The Elizabeth Hanford Dole Chapter of the American Red Cross will graduate 16 Nurse Aide I students on Saturday at the chapter headquarters at 1930 W. Jake Alexander Blvd.
The chapter will hold a graduation ceremony and reception for the students and their invited friends and family as well as Red Cross board members.
The Nurse Aide I program continues to grow. Since its inception in 2004, 108 men and women have completed the comprehensive, 145-hour course.
As part of their training, students learn to feed and bathe patients, take blood pressures and temperatures, perform relief of choking and about 64 other skills.
The course is taught by volunteer nurse instructors Lexia Frasher-Quintana and Barbara Roberson, who give their time and skills to teach and prepare students to take the North Carolina State Board certification exam. Amy McGuire serves as program administrator.
The following students have completed the course and are now eligible to take the state board to become a certified nursing assistant: Dawn Alexander, Lorrie Atwell, Daniel Bartlett, Deborah Broadway, Tamika Caldwell, William Cole, Sandra Ellis, Shaunda Foster, Margaret Knapp, Shemeka McGee, Mary McCoslin, Tatisha Muskelly, Aisha Peterson, Shemeka Turner, Pauline Young and Ashley Wilson. They began taking classes for the program Dec. 1, 2008.
For more information on the Nurse Aide 1 Program, or if you are a registered nurse and interested in teaching the course, contact the Hanford Dole Chapter at 704-633-3854 or visit its Web site at www.ehdolered cross.org.