Charter College Spotlight – Lori Hearron
Lori Hearron says her favorite part of working at Charter College’s Yakima Campus is watching her students grow and succeed, from their first day of class to their last day of externship. After 27 years in the medical field, 20 of those years as a Medical Assistant, Lori took inspiration from her own father’s teaching career and decided to give instructing a try. For the past nine years, she’s used her knowledge, skills, and experience to make sure her students are well-prepared for their futures.
Bringing Her Own Learning Method to Her Teaching at Charter College
Lori loved the hands-on environment she experienced as a Medical Assistant and that’s what she really tries to bring to her classroom.
“I’m not the kind of teacher who just talks and expects you to understand,” Lori says. “I learn better by doing, so that’s how I teach.”
Lori also encourages students to learn from and practice with each other in and out of class. In both lectures and labs, she often breaks students into instructional groups to practice previous topics, so students have the chance to collaborate with their peers. She even takes student volunteers to practice the step-by-step procedure on her, giving them the opportunity to build their confidence.
Going the Extra Mile for Her Students
While Lori’s role is to teach, she also knows that learning is a lifelong adventure—even for the teacher. Her students have taught her to be patient and to try to understand peoples’ situations outside of what you see. Charter College has a diverse population, and students come from all places and situations. So, Lori takes her time to hear her students’ stories and guide them in the best way she can. She recalls a story where a student who had just given birth felt like she couldn’t take her certification exam because she had no one to help with her child. But Lori had seen the hard work the student had already put in and she did not want her to miss an opportunity for success.
“I really wanted her to pass the program,” Lori says. So, Lori worked with the student to her assist in finding adequate childcare for her to take the exam.
Lori truly believes in her students’ abilities, so she tries to help them in any way she can; inside the classroom and out in the field.
Tailoring the Externship Experience
In addition to teaching, Lori also serves as the Extern Coordinator at the Yakima Campus, helping place her students in externships to gain real-world clinical experience before they graduate. She loves her check-ins with students during their externships to see where she can give additional advice. She also gains insight into how the Charter College Medical Assistant program might be improved.
With all the experience she has, Lori often hears from students asking for advice when they run into questions or challenges, even for tips when they’re extended job offers. She recalls one student who was typically quiet and unsure, who received a job offer at her externship clinic. Delighted at the job offer, the student nonetheless wasn’t as happy about the title. They wanted her to step into the role of a referral coordinator instead of a Medical Assistant. So, she called Lori for advice.
”I told her that she could take the job, but she knows what she wants,” Lori explains. “I told her to go back and tell them she wants to be a Medical Assistant.”
Lori reminded her student that she was well trained and knowledgeable as a Medical Assistant. She encouraged her to be confident in her skills and ask for what she really wanted.
“After her 180 hours on externship, she was ready,” said Lori “and that clinic hired her as a full-time MA. She went from being quiet and unsure of herself to landing the job she wanted –and deserved.”
Even after students graduate and receive their job offers, Lori still sees some of them around town. She enjoys the conversations she has about the progress they’ve made in their careers, and it warms her heart to see how they’ve grown.
Wouldn’t you like to train under someone like Lori? Check out our Medical Assistant programs in Yakima and at all our campuses and give us a call 888-200-9942.