A number of nursing positions require particular training, namely the work that goes into certified nursing assistant certification.
Despite that straightforward prerequisite, the path for students pursuing health care careers to obtain such credentials may stall because it can be harder for schools in rural areas like La Plata County to bring in registered nurses for CNA coursework. That makes it all the more challenging for those students to hit the ground running in an area with aging populations and a continuing need for senior care facility workers.
That’s why Bayfield High School’s Patient Care Technician program is trying to bridge the gap to filling those entry-level workforce voids.
PCT program instructor Katie DeButts said such certification allows graduating high school students to at least start working in entry-level health care positions, helping bridge that time gap before they obtain CNA credentials. The program teaches skills that can be applied in health care settings such as hospitals or assisted living facilities.
“It is somewhat similar to CNA (certification) – we certainly learn a lot of the same skills,” DeButts said, adding that the main difference between PCT and CNA credentials is that CNA courses require instruction from a registered nurse.
If students pass a National Healthcareer Association exam at the end of the school year, they will graduate with patient care technician certification. CNA certification requires a written exam and clinical work where those skills are tested.
BHS’s program trains students to do tasks such as patient transfers and checking vital signs. The program, which is a state grant initiative, also does training and certification in basic life support cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which DeButts said is a higher level of CPR certification.
DeButts also said the program is in the “very nascent stages” of bringing in outside experts to help with future training in phlebotomy (which involves drawing blood) and electrocardiogram (measuring electrical activity in the heart) work.
The program is also doing work-based learning via job shadowing at places like Evenings Porch Assisted Living in Bayfield, giving students some firsthand experience.
“And then each student will be responsible for conducting their own job shadow before they leave the program here,” DeButts said.
Despite a working agreement with Pueblo Community College and its CNA program, DeButts said instructor retention in that department and access to necessary skills testing after taking CNA courses are notable hurdles.
The PCT training allows students to help now, which is a plus for La Plata County’s older demographics. According to the 2023 American Community Survey, about 20% of La Plata County residents are 65 years and older, up by more than 8% from 2010.
Grace Goldman is graduating in 2025 and will attend Regis University so she can become a nurse practitioner.
Goldman said her brother has been in and out of the hospital since he was 2 years old, which inspired her to pursue a career in health care.
The other three students will graduate in 2026.
Kira Mortrud decided to pursue health care several years ago when she had knee surgery, adding that a nurse sat down with her and read Bible verses with her during her hospital stay.
“I just want to be able to be that person for somebody,” she said.
Melidy Janhke said she may not ultimately work in health care, but she may reconsider that career path later on because her experiences thus far have opened her eyes.
Bailey Blouin said she was inspired by some family members working in health care, including a cousin and great-aunt working as nurse practitioners, to follow their footsteps.
“They’ve really pushed me toward it,” she said. “Not a lot of people in my family have pursued their dreams because they’ve been caught in family work.”
The students are garnering key in-person experience in the here and now.
Goldman is doing a physical therapy internship in Bayfield. After job shadowing at Evenings Porch, Blouin started a job there as a caregiver on Dec. 6.
“Not only is it helping us get ready for our future, but it’s giving us a real-life look into what we’ll possibly be dealing with,” Blouin said.
Mortrud said she is looking into potential jobs at physical therapy offices, including Pine River Physical Therapy in Bayfield.
On top of taking classes in anatomy and medical terminology, Janhke said she is exploring opportunities to work some kind of side job in health care during her off hours in college.
Goldman said when her grandfather fell ill around 2020, she noticed doctors at Mercy Hospital in Durango came and went.
“It’s just really hard to find consistent health care,” she said, adding her grandparents eventually had to move to Chicago for adequate care.
Blouin said La Plata County seems to be losing doctors and nurses consistently because of factors like high cost of living.
The students also said they believe factors including overwhelming student loan debt after medical school and lower salaries for working in family medicine are compounded by the higher cost of living and the fact that the profession itself can be overwhelming.
There is also the aftermath of nurse burnout brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You definitely notice that there’s a shortage in nurses, and I definitely think that COVID-19 wiped everyone out,” Blouin said. “I know for sure it was mentally draining them.”
Mortrud said that even though being in a remote area hurts health care staffing retention, she’s driven to stick around the area because relationships with local health care providers matters to people.
“People growing up here and living here their entire lives, it just helps everyone build those connections and feel more seen through health care,” she said.
mhollinshead@durangoherald.com