Katrin Blayney begins her nursing journey with the STNA certificate

After learning about Y.O.U. from a flyer her mom showed her, Katrin enrolled in the STNA (State Tested Nurse Aides) Credential Training program this year. She finished job readiness training in January and completed the STNA course in March. Now she works as a nurses aid at MetroHealth.

The first few weeks Katrin learned the basics of patient care like how to administer bed baths, haircare, bringing the correct number of towels, wearing scrubs every day, and taking blood pressure manually. With the certificate, she felt she came into MetroHealth already having knowledge she needed to start work and learn even more. Throughout the process, Katrin felt well supported by her helpful case manager, Erica Stewart.

“I think the credential training is really important, regardless of the job you go into afterwards. It helps you set goals and be a functioning adult, especially if you’ve been unemployed. The credential training really prepared me for a lot of not just schooling, but adult life in general. (It) formed a foundation for interviewing well, forming goals, and being a productive human being. That helped me to get through school and be organized. “

Katrin found the financial literacy training to be especially useful. Her trainer Joe taught vocabulary like income tax, loans, and credit, which Katrin realized she didn’t know the exact meaning of before taking the class.

Katrin believes that in healthcare, “you're always learning. There's always something that you don't know that you can learn more about.” Right now Katrin is enjoying getting used to hospital nursing. In the future she plans to go to the Cleveland State nursing program.