Diana Turner, Health and Science Technology

     I love being a career technical teacher.  I also love being a nurse.   I have the good fortune of being able to combine two great careers.   I get to teach what is in a book and pass on knowledge but I also get to watch students experience that knowledge on a first-hand basis.  Great moments in teaching happen daily.  I get the advantage of teaching “real world” skills.  I have been there and have information and life experiences to pass on. Health care is a challenging and rewarding field.  I guess my greatest moments have been when students who have graduated actually pursue their dreams of being nurses, doctors, emergency medical technicians, and dentists.  One of my favorite experiences is taking students to the clinical site.  In the past I have offered nursing education and clinical internship courses.  In these courses students get to see what real health care is all about.  I watch girls and boys change into young men and women in just a matter of weeks.  Everything they have learned in textbooks becomes reality.  It is amazing to hear their conversations about how “I took care of a sweet lady who was dying” and “Guess what I got to do today at the doctor’s office.”  I get to share in their joy and grief as they learn the realities of health care.  The one greatest pleasure is getting to work side by side with former students.  Currently, I still maintain an active nursing career along with teaching.  I work in an emergency room along side former students who are EMTs, nurses, and paramedics.  My greatest accomplishment in teaching is when I see dreams become reality for many of my students.  Not all students who take my classes will enter health care, but I hope they take away some knowledge about health and the human body.