AC INSTRUCTOR RECEIVES DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD
When
Angelina College instructor Kim Meshell first began working at the
college eight years ago, there was no such thing as the COLT (Certified
Office Lab Technician) program, nor was there in place a Medical
Assistant program. Starting from scratch, Meshell, the clinical
coordinator for AC’s Phlebotomy, Office Lab Technician and Medical
Assistant programs, slowly began building the curriculum and syllabi
necessary to teach classes leading to certification. In a short time
under Meshell’s guidance, both the COLT and MA programs have grown into
entities that lead their alumni straight into employment with various
hospitals, physicians’ offices and clinics.
For her efforts, Meshell recently received the Distinguished Achievement
Award from the American Medical Technologists, a national agency that
certifies health technologists. In addition Meshell, who also edits the
AMT journal, received a first-place award for editing a journal.
The busy mother of three girls – including a pair of twins – says the
keys to such an achievement include supportive supervisors (Amy Schultz
and Dr. Fred Kanke), husband (Jared) and staff – along with another
crucial, individual talent she’s managed to develop.
“I’ve learned to juggle,” she laughs. “You should see my desk or car on
any given day. There’s always something going on.”
Meshell graduated AC with an associate’s of science degree, and then
began working on her bachelor’s. After spending 17 years in various
health care-related fields, she landed a job as an assistant in AC’s
fledgling Phlebotomy program. When the instructor retired, Meshell
accepted the role of full-time instructor.
That’s when the opportunities arose to create a pair of new programs at
Angelina College. Working with nothing more than a strong idea and her
years of experience, Meshell began piecing together all the information
necessary to create the COLT and MA programs. She visited various
campuses to get ideas for her curriculum; she wrote her own lesson plans
and tests. At that time, there was no book for the COLT program;
everything she had came from her own work.
Now, she’s able to look back and see that others noticed her efforts and
have rewarded them accordingly.
“You need to get out and try to make a difference whenever you can,”
Meshell says. “I’m trying to help AMT with recognition, and I’m trying
to help Angelina College students get recognized by AMT. I’m trying to
teach those students a skill here at AC.
“I keep up with the numbers of students who pass their exams and gain
employment from here, and our placement record is very high. The jobs
are out there; they may not all be right here in Lufkin, but they’re
there for those who want to work.”
The e-mail address for Angelina College’s coordinator of Marketing and
Development is
gstallard
angelina.edu
