Job: Registered nurse/program coordinator at Covenant C.N.A. School, Atlanta.
What I do: "I instruct individuals from 17 thru 68 years of age on how to become a certified nursing assistant."
How I got into this: "I came to Georgia in 2003 from New York City and... I started looking for a job in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. I found an ad that was looking for a licensed practical nurse to teach certified nursing assistants. I could not work as a registered nurse, but I was an LPN for 7 years, working in long-term care facilities before I became an RN.
“I was also a nursing assistant for five years... and as a result of my background, I felt qualified for the job in the paper. I was hired at Covenant C.N.A. School... [and] I fell in love with teaching CNAs and continued to teach, as well as work in health care facilities as a registered nurse.”
Best part of the job: "As an instructor, you have the ability to transform lives. People come into your classroom with the expectation of receiving knowledge from you, knowledge which they do not have at the time, but with determination, hard work and team effort, you can make a difference."
Most challenging part: "There is a difference in age groups and ethnicity in the four-week classes at Covenant C.N.A. School. The ethnicity difference has never been an issue, because we learn from each other. However, the age difference is sometimes challenging... The challenge is to sometimes slow down the younger individuals physically but speed up their minds academically, and vice versa for my more-mature individuals."
What people don't know about my job: "My job is not just a job to help pay my bills, but it is a mission. I have always planned to go overseas to do missionary work as a nurse, however, after teaching at Covenant C.N.A. School, I have come to realize that I do not need to leave our country to help those that are less fortunate than myself. Right here in America, there are so many people who need help.
“I can watch someone who is homeless, but has a desire to change their life, go from living in the street to obtaining employment in four weeks. I can allow my life experience as a single parent on public assistance — who was one step from being homeless — guide and empower others who start the program to successfully finish.”
What keeps me going: "I have a career that keeps me awake every night thinking about how I can make a difference in someone else's life when the sun comes up. What I do in the classroom allows me to see the product of my hard work and dedication at the end of every four-week program, when a new set of students graduate and successfully become [CNAs.]"
Preparation needed: "A program coordinator must be a registered nurse with at least one year of long-term care experience. You have to create a lesson plan and submit it to the Georgia Medical Care Foundation for approval. Once your program has been approved, you have to maintain standards each year on your annual evaluation by the state."
Salary: "Program coordinators who are in management or own their own business can earn as much as $52,000 and higher, depending on the cost of the CNA program."
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Compiled by John Brieske, Pulse editor. Got a health care job that you love? Please send e-mail to jbrieske@ajc.com.
