Columbus Community Hospital’s Health Science Pathway Students Pass Certified Nurse Assistant State Exams

All 26 eligible students from Columbus Community Hospital’s Health Science Pathway program recently passed the state certified nurse assistant (CNA) exam.

The educational program is a collaboration between area high schools, Central Community College and the hospital, allowing students to learn about careers in the medical field. It includes a series of classes that meet requirements from the state of Nebraska and explore various areas of health care.

These students completed the program in its entirety and are now certified nursing assistants (CNAs) through the college. The additional course required students to dedicate extra time outside their regular school schedule to meet the number of hours required by the state of Nebraska. All 26 students will appear on the Nebraska Nurse Aide Registry.

Hospital leaders also lowered the minimum age requirement for CNAs to 16, allowing students who become CNAs through the program to begin gaining experience immediately.

“I am very proud of each of these students,” said Wendy Kallhoff, the hospital’s Health Science Pathway instructor. “This is not a small achievement for these busy young adults. They are amazing people who will have a huge impact on patient care in our community.”

The area high schools are equally excited about this achievement.

"It is great to see that in the first year of our Health Science Pathway, we were able to certify 26 CNAs at Lakeview and Columbus High School,” said Steve Borer, Lakeview Community Schools principal. “The partnership with Columbus Community Hospital and Central Community has been a great success for the community of Columbus. We are very grateful our Lakeview students get to be a part of this opportunity."

Dave Hiebner, principal at Columbus High School, agreed the success of the program could not have happened without community partnership and the work of Wendy Kallhoff.

“Columbus High School is proud of the work of our Health Science Pathway students, and congratulates them on their achievement of earning their CNA certification,” Hiebner said. “Wendy's passion for students and the nursing profession is one of the reasons for the success of the program. CHS is excited about the future of this program!”

To learn more about Columbus Community Hospital and the services it provides, visit columbushosp.org.