|
ABQ/ Clinical Rotations: APS Career Enrichment Center's Nursing Program
By Deborah Ziff
ABQ Journal Staff Writer
January 1, 2013
Josina Montoya bursts into a patient's room at AMG Specialty Hospital wearing white scrubs with a cheery "Good morning" and "How are you?"
"You look like you're more comfortable today," she says, before helping to rotate the patient to the other side of the bed.
At 17 years old, Montoya is training to be a nurse through a unique Albuquerque Public Schools program. In May, she'll be eligible to get both her high school diploma and a certification as a licensed practical nurse.
The Career Enrichment Center's Nursing Program has been highly successful at training high school students for nursing careers. For the last five years, all graduates passed the national licensing exam on the first try, with the exception of one student four years ago who passed it on her second try. That compares to a national pass rate of 83 percent, according to a news release from Albuquerque Public Schools.
- "One-hundred percent of the graduates that want jobs get jobs," said interim director Connie Baker. "Several have more than one or two offers."
- The program started in 1981, with the first class graduating in 1983.
It's very competitive.
- Typically, about 120 students apply as sophomores for about 50 spots as juniors.
- This year, about 28 students stayed on as seniors.
Students get scored on standardized tests, must get three letters of reference from their teachers, have at least a 2.5 grade point average and be in good standing. They can come from any APS high school, although the program is run through the Career Enrichment Center.
The training runs for five semesters during a student's junior and senior years (and the summer in between), with about 800 hours of theory and 750 hours of clinical training.
On a recent day, a handful of seniors trained in advanced medical, surgical nursing at AMG Specialty Hospital, a long-term acute care hospital. In that course, the group learns about the disease process through classroom sessions on Mondays and Tuesdays and applies the lessons into 3 1/2-hour clinical rotations on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Gino Lamberti, a 17-year-old senior at Eldorado High School, moved to Albuquerque from Las Cruces his junior year so he could participate in the program. His mom and sister are nurses, and he wants to go to medical school.
"Nursing is a really good pathway to getting further knowledge and learning more about medicine," he said.
Students who graduate and pass their exams can get well-paying nursing jobs during college.
"They're making a fortune," Baker said. "They work a couple weekends a month, and they completely pay for their college education."
The program is not cheap, Baker said. The books cost about $500 to $800 per student, and the program employs nine permanent faculty members.
Unlike a college program, the students are not responsible for most of their books, but must pay for their uniform, shoes and two books, she said.
APS estimates the program costs about $450,000 to $500,000 a year.
"It's expensive, and it's worth every single penny," Baker said.
~~~~~~~~~~
Washington DC/ Pediatrics Academy Speaks Out on 'Crucial Role' of Recess
By Bryan Toporek
Education Week
December 31, 2012
With recess facing an uncertain future in some schools, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a policy statement today emphasizing the unique role of recess in the development of children.
- The AAP notes that in recent years, studies and surveys have indicated that recess time has been on the decline in favor of more class time.
- However, with childhood obesity on the rise since the turn of the century, schools also now face calls to address the epidemic by scheduling more physical activity throughout the school day.
The academy suggests that recess can be a way to accomplish two goals simultaneously. Previous studies have found students to be more attentive in class after recess, as their brains need time to recover after intense bouts of instruction.
- "To be effective, the frequency and duration of breaks should be sufficient to allow the student to mentally decompress," the AAP recommends.
Beyond the social and emotional benefits of allowing students to spend time with their friends in a non-structured environment, recess also provides children an opportunity to get outside and stretch their legs for a few minutes each day, which the AAP and other experts consider critical.
- "Even minor movement during recess counterbalances sedentary time at school and at home and helps the child achieve the recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day," the statement reads.
Allowing children to engage in physical activity in recess could help them stay physically fit, which could end up helping them in the classroom, too. A review published online in January in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found "strong evidence" of a link between academic achievement and physical fitness.
The academy stops short of recommending a specific amount of time to allocate to recess on a daily basis, noting that U.S. schools tend to provide a range from 20 to 60 minutes per day. Meanwhile, schools in Japan tend to give their students hourly breaks.
To be clear, the academy does not believe schools can cut recess for physical education or vice versa. The authors specifically state that recess is a complement to physical education, but not a replacement for it.
- "Physical education is an academic discipline," they write. "Whereas both have the potential to promote activity and a healthy lifestyle, only recess (particularly unstructured recess) provides the creative, social, and emotional benefits of play."
Last year, Education Week opinion blogger Peter DeWitt, an elementary school principal, wrote a post that espoused many of these same values of recess:
"There are many benefits to bringing students outside for 25 to 30 minutes a day, five days a week. They learn how to play games with friends, and they also learn how to interact with new peers that may not be in the same classroom. In addition, they learn how to work out their problems out at recess. It is a place where they can test out the problem-solving skills that we teach them during the day.
Now, DeWitt and other recess advocates have the AAP on their side.
|