In the last three years, Kiana Smith has transitioned from Panera Bread employee in the Northwestern Memorial Hospital building to hospital patient care technician.
In what she described as a “shot in the dark,” Smith applied last year to Northwestern Medicine’s Basic Nursing Assistant Training Program three days before the deadline.
Smith was initially hesitant to apply to the BNA program in fear of accumulating student debt. Things changed when a nurse at the hospital told her the program was free for employees. At the time, Smith was working in security services at the hospital.
“With it being free, it kind of just worked out,” Smith said. “The cards just fell into place.”
Northwestern’s BNA Training Program, launched in August 2022, was initially meant to create a barrier-free pipeline for existing employees in the hospital interested in healthcare careers. It began with eight employees in its first 16-week cohort, with Fridays as the designated class days.
Due to increasing demand, the program opened to external applicants in July and will offer an additional Tuesday cohort starting in April. In just two years, the program’s size quadrupled, now accommodating 32 students per cohort.
“We were looking for a professional development pathway and a way to upscale some of our internal employees,” said Tacora Love, NM program director and nurse educator. “But due to the demand at the time, we said, ‘We want to grow even more.’”
The program is approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health and falls under the NM Academy & NM Clinical Schools and Programs.
Candidates who successfully complete the program are eligible to take the Illinois Nurse Aide Competency Certification Exam. After passing the exam, NU Talent Acquisition works with candidates to help them secure a position at NU as a PCT. However, placement is not guaranteed.
Love said the program is uniquely beneficial for external applicants because of its flexible schedule.
“By being one day a week, it offers flexibility,” Love said. “It allows them to continue to work. Some of them are taking prerequisites already for nursing, so it allows them to also go to school.”
University of Illinois Chicago senior Jamaya Finister is one such external candidate.
Finister is currently enrolled in the BNA program and is taking online classes at her university while also working a job as a pediatric respite care worker.
She said while it’s been challenging to balance everything, the program — which offers instruction in classroom and clinical settings — has only reassured her that she’s chosen the “right profession” for herself.
During clinicals, students are designated one patient and perform the responsibilities of a PCT for that day, according to Finister. Interacting with patients, she said, has been her favorite part of the program.
“It’s mind-blowing to me,” Finister said. “I can’t believe that I’m actually working at a hospital and actually taking care of patients. I could cry right now — I’m just so happy.”
Smith echoed this sentiment. She added that clinicals were extremely helpful in preparing her for PCT roles, especially since she had no background in healthcare before participating in the program.
Additionally, she said clinicals made her feel confident in her ability to do the job.
“Most jobs, you interview but you really don’t know what your day to day looks like. In those clinicals, you see what your every day is going to be like and that is so helpful with learning,” Smith said.
Both Smith and Finister plan to eventually apply to nursing school. Finister will graduate from the BNA program on Nov. 18 and will be one of the speakers at graduation.
“It’s crazy, it’s like climbing up a ladder,” Finister said. “I’m getting close to the top and I feel so happy, honestly.”
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