Baton Rouge Youth Complete UREC’s Certified Nursing Assistant Institute

Urban Restoration Enhancement Corporation is pleased to announce the graduates of the 2021 College & Career Ready Certified Nursing Assistant Institute,  which was presented in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation. The graduates were formally recognized in a pinning ceremony on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, at Med-Advance Training, which facilitated the course.

UREC’s 2021 College & Career Ready CNA Institute graduates are: B. Skylar Baudy, Chloe Boxley, Camyria Brown, Genesis Davis, India Harris, Taylor Harris, Jasmine Plummer, Kole Smith, Synya Spikes-Travis, Zakaria Richard and Lanacia Washington.

The CNA Institute was a 10-week program that provided Baton Rouge area youth ages 16 and older with clinical instruction and practice for future employment opportunities in medical facilities. During the institute, participants gained many hours of CNA instruction, participated in clinicals, learned how to take vital signs, assisted with physical exams and obtaining cultures, and developed patient sensitivity skills. Participants also mastered best practices in areas of ambulation, range of motion exercises, and wheelchair transfers.

CNA graduate Kole Smith provided remarks during the pinning ceremony. Smith aspires to work as a surgeon and is already certified as an Emergency Medical Responder. His CNA certification will be additional credentials the rising high school sophomore can add to his resume. Smith said, “Not a lot of kids our age are doing these types of things, so we should definitely be proud of each other . . . Just simply having this (CNA) certification under our belts will help us and makes our resumes more competitive.”

The CNA Institute was led by: Tonya Johnson, instructor, Med-Advance Training; Courtney Hunt, Program Manager, UREC; and Ja’Meracle Rogers, Program Assistant/Intern, UREC. Community partners include Blue Cross Blue Shield Louisiana Foundation, City of Baton Rouge, Huey & Angelina Wilson Foundation, Louisiana Department of Education, Capital One, and ReCast Baton Rouge.

UREC’s College & Career Ready initiative is a 21st Century Community Learning Center providing after-school and summer learning programs through Urban Restoration Enhancement Corporation and community partners. College & Career Ready programs include the Certified Nursing Assistant, Pre-Law, IGNITE Entrepreneurship and ACT Prep institutes, and CompTIA IT Fundamentals.  For more information, contact Kathryn Robinson, UREC Youth Program Director, at (225) 356-8871 ext. 204 or krobinson@urecbr.com.