Holmes (left), Leticia Brockelsby, Michael Hubbard, Elyssa Sheets, CNA and PCA instructor Lonnie Moll Amanda Alley, Tiffany Chandler, clinical instructor Dana Crow, Kimberly Rushing, OCH nurse Jennifer Carlton, Caroline Wise and Lindsay Engle posed for a photo together after clinicals on Thursday.

And the staff at OCH was pleased with the experience too.

“The Petra students were efficient, asked pertinent questions and were eager to observe any procedure and help where asked,” said Debbie Russow, nurse for Dr.K. Marcus Poemoceah.

“We really enjoyed having the PCA students here at OCH and hope they found it to be beneficial,” said Jennifer Carlton, OCH nursing education director.

“The students we worked with were excellent,” said LPN Jamie Aue, assistant to OCH physician Dr. David Tucker at the clinic. “They have their sights on bigger and better things. This is a great place to start their medical training experience,” she said.

“All the students were very eager to learn; they were energetic andvery interested in getting started to make progress in their medical profession training,” said Dr. Tucker.

The PCA course is for those who have already completed CNA training, Moll said. They learn more advanced skills not normally assigned to CNAs but which they may carry out when delegated and supervised by a licensed nurse or physician, she said.

“The training helps them get their feet wet in actual patient care and helps them build confidence for the future,” said LPN Joanne Morris, who works with OCH physician Dr. Nancy Jones.

“It was an awesome experience,” Alley said of her Petra class and clinical training at OCH. “I’m just sad that it’s over,” she added.

About Petra

Petra Allied Health was founded in 1992 and is licensed by the Arkansas State Board of Private Career Education. The school offers classes to train students for careers as a certified nursing assistant, phlebotomy technician, patient care assistant, physical therapy aide, pharmacy technician, veterinary assistant, medical assistant, medical interpreter, dental assistant, medical coding and billing, medical insurance specialist / medical biller, medical transcriptionist, electrocardiograph technician and limited licensed radiologic technologist. The school has campuses in Springdale, Ft. Smith and Hot Springs and has graduated more than 17,000 students, according to the school’s website.

About OCH

Ozarks Community Hospital is a community-driven health system made up of two hospitals and 14 clinics located throughout the Ozarks. According to the hospital website, the hospital staff is dedicated to providing a compassionate environment for each of their patients and continued access to health care for all.

According to the website, “OCH is the lowest cost health care system in the nation based on hospital and physician utilization by Medicare beneficiaries; more than 80 percent of patients visiting OCH have governmental insurance or are self pay; OCH provides discounts of 40 percent or more to uninsured patients; OCH has never sued a patient to collect a bill; OCH has never reported a patient to a credit bureau for nonpayment; and OCH does not receive public or private support and pays all local, state and federal taxes.”

News, Pages 2 on 04/13/2011