Pictured are Ronda Harris, clinical educator at Mason’s Health and Rehabilitation Center, left, and intern Camille Kazee. Photo provided.

Pictured, from left, are Amanda Roberson, human resources director at Mason’s; intern Zoey Young; and Kathy Ridley, nursing manager at Mason’s. Photo provided.

News Release

WARSAW — Camille Kazee and Zoey Young are working as certified nursing assistants during internships at Mason’s Health and Rehabilitation Center through the Warsaw Area Career Center’s Work-Based Learning program offered by Warsaw Community Schools.

Camille Kazee

Camille Kazee is the daughter of Beth Haas and Lee Kazee. She plans to attend Goshen College to become an anesthesiologist.

What are your job responsibilities? “Assisting the nurse and taking care of residents’ needs as a certified nursing aide (CNA),” said Kazee.

How has this position been helpful to you? “This position has given me a sense of leadership and hard work.”

What have you learned? “I’ve learned how to transfer, feed, wash up and assist residents in any way that I can,” she said.

How is this job preparing you for the future? “This job shows me an appreciation for the workers in the health care field.”

What do you like about this job? “I like the community and the relationships with the residents I’m able to build,” Kazee said.

Zoey Young

Zoey Young is the daughter of Carrie Young and Dustin Young. She plans to earn an associate degree in nursing, become a registered nurse, earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing and then earn a doctorate.

How has this position been helpful to you? “Having a job and starting my career as a CNA at Mason’s Health and Rehabilitation has given me the opportunity to work one on one with residents and be able to enrich the lives of individuals [who are] a part of our community,” Young said.

How is this job preparing you for the future? “Working at Mason’s Health and Rehabilitation is just the beginning to my career in health care,” she said. “With Work-Based Learning, I am learning new skills and how to build my network for future employment.”

What do you like about this job? “You create a second family with the environment around you. The staff at Mason’s are so incredibly supportive and have always pushed me to be the best person I can be.”

Nursing manager Kathy Ridley, R.N., is serving as the students’ supervisor on the job.

What duties do these students perform? “Answering calls from patients and making sure they are as comfortable as possible. They check and monitor patients’ vital signs. They are cleaning medical supplies and equipment. Communicating patients’ questions and concerns to nurses. Assist in dressing, bathing and grooming patients. They ensure that safety protocols and procedures are carried out properly and follow patient privacy rules and apply professional ethics. They gather and stock various medical supplies. Keep patients clean and attend to patient hygiene, nutritional and hydration needs are met. They help with transporting in wheelchairs and moving patients in and out of beds,” according to Ridley.

How is this job preparing these students for the future? “Working in health care is hard work,” Ridley said. “The job demands teamwork and learning to prioritize. This job will prepare them to work with and learn from some great leaders and co-workers. It will also give them experience in working with some difficult people and situations too. These experiences will help prepare them to handle conflict and find a resolution. Customer service is a big part of health care as well, preparing them to go above and beyond for the people we care for.”

What do you think of the WACC Work-Based Learning program? “The WBL program is great. It gives the students the tools they need to prepare for the workforce by putting the ball in their court. The responsibility to complete the work falls on them, giving them independence and freedom to do as much as they want. Since they are given so much of the responsibility, it gives them a much larger sense of pride when they accomplish their goals and excel in their field.”

Why were you willing to partner with the WACC in this program? “We love to work with and train up future health care workers,” said Ridley. “Health care is such a rewarding field and there is an urgent need for well-qualified, compassionate workers to care for our community of people. High school students are eager to learn and are able to be molded into great leaders.”