Teather Askin: Sharing her Passion for Teaching in Billings, MT
From hospitals and clinics to community health centers, Teather Askin worked as a Medical Assistant across facilities for 14 years before she became a teacher. And it was actually in those various healthcare settings where she developed a passion for teaching. At the RiverStone Health community center, she hosted clinical education days for her peers. She also trained externs from various institutions, sharing her knowledge and love of patient care.
“I’ve always had a teaching role in addition to my daily roles,” says Teather. “I love bringing others into the medical field so I thought teaching would be a great way to do that.”
When she heard that Charter College was looking for new instructors, she applied and was hired. Now, after 10 months of dedicated work, Teather is the lead medical assistant instructor for the Billings, Montana campus.
Motivating Charter College Students with Lessons from the Field
While she stresses the importance of the core knowledge and skills needed to be a medical assistant, Teather often shares her experiences from her clinic work with her students. She tells them how she cared for patients as a medical assistant. By working in her prior day-to-day experiences, her students understand how to handle a variety of real-world scenarios. Teather encourages her students to do their best, but she often finds they come in pretty motivated from the start.
“Many of my students are brand new to the medical field, but they are very motivated and come in with a great attitude,” says Teather “so I do what I can to keep their motivation up.”
To keep her students engaged, Teather tries to blend hands-on exercises into her lessons and share her insights from the field. Her goal is to make her students feel thoroughly prepared by the time they reach graduation.
The Passion Behind Her Work
When Teather thinks of what she brings to Charter College as an instructor, she says her attitude and approach are all about “passion.” She sees the investment her students put into their work and preparation for her courses, so she brings that same level of passion and excitement to them. She says that every student is unique and motivated by different drivers.
“There are different personalities and learning styles with each student, so I try to tailor my lesson plans to fit each student and keep them engaged,” explains Teather.
Teather also tries to bring a high energy level into the classroom. She understands that not every course will be exciting for every student, so she creates games and other engaging ways to deliver lessons. She shows them that learning can helpful, important—and fun!
And Teather says the students responds well. She enjoys seeing her students excel in their externships and move into their entry-level roles when they complete their programs. And she loves creating professional and personal relationships with her students during their time in class and beyond graduation.
The Charter College Community
The students are just one part of the Charter College community. Just as Teather does her best to make them feel welcome, Teather says everyone at Charter College made her feel that way. Teather says that because Billings is one of the smaller campuses, she worried about staying connected with her fellow instructors outside of the Montana area, but quickly learned she had nothing to worry about.
“Starting out I was concerned about communication with how spread out we were, but you can reach out and someone will respond immediately. I love the help they offer right away,” Teather says.
Instructors outside of Billings have made collaboration an easy process and it helps Teather feel connected with her coworkers even if they don’t live in the same state. She enjoys the camaraderie and knowledge sharing and she looks for ways to bring what she learns into her own teaching.
Do you want to learn more about the dedicated Medical Assistant instructors at Charter College? Call 888-200-9942 or fill out the form to learn more!