MOSES LAKE — Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center director Christine Armstrong said $20,000 in “program support” was a big enough deal to warrant recognition.

The money was donated by Samaritan Healthcare to the Professional Medical Careers class at CB Tech and helps pay for a specific part of the Pro-Med Careers class.

The training the students receive allows them to apply for certified nurse assistant (CNA) certification, but part of the requirement is 60 hours in a real-world, clinical setting. State rules require a ratio of one instructor for every 10 students when they’re working on projects off-campus, Armstrong said. For the pro-med careers class, that requires a second instructor. “We don’t have money for a second instructor,” Armstrong said.

The money from Samaritan helps pay for that extra supervision, she said, and Samaritan and hospital officials have been providing program support for a few years. Usually Samaritan employees just drop off a check, Armstrong said, but “for $20,000 a year they should get some recognition.”

So Monday morning Samaritan CEO Teresa Sullivan presented the check to the class in person. “They’re very supportive,” Armstrong said of Samaritan.

And the students said working in a clinical setting really was a learning experience.

Students worked at a local extended care facility, and Evelyn Carreto, Royal City, said she was surprised by how much the facility relied on CNAs, and how hard they work. Callie Tabert, Moses Lake, said she plans on a career in medicine; like Evelyn she’s leaning toward being a nurse. One of the things she learned through her CNA clinical training is that the nursing home might not be her preferred job, she said.

Evelyn said she did an internship at Samaritan Hospital, which reaffirmed her decision to go into medicine.