For senior Brynn Savva, the Health Assisting Program at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) has been more than just a class on her schedule. Nursing has turned from a path she was curious about in eighth grade into a passion that has shaped her goals for the future.
Melinda McCarron teaches health assisting in the school’s CTE program. “At the end of the course, [students] are eligible to sit for their state testing to become a certified nursing assistant,” she said.
In addition to the coursework, students must participate in 170 classroom hours and 21 clinical hours done in real, hands-on settings in order to earn their certification.
In May last year, Brynn spent time completing her clinical hours at the JML Nursing Home in Falmouth, where her time was spent checking in on patients and learning more about the practice of nursing.
“For a while I wanted to be a labor and delivery nurse,” said Brynn. “I think the whole idea of giving birth and new life is really beautiful. Being a travel nurse would also be so incredible. There are so many opportunities, just being able to travel with housing and all those amenities, and getting to do my dream job.”
Ms. McCarron said, “After our clinicals, I think Brynn blossomed, and found she really wanted to pursue healthcare as her passion.”
This year, Brynn is completing a work study at the Edgartown School, where she assists school nurse Kate Curelli every other day.
“There’s usually a ton of kids there right in the morning,” said Brynn, “so it’s all the kids who need their morning meds, and also kids who love being in the nurse’s office.”
Ms. McCarron said Brynn’s work study has allowed her to further deepen her understanding of the career demands. “It’s giving her an opportunity to show her maturity, her professionalism, and to learn about confidentiality,” she said.
Brynn said the biggest benefit of spending time in the nursing world is how it has helped her improve her communication skills.
“I think [communication] is a really good skill to have, especially in a nursing home, because it’s people who had to leave their home for some reason, whether it’s family issues or that they can’t live on their own anymore. They’re in this new place that they’re not very familiar with,” Brynn said. “Learning how to [communicate in that setting] was very important.”
When working with a patient with memory, hearing, and sight loss at the nursing home, Brynn encountered a moment that showed her why she loves what she does.
“A woman started crying to me and was telling me how thankful she was for all the help I had done for her. She told me that the world needs more people like me — how me checking in on her in the morning and caring about her made such a difference in her day,” Brynn said. “It made me sure that this was the kind of impact I wanted to have in the future.”