Graduation

The month of May is filled with graduations, weddings, and proms. This is also the time of year in which mothers everywhere dare to dream of a Mother's Day gift they will actually love.  Of course as a mother of two, I will mark the occasion with the annual Mother's Day dinner and swoon over handmade cards and gifts from my kids.  I will pray that they talk my husband into just getting me a gift card at one of my favorite stores. 

This year May takes on a different meaning for me.  I started teaching in the medical assisting program last year at a local community college.   The students must pass administrative and clinical courses and complete an externship to graduate from the program.   Students, who graduate from the medical assisting program, perform administrative and clinical procedures in doctors' offices and clinics. 

This May will mark the graduation of the first group of students that I taught from the medical assisting program.  I know this has been a stressful and difficult time for students in the program.  The students in the program range from young single mothers to mature women who want to improve themselves by obtaining a degree that will make them marketable in the work place.  Some students must overcome personal obstacles that can derail their dream of graduating from the program.   Despite all of the distractions, all the students passed their courses and will go onto externships.   Depending on how well they perform on the externship, they may be offered a position. 

One of the reasons I went into adult education, was to share my knowledge and professional experiences with students.  I wanted to take the skills I acquired in health information and convey how important these skills can be in their career as a medical assistant.  The health information and medical assisting fields share some commonalities.  Both fields require knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physicology, coding, insurance, record systems, computer applications, medical ethics, multi-tasking and the ability to work with others.    

As I mark the celebration of my eleventh Mother's Day, I am struck by how fast my kids are growing up.  Soon, their handmade gifts and cards will be replaced with that annual phone call to mom wishing her a happy Mother's Day.  As I must one day let my kids go out into the real world, the students that I started out with last year will also go out into the world.  They will have to stand on their own and gain the trust and respect of others.  I can only hope that in some small way, I have helped to prepare them for their career.