From nursing to instructor, Crystal Lake Central nurse leads new nursing assistant program

As a child, Crystal Lake Central High School senior Stephanie Gonzalez said she watched her parents struggle to find advocates within the health care industry.

Her parent’s primary language is Spanish, she said, and it often proved difficult to find those in health care who could communicate with them.

It was this problem that made Gonzalez want to go into health care, she said. She wanted to be the advocate for others going through the same thing.

She was given her opportunity when her school began offering a certified nursing assistant program, which Gonzalez has since completed. She now works for a local nursing home and credits her mentor and teacher, school nurse Andrea Miculinich, for teaching her everything she knows.

“She pushes us to be great,” Gonzalez said. “She pushes us to reach our goals, and even if we don’t believe in ourselves, she believes in us. She’s always been available to give advice and listen to you. She’s not only a teacher, but she’s a friend.”

Miculinich, a school nurse at Crystal Lake Central, said she never thought she’d be teaching.

She now leads Crystal Lake-based Community High School District 155′s certified nursing assistant program, which began this past fall.

When District 155 started a program to certify its students as nurses assistants, Crystal Lake Central High School Vice Principal Kimberly Bromley said the timing couldn’t have been more “serendipitous.”

However, district officials knew there would be a lot of challenges to make the program a success, including finding the correct person to lead and develop it. With a list of specific qualifications in mind, Miculinich was the perfect candidate, Bromley said.

“Andrea checked all the boxes,” Bromley said, “both in personality and credentials.”

The program, which was jump-started with the help of multiple partners throughout McHenry County and a $1.5 million Advance McHenry County grant, offers students a chance to gain seven credit-hours toward college and also become certified as a nurses assistant, Bromley said.

Still in its first year, juniors and seniors from the district’s four high schools meet at Crystal Lake Central every day for class, which is led by Miculinich.

The jump from nursing to teaching isn’t so vast, she said, but she feels she has a huge responsibility leading the class. And although she has a master’s degree in nursing education – something she called a “happy coincidence” – it didn’t certify her to teach.

“As a nurse, we’re educating constantly,” said Miculinich, who has been a nurse her entire career and a school nurse for the past five years. “But even then, I didn’t anticipate doing this.”

I know the material, and I think my passion for teaching them is evident.”

—  Crystal Lake Central High School nurse Andrea Miculinich on teaching the certified nursing program

The program is “high stakes,” Miculinich said. It’s a college-level program and comes with an exam at the end to obtain certification. Students are also required to complete a certain number of hours in clinical work.

Adding to this, students in the course often know they want a career in health care, and this program in most cases is the students’ introduction to the field.

During the program’s pilot last semester, Miculinich told her students it was her first time teaching, which resulted in both sides allowing a lot of grace, she said. In finding her leadership and teaching style, Miculinich said she’s found the most effective way to teach is to use personal examples from her professional background.

“I’ve learned kids relate to that much better than just examples in a textbook,” Miculinich said. “I know the material, and I think my passion for teaching them is evident.”

As a result, the biggest challenge for Miculinich is making sure she’s creating lessons that are engaging for her students.

However, even for those students who take the course and find out they don’t want to pursue it, Miculinich said the program still offers many life skills.

“The course is turning them into better and more compassionate human beings,” Miculinich said. “That’s going to benefit them no matter what they do.”

While Gonzalez said she always knew she wanted to go into health care, Miculinich and the program showed her that it was the right fit for her and taught her how to be empathetic, how to comfort people and work with different personalities.

If you know Andrea, you know she is like Superwoman. She can do any task that you put in front of her.”

—  Crystal Lake Central High School Vice Principal Kimberly Bromley

“I was able to see what an amazing career path this was,” Gonzalez said. “Nurse Andrea makes you want to come to class and learn and be the best version of yourself.”

Throughout the program’s short history, Bromley said, she always had the “upmost confidence” in Miculinich. Combined with her personality, work ethic and being “uber smart,” Miculinich is “adored by her students” and “takes on tasks with enthusiasm,” Bromley said.

“If you know Andrea, you know she is like Superwoman,” Bromley said. “She can do any task that you put in front of her.”

Bromley noted that during this time, which is a four-week period during the semester, Miculinich often will work about 70 hours a week to make sure she’s overseeing each student to ensure everything is going well.

Miculinich’s attention and work is paying off, as the program is set to have 47 students finish this year – 15 more than the original goal. Next year, the district hopes another 64 students will become certified.

“We have more students who want to take it than there are spots for it,” Miculinich said.

Still, there is a shortage of nurses both nationwide and in the community, Miculinich said. In addition to providing students with a path toward a career – something many districts in McHenry County have emphasized in recent years – it helps fill a need.