VGCC Nurse Aide Graduate Pam Marion Prepared to Lead
Pamela “Pam” Goss Marion of Creedmoor is one of many people who have taken advantage of the Nursing Assistant program at Vance-Granville Community College. But she enrolled in the course for different reasons than those of her classmates.
When her job in the information technology industry moved to China, Marion, who has a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University, was able to transfer her business skills into the nursing home field. She took the Nurse Aide I course at VGCC not to work as a Certified Nursing Assistant I, but because she is completing 25 weeks of extensive training in the Administrator-in-Training (AIT) program at Hillcrest Convalescent Center in Durham. That program prepares her to become a state-licensed Nursing Home Administrator, once she passes the state and federal exams. She wanted the VGCC experience so that she will understand what the CNA’s who work in her facility will go through each day.
“As a Nursing Home Administrator, I want to know and understand the work life of a CNA,” Marion said. “CNA’s are the largest part of the nursing staff and the residents in nursing facilities and hospitals need and depend on the daily care that CNA’s provide. With the letters ‘CNA’ after my name, the nursing assistants will know that I truly understand their job and appreciate what they do.” Marion said that her Vance-Granville training let her experience the life of a CNA, which will come in handy on a practical level. “When the nursing staff is short due to vacation, sickness, or inclement weather, I plan to work as needed to fill those gaps,” Marion noted.
Marion said that she learned a great deal in her classroom instruction, including terminology, which took place at VGCC’s South Campus, near her home in Creedmoor. Marion’s instructors were Elizabeth Winders and Marilyn Hicks. “But my best learning experience was the hands-on clinical experience at the Brantwood Nursing Facility in Oxford,” Marion said. “I did things in clinical training that I never imagined I would do, and I saw new sides of my classmates, as we helped each other as a team.”
Her work during clinical training could be physically or emotionally difficult at times. To help her deal with patients, she adopted the philosophy of “What if this was my parent?” She knew that she would always be willing to take good care of her own parents, so she sought to give that level of care to the residents at Brantwood.
Marion was asked to give the closing remarks at her CNA I class graduation on Sept. 18. In that speech, she encouraged her fellow students, “Keep learning — don’t stop.” Marion herself is still learning, as a graduate student at the Triangle campus of Pfeiffer University, working toward a Master’s degree in Health Administration.
She noted the increasing importance of the nursing home industry. “The average life span is now 77.6 years and many will spend the latter part of their life in a skilled nursing facility,” Marion said. “It is critical that the nursing industry has qualified and dedicated CNA’s. The job of a CNA is not an easy one, but the experience can be rewarding.”
Nursing Assistant (or Nurse Aide) I & II programs at VGCC are designed to prepare students to become Certified Nursing Assistants. VGCC’s certification programs offer classroom education, laboratory training, and clinical experiences in local nursing homes and hospitals. Training includes learning to assist patients in custodial care procedures, learning to take vital signs, assisting with emotional and psychological problems, glucose monitoring and CPR training. Classes are offered on all four of the college’s campuses. For more information on Nursing Assistant training, call Julie Cooke at (252) 738-3366.
