I teach introductory college courses to aspiring medical assistants, medical coding and billing specialists, dental assistants and pharmacy technicians.
I tell them that college — and life — will knock them down, but they must get back up and get back to it. I also share my own story of how I initially failed out of nursing school due to poor study habits and time management, how I earned good grades at another college that declared bankruptcy before I could finish (costing me all my credits), how I pleaded with my first nursing school for a second chance and how I returned older and wiser and finally earned my degree.
At a moment when America is facing both a critical shortage of health care workers and a rapidly aging population, supporting students in these fields has never been more urgent. Every student who successfully completes their program and enters the workforce will strengthen our health care system and ensure more patients get the care they need. That’s why the classroom experiences, support and encouragement these learners receive can make such a decisive difference in whether they persist and ultimately succeed.
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I’m open with my students about my journey because many of them are right where I used to be. I’ve always had a passion for caring for others. That’s what led me into the health care field — as a caregiver, a certified nursing assistant, medical assistant, phlebotomy technician and a dialysis technician. My employers recognized my skill and my dedication, so they have frequently asked me to train new employees.
That’s what I’m doing at The College of Health Care Professions in Dallas, where my students want college to help them achieve their dreams. But they have numerous obstacles that stand between them and their goals. Many are working long hours or multiple jobs while raising children and caring for family members. Others are the first in their families to attend college and are navigating an unfamiliar system on their own. Reliable transportation, affordable child care and steady housing can all be fragile, and any disruption — a broken-down car, a sick child, a missed paycheck — can derail their education.
My job as a college instructor is first and foremost to help my students master the material, pass their certification exam and find a good job in health care. But my role goes beyond the work they do in class.
More than 70 percent of my students are 22 and older and more than 40 percent are parents, which means they’re often juggling jobs and families. Nearly all are female, which typically means they’re shouldering the bulk of the caregiving work at home.
The majority of my students — the 40 percent who are first-generation college-goers and the 43 percent who are re-enrolling in college — are often anxious, a bit intimidated and unsure of what to expect.
To help every student overcome these barriers, complete the program they started and find the success they’re seeking, we must support them in all the many ways that they need.
No matter where my students are coming from, they’re dealing with similar sources of day-to-day stress. I tell them that these disruptions aren’t an excuse to stop out of school; they represent the adversity they must push through to reach their dreams of a better job and a better life.
The clinics and hospitals where they will work — indeed, our entire health care system — expect much out of everyone who cares for patients. That’s why I teach my students not only the basic skills they need to succeed in their future jobs but also the reasons why they must learn each skill so they will understand how their day-to-day work fits into the larger health care picture.
My students want someone to listen to them. Many of them keep their stress bottled up and simply want someone to talk to. I tell them that my classroom is a safe space where they can talk to me about whatever’s on their mind, whether they’re struggling with a class assignment or dealing with challenges at home or at work.
I listen and don’t judge because I want them to get whatever is bothering them off their chest so they can keep moving ahead in life and at school.
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My students want to be motivated. When I see a student who seems overwhelmed by everything happening in their life, I send them to a display in my classroom called the Motivation Station, which offers them their choice of cards with a well-known motivational quote on the front and my words of encouragement on the back.
The Motivation Station reminds my students to stay positive and to find motivation within themselves. It’s also a healthy coping practice and shows them that I care about their well-being. When students know that someone is looking out for them, it helps them get past an immediate crisis and continue their academic quest.
Above all, my students want to be able to meet high standards. My students expect their instructors and their college to help them reach their goals. But they also demand to be held accountable for learning the material, and at the end of the day, it’s my job to make sure they are prepared to meet these high standards of patient care.
Supporting adult learners requires listening to them and motivating them. All are going through something on campus and outside of school.
I know, because I’ve walked many miles in their shoes. What matters most is that they have caring and supportive instructors who can help them reach their academic and career goals.
Raven Andrews is a medical assistant instructor (and Instructor of the Year) at the Dallas Campus of The College of Health Care Professions.
Contact the opinion editor at [email protected].
This story about supporting college students was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger’s weekly newsletter.
