Ted Walker: U.S. Veteran and Mentor for Alaska’s Next Generation of Nurses
Ted Walker has spent more than three decades caring for patients, leading healthcare teams, and preparing nurses for the challenges of the profession. Today, he brings that experience into the classroom as a nursing instructor and assistant dean at Charter College’s Anchorage campus.
In 1991, Ted graduated from Pittsburg State University with a BSN and went directly into uniform service with the U.S. Public Health Service at home in Alaska. His position was cross commissioned with the United States Airforce, so after five years serving villages across the Last Frontier, he was deployed as an operating room nurse and travelled all over the world. Ted later earned his MSN with a focus in perioperative and operating room nursing through the Uniformed Services University and continued his nursing work with the military for several years.
“I worked my way up to become Chief of Patient Safety for the Air Force Medical Service,” Ted explains. “So, I had 75 hospitals and treatment facilities under me. I ended my career as a master clinician for the Air Force and consultant to the Surgeon General for ambulatory surgery centers.”
After his successful decades long military career, Ted retired in 2017 and found work as a perioperative clinical nurse specialist at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage. That’s where Ted found his next calling: teaching and training new nurses in the profession. When Providence restructured their departments and no longer needed him to teach, they didn’t know the role had lit a fire in him.
“I had a good friend who already worked for Charter College at the time,” Ted says. “I spoke to him and he said, ‘I want you to come and be a part of this team.'”
While Ted is still on the registry at Providence, he knew this was his chance to share the nursing experience he gained over the last 30+ years.
Bringing Military Leadership to Nursing Education
Ted joined the Charter College family first as an adjunct pharmacology and fundamentals labs instructor. That only lasted three months, though, before he was hired full-time. He mixed in teaching leadership courses and eventually, because of his vast experience, began to help with curriculum development for Charter’s nursing programs.
With connections at medical facilities all across Alaska, Ted has been able to provide some very unique training experiences to more than 90 nursing students at Charter College.
“When I took over the leadership training, we were able to bring in community partners from Alaska Regional Hospital, the Alaska State Department of Health, Alaska Native Medical Center, Alaska Pacific University and more to participate in a mass casualty training event that runs every 20 weeks,” Ted explains.
“My team creates scripted scenarios students have to deal with. Our ‘patients’ and ‘injuries’ are all pre-planned. Our partners help with simulations, provide medical centers for training and sometimes serve as guest speakers for students to learn emergency management.”
Ted says it’s a blessing that Charter College can partner with so many organizations to provide real equipment and training to their nursing students. The Alaska Veterans’ Association, for example, has donated expired medical supplies like gloves, gowns, drapes, and cots for the event.
Assisting Students in Everyday Lab Work
Ted’s clinical experience is invaluable to students learning how to assess patients, prepare injections, insert IVs, care for catheters, and administer medications. He also uses Charter College’s high-fidelity mannikins to teach real-world scenarios on pretend humans. There is an assortment of tools and equipment designed to allow students to practice specific skills, says Ted.
“We have scenario rooms where students practice patient care during each class,” Ted says. “They’ll usually work in pairs to trios, have to perform hand hygiene, tell who they are, and then the scenario will begin.”
In these lessons, students may have to administer injections, insert an IV medication, and calculate dosages. Each nursing instructor helps monitor the scenarios and provide feedback to the participants and the rest of the class.
In addition to scheduled labs, students can use open lab time to practice skills with faculty. Instructors also offer sessions that go beyond the required curriculum, including case studies, test-taking strategies, and specialty review sessions.
Ted believes these more intensive hands-on experiences help students build confidence before they enter a clinical setting. His goal is to make sure Charter’s nursing students leave prepared for the NCLEX exam and the fast-paced work of the medical field today, so he’s always tweaking the training to make sure that happens.
Helping Students Stay Focused and Fed
Ted’s approach to teaching goes beyond nursing skills. He wants students to understand how to stay focused when school becomes difficult. His military background taught him how important it is to remember and work toward your goals, even when things are difficult.
“What sets Charter College apart from other institutions is how we care for our students,” Ted explains. “Some students have been food insecure, so we developed a food pantry on campus that’s no questions asked, come take what you want. We build a private lactation room for our students who are mothers. We do whatever we can to help.”
Ted believes those small moments matter, especially for a demanding program like nursing.
Teaching the Next Generation of Nurses
After decades serving others in healthcare and military service, Ted could have retired with a fulfilling career behind him. Instead, he found a new way to serve others, preparing the next generation of nurses ready to provide excellent patient care.
Interested in learning more about Charter College’s nursing program and the instructors who help students prepare for their careers? Call 888-200-9942 or fill out the form today!