A group of students at the Golden Isles College and Career Academy were recognized as newly certified nursing assistants during a pinning ceremony Friday.
Fifteen students from the spring and fall cohort of 2023 celebrated the completion of their state CNA licensing exams with friends, family and educators at the event.
The CNA licensing exam includes a day-long series of written and practical tests designed to gauge the students’ readiness to practice in the field.
The students also had to undergo 24 hours of clinical training in a long-term care facility before sitting for the tests. The GICCA students completed their clinical training at Marsh’s Edge on St. Simons.
“Pinning is one of my favorite days of the entire school year,” said Sarah Liebelt, CNA instructor at the career academy. “It allows the CNA students to be recognized for their commitment to the program, celebrate their accomplishments and be officially welcomed into the health care field.
“It makes me proud to say that GICCA has kind, hardworking, dedicated students that are completing this program each semester, ready to enter our community and care for our family and friends.”
Family members, friends and mentors chosen by the students officially pinned each one.
Rachel Yeargan, health sciences instructor at GICCA, congratulated the hard work of the students during the ceremony keynote address.
“We recognize your dedication, we recognize your determination and we recognize the discipline that you demonstrated in your practice of medicine,” she said. “This bridges the gap between a goal of becoming a CNA and the accomplishment of being a CNA.”