Pickens Technical College’s Nurse Aide Pathway: The Value of Giving Back

In Pickens Technical College’s Nurse Aide program, students learn the value of being kind and nurturing to their patients. They also learn how to work with other medical professionals and support the staff around them to help as many people as possible get well.

If you’re interested in becoming a nurse aide, you know there are massive opportunities for someone with your skills in the state of Colorado alone. By earning the Nurse Aide Certificate, you’ll be qualified to work at any of the extended care facilities, hospitals, or home health organizations dotting the state and the region.

Being a nurse aide affords you some rare opportunities. You’re on the front lines of healthcare, often one of the first people patients see when they go to the doctor. Working directly with patients to help them with their health problems is probably why you want to be a nurse aide. You want to help people. And there are plenty of opportunities around the state for medical professionals to intervene in the lives of the less fortunate.

A Supportive Housing Community in Grand Junction

On the other side of the mountains, a new supportive housing community is going up. After securing funding to build a 34-unit apartment building for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, construction will start soon and the organization behind it, Karis Apartments, will start recruiting nurse aides working for Rocky Mountain Health Plans. 

If this program is successful, as I expect it will be, it could inspire many more apartment buildings and property management companies to fund similar projects all over the state, meaning more nursing aides and other medical professionals will need to be recruited to get in and work directly with the people in their communities that need them the most. 

In addition to healthcare assistance, Karis Apartments will work with Mind Springs Health to provide residents with general support services, including mental health case management, psychological assessments, and service planning for individuals. Mind Springs Health will also provide mental health, substance abuse, and employment services. 

How Working with the Community Can Help You

If you’re known as not only a competent nurse aide but one who goes above and beyond, you’ll get a leg up on your competition for healthcare jobs. Volunteer experience can be as important and useful to employers as professional experience. For nurse aides, people who work with the public every day and often find themselves confronted with difficult situations for patients, working with low-income or homeless individuals can provide you with valuable experience you’ll need on the job, wherever that may be.

As a student in the Pickens Nurse Aide program, you’ll learn the power and skill of being relatable, of being able to communicate with all kinds of people from all walks of life, along how to treat them and support your medical professional coworkers. Working with the community is a great way to build your skills in this area and make yourself more valuable. Plus, you’re doing a great thing by helping struggling people in your community.