- April 25, 2024
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Flagler Technical College Teacher of the Year Dawn Lord began teaching health care program students at FTC in April 2020, right as things were shutting down because of the pandemic and health care institutions were barring visitors.
“From the ground up, I help them build interpersonal and communication skills as well as clinical skills, all while explaining the rationale behind the techniques."
— DAWN LORD, Flagler Technical College Teacher of the Year
But Lord, concerned about students’ ability to complete their programs, created a comprehensive plan to return students to the classroom in May — maintaining social distancing, mask wearing, proper hand hygiene and a strict requirement that anyone feeling ill stay home.
Clinical hours that would have been off-campus became simulated experiences that Lord led at the FTC campus.
“As a result, learning loss was minimized and program completion was minimally delayed,” Lord wrote in an essay for her Teacher of the Year application.
The guidelines she created were used to help bring other programs back on campus.
Lord began her Flagler Schools career as the nurse at Indian Trials Middle School in 2018 before shifting to FTC.
At FTC, some of her students have almost no medical knowledge when they enter her classroom. Others are already working in healthcare. Her lessons must engage students at both ends of that range.
“All of these individuals share one goal: to better their lives by advancing themselves in a healthcare career,” she wrote.
For students with no health care background, “From the ground up, I help them build interpersonal and communication skills as well as clinical skills, all while explaining the rationale behind the techniques,” she wrote.
Some students enter the phlebotomy course with needle phobias as well as concerns about hurting a patient. But simulated practice leaves them ready for careers, and many are quickly hired by FTC’s community partners, she wrote.
“This is a testament to the dedication the students have,” Lord wrote.
Students studying to become nursing assistants and patient care technicians are often hired as soon as their training is compete — sometimes even before they’ve been able to become certified.
“In teaching the next generation of medical workers, it is imperative to pass along the enthusiasm and passion that you have for providing medical care to the community,” she wrote. “Watching students learn and embrace the art of caring for others is inspiring because I know the impact they will have on those they will care for in the community.”
