December 9, 2015
Caption. (Left) Jeanne Moralez, Allied Health Program Faculty Member, gives Jennie Hall, Mesalands Student, her Allied Health pin during a Pinning Ceremony last week.
Mesalands Community College had an Allied Health Pinning Ceremony for their Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Phlebotomy students on Friday, December 4, 2015. A total of 16 students received their nursing pin for the fall 2015 semester. Fran Peterson, R.N., M.S.N. at Dr. Dan C. Trigg Memorial Hospital was the guest speaker at the event.
Natalie Gillard, Vice President of Academic Affairs at Mesalands, says the Pinning Ceremony was the culmination of the end of the student’s studies in this program.
“The Pinning Ceremony is a celebration and also the beginning of many more such celebrations,” Gillard said. “After reestablishing the Allied Health Program at Mesalands, I hope these students in this program gain employment, or that they continue on with their studies in the health field. They now have a new skillset that will enable them to work while in college and provide them with a means of support.”
Mesalands Student Jennie Hall is pursuing phlebotomy and plans to earn a certificate in the program at the end of the semester. Hall is currently working as a Medical Assistant at the Presbyterian Medical Services (PMS) Clinic in Tucumcari and plans to attend nursing school in the fall.
“I really enjoyed the program. At first I thought I would need to do phlebotomy because I needed some sort of skill to become a nurse,” Hall said. “I was really scared about the needles and taking blood in the beginning, but now I think it’s pretty easy. I actually enjoy it and I enjoy the patient care too.”
Gillard stated that Mesalands is currently looking into adding additional short-term programming such as, Medical Assisting and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in the future.
Mesalands is currently accepting applications for both the CNA and Phlebotomy programs for the spring 2016 semester. For more information, please contact the Recruiting Office at (575) 461-4413, ext. 171.
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Students (Front Row) Kathryn Henderson, Anastasia Schmitt, Maria (Ally) Benally (Back Row l to r): Monique Smith, Cynthia Anaya, Ashlee Bradley, Sara Enriquez, Kristen Garcia, and Katelyn Young
Phlebotomy Students: (l to r) Tara (Woodrum) Lopez, Jennie Hall, Ashley Bond, Sara Enriquez, and Anastacia Moralez (Not in Photo) Bethony Bishop and Denise Najera
