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Wlaf1450Jellico CNA students participate in Skills Lab at TCAT Jacksboro
A NOTE FROM THE GRAND ON CENTRAL: “There is so much good going on in our community, and I want to share all this good with you every Monday here on WLAF in hopes that you will start your week in a grand way making each week a Grand Week,” said Olivia Lobertini, owner of The Grand on Central.
By Charlotte Underwood
JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF)- Jellico Certified Nursing Aid (CNA) nursing students got some hands-on training in a skills lab held at TCAT Jacksboro on Thursday, thanks to funding from a state GIVE grant (Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education).
According to Dual-Enrollment Coordinator Camilla Gambrel, students learn important skills they need to pass their skills exam.
The Tennessee CNA Skills test involves performing five nursing assistant skills within a 35-minute timeframe, which includes handwashing plus four other skills randomly selected from a pool.
The grant will also cover the cost of the skills exam for high school students. Cost of the Skills test is $100 per student, while the written exam is $30; both must be passed.
TCAT received the third round of the Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) grant around a year ago, according to TCAT Jacksboro’s President Dr. Debbie Petree.
TCAT Jacksboro’s goal was to expand healthcare opportunities in rural counties. It was a $2 million dollar grant, and one of the components of it was to assist nursing aid students.
“That’s one of those short-term programs that doesn’t get enough financial aid to cover things, so that grant is covering not only an adult nursing aid class at TCAT but is also covering both Jellico High School and Campbell County High School “extras” that are not often covered by the dual-enrollment grant,” Petree said, explaining that the dual-enrollment grant doesn’t cover any materials such as books, uniforms, supplies and testing fees and other things required by clinical facilities that let them do their clinical experiences there.
“So, we can, through this grant, pick up those costs; we even have one Jellico High School student that was not eligible for dual enrollment because she lives right at the Kentucky Line, so, however, we are able to use this grant to help with that,” Dr. Petree said.
TCAT nursing instructors also traveled to Jellico to do class time with students there as well and held a CPR class at Jellico several weeks ago.
Jellico Nursing Instructor Dusty Lambdin said TCAT has been a huge help and that she couldn’t stress how important it was for the students to participate in skills labs such as the ones that TCAT hosts.
“It’s great for the students, and we appreciate everything that TCAT does for our kids,” Lambdin said.
Dual-enrollment coordinator Camilla Gambrel thanked TCAT CNA and Nursing Instructor Jill Browning for all she does with the students.
“Jill helps tremendously with skills and getting them prepared,” Gambrel said.
Two seniors participating in Thursday’s Skills Lab at TCAT Jodie Spradlin Snyder and Chloe Creekmore said the Skills Lab was a great experience. For both of these young ladies, nursing is more than a career choice, it hits close to home and comes from their heart and their own experiences.
Creekmore said their teacher Dusty Lambdin was a great teacher and was preparing them for the test, as was the experience at TCAT.
“She makes us feel comfortable and very prepared when we go into the lab,” Creekmore said. For her, going into a career in nursing is going to be more than just a job.
“I’m going into this profession because, I have seen both of my grandparents be in a situation where they need care and it hasn’t been the best care and so I want to provide the best care that some one can in the future,” Creekmore said.
For Spradlin Snyder, it is a similar inspiration.
“The reason that I want to be in this profession is because my grandma was in the nursing home and her nurses that she had were not good at all and I want to be there to take care of somebody’s grandparents the way my grandparents should have been taken care of.”
Both seniors said they were considering continuing their education beyond certified nursing aid (CNA) and were looking to “work their way” by getting their Licensed Practical Nursing Certificates through TCAT and then working towards becoming a Registered Nurse for Spradlin Snyder and a BRN (Board of Nursing) for Creekmore.
According to Jellico Career and Technical Education Coach Lisa Bolton, it’s programs like the Skills Lab at TCAT Jacksboro that help students prepare for what’s next in their nursing program.
A NOTE FROM THE GRAND ON CENTRAL: “There is so much good going on in our community, and I want to share all this good with you every Monday here on WLAF in hopes that you will start your week in a grand way making each week a Grand Week,” said Olivia Lobertini, owner of The Grand on Central.
For bookings, email Olivia Lobertini at ohlobertini03@gmail.com. Check on avails HERE. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-10/13/2025-6AM)