Congratulations to Sammamish senior Molly Hitchens, who placed second in the national SkillsUSA Nurse Assisting competition during the summer.  SkillsUSA is an international student organization that provides leadership and competition opportunities, and is part of the district’s Career & Technical Education course offerings.

To qualify to compete at the national level students must do well at both the regional and state competitions.

“Molly’s problem-solving ability played a big part in her success in the nursing assistant competition, which was very challenging and competitive,” said Hitchens’ Sammamish teacher Sue Peterson, who has been teaching the class for 30 years.  “Through our class at Sammamish she mastered the nursing assistant skills and curriculum, and met course requirements which qualified her to take the nurse assistant exam, which she passed,” said Peterson.

The Health Science Careers/Nurse Assistant course at Sammamish introduces students to careers in health care and provides nursing assistant training, which is an entry level health care career.  Qualified students who take and pass the Washington state nursing assistant exam can work in the field when they are 18, and often use this experience as a stepping stone to another health care career.  Students earning a B or better in the class can earn college credit.  The class is a full year two- or three-period course, which includes internships in various local health care facilities.  The class is available to high school juniors and seniors.

Learn more about SkillsUSA.

The Bellevue School District acknowledges that we learn, work, live and gather on the Indigenous Land of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Duwamish and Snoqualmie Tribes. We thank these caretakers of this land, who have lived and continue to live here, since time immemorial.