Tara Sherman moves a storage cart used for first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Friday, Aug. 21, 2020 in the Health Technology lab at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School in Northampton. The department is in the process of renovation thanks to a $257,000 grant from the Massachusetts Skills Capital Grant Program, which was applied for by Sherman, the department head, and took a year to complete. Students in Health Technology are eligible to graduate with 10 certifications at no cost to them. They include certified nursing assistant, home health aid, phlebotomy, CPR and first aid. Equipment for the department includes low fidelity mannequins that respond to treatment, hospital beds with over-bed tables and bedside tables, wheelchairs, a wireless patient call system and phlebotomy drawing chairs and simulation arms. A kitchenette for home health aid students, new cabinets, sinks and countertops, and new flooring are also part of the renovation. Two smart boards and 30 iPads were also purchased. "I'm excited. I can't wait for the students to start using it," Sherman said. "We're ahead of or matching what colleges offer. It's putting our whole program in the right direction."
Tara Sherman moves a storage cart used for first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Friday, Aug. 21, 2020 in the Health Technology lab at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School in Northampton. The department is in the process of renovation thanks to a $257,000 grant from the Massachusetts Skills Capital Grant Program, which was applied for by Sherman, the department head, and took a year to complete. Students in Health Technology are eligible to graduate with 10 certifications at no cost to them. They include certified nursing assistant, home health aid, phlebotomy, CPR and first aid. Equipment for the department includes low fidelity mannequins that respond to treatment, hospital beds with over-bed tables and bedside tables, wheelchairs, a wireless patient call system and phlebotomy drawing chairs and simulation arms. A kitchenette for home health aid students, new cabinets, sinks and countertops, and new flooring are also part of the renovation. Two smart boards and 30 iPads were also purchased. "I'm excited. I can't wait for the students to start using it," Sherman said. "We're ahead of or matching what colleges offer. It's putting our whole program in the right direction." Credit: STAFF PHOTO/JERREY ROBERTS