Certified Nursing Assistants Graduate CCC Training Program

Lompoc Valley Medical Center’s skilled nursing facility, the Comprehensive Care Center, proudly graduated 14 people from its Nursing Assistant Training Program this week.

The training program allows participants to receive a diverse and comprehensive education as a Certified Nursing Assistants, once they complete a state CNA certification examination.

During an emotional and exuberant ceremony at the CCC, the graduates were honored with special certificates and pins denoting their status as Certified Nursing Assistants.

The graduates are: Alyssa Avila; Kalindy Ayala; Alexis Camarena; Jaylin Cameron-Palmer; Yovana Corona Paez; Jamie DeMatteo; Evelyn Gonzalez Barragan; Makenna Green; Aileen Moran; Jacob Perez; Destiny Salazar; Wendy Solis; Tresa Thomas and Courtney Werthman.

Attending the ceremony along with friends and family members were representatives from LVMC’s administrative team, as well as CCC Administrator Lorraine Jones and CCC Director of Nursing Kirsten Chipps.

LVMC Board President Leslie Kelly, RN, noted that she started her career as a CNA in 1982.

“It’s one of the jobs I revere the most, a CNA at the CCC,” she said.

Director of Staff Development Trish French expressed gratitude to the students for choosing the career field.

“You have chosen a very rewarding and fulfilling career,” she said. “You will be able to touch the lives of many. You will bring comfort where there is pain, courage where there is fear and hope where there is despair. One smile or quiet thank you from one of them is all that is needed to warm your heart.”

She told them they are “an absolute necessity to the healthcare field.”

Student Jamie DeMatteo gave the graduating class speech, extolling the hard work of her classmates. She noted that their profession demands

resilience and adaptability. Their role, she said, “extends far beyond providing physical care.”

“Let us always strive to be empathetic, compassionate and respectful, treating every individual with dignity and kindness,” she said.

Students attended three mandatory days of classes each week of the program for 10 weeks, completing 60 hours of theory and 100 hours of clinical training.

During on-site classroom training, students learned all aspects of patient care, through lectures and via hands-on demonstrations. Students had clinical training, providing care directly to residents in the facility.