Many instructors face a learning curve when translating what they know about classroom teaching into an online learning management system, but Dr. Rachel Ellison cut her teeth teaching in an online environment.
小蝌蚪APP淚 fell in love with it. I love the online learning aspect,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 earned my master小蝌蚪APP檚 online and my Ph.D. online, and I enjoy being on the other side of it.小蝌蚪APP
Dr. Ellison serves as program coordinator for the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 online Health Services Administration degree and is among the full-time faculty members for the program.
But Dr. Ellison小蝌蚪APP檚 original career plan wasn小蝌蚪APP檛 to teach; she planned to be a surgeon. However, a brief stint 小蝌蚪APP exactly one shift 小蝌蚪APP as a transporter at a hospital when she was 17 told Dr. Ellison that she should explore other options.
小蝌蚪APP淚 knew I wanted to stay in health care,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 love people and I wanted to help people, and I found I could help people another way 小蝌蚪APP I could run or manage a healthcare organization.小蝌蚪APP
She earned her bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 in healthcare systems administration in her home state of Michigan before moving to Florida and beginning her graduate studies.
Dr. Ellison was working in a hospital and pursuing her doctorate when a professor from her undergraduate studies reached out, asking her to teach online as an adjunct.
For Dr. Ellison, the answer was simple: No.
小蝌蚪APP淭eaching was never on the radar for me; I wasn小蝌蚪APP檛 seeking it,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 was like, 小蝌蚪APP業 am not a teacher, I小蝌蚪APP檓 not going to be doing this.小蝌蚪APP櫺◎蝌紸PP
But the professor continued courting Dr. Ellison, visiting her in Florida to make her case and train Dr. Ellison on the online learning management system.
小蝌蚪APP淚 ended up meeting her over the Christmas break and saying, 小蝌蚪APP極K, I小蝌蚪APP檒l do it this one semester小蝌蚪APP,小蝌蚪APP Dr. Ellison says. 小蝌蚪APP淎nd I haven小蝌蚪APP檛 actually stopped since then.小蝌蚪APP
That was 2010.
After earning her doctorate, Dr. Ellison taught briefly at a Florida university before searching for a position with a larger institution. When fielding offers, the 小蝌蚪APP rose to the top of her list.
小蝌蚪APP淲hen I was interviewing, I really liked all of the people that I could be working with,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淭hey seemed like a great group of people, and I like to work with people who have great personalities. I like the team environment; it小蝌蚪APP檚 a motivator for me.小蝌蚪APP
Dr. Ellison is always up for new adventures 小蝌蚪APP her 2018 summer itinerary included Thailand, France, Italy and Spain; the Dominican Republic is on tap for 2019. Having never been to Louisiana, UL Lafayette provided the opportunity to explore yet another locale and culture.
小蝌蚪APP淚小蝌蚪APP檓 not Cajun; I小蝌蚪APP檓 a northerner,小蝌蚪APP Dr. Ellison says. 小蝌蚪APP淭his is completely different from where I小蝌蚪APP檓 from so I enjoy that, too.小蝌蚪APP
Dr. Ellison joined Allied Health shortly after the online HSA program began, providing her the opportunity to see the program grow and evolve.
小蝌蚪APP淓very year the class gets stronger,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淭he program is small, but we are growing, and I see us continuing to grow each year.小蝌蚪APP
Dr. Ellison says the program size has allowed her to develop personal connections with her students, even though she小蝌蚪APP檚 never met most of them in person.
小蝌蚪APP淚 try to put myself out there so they know they can contact me,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 don小蝌蚪APP檛 get too personal, but I try to keep things on the same level as if they were sitting right in front of me in the classroom and try to engage with them as much as I can.小蝌蚪APP
Destiny Theriot, who completed the HSA program in Spring 2019, says Dr. Ellison小蝌蚪APP檚 efforts made a difference.
小蝌蚪APP淚小蝌蚪APP檝e never actually met her in person, but I feel like I have,小蝌蚪APP Theriot says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 feel like I know her. She reaches out to us; she understands us.小蝌蚪APP
Dr. Ellison says students who complete the Health Services Administration program go on to work in account management, human resources, risk management, community advocacy, marketing, performance improvement, and finance 小蝌蚪APP all within the healthcare field.
小蝌蚪APP淲e need competent, educated people to manage and operate large health systems,小蝌蚪APP Dr. Ellison says. 小蝌蚪APP淭he students we have now are going be in the health force and will be educated on the right things to do.
小蝌蚪APP淗ealthcare administrators have to be aware of changing laws and policies. We小蝌蚪APP檙e constantly talking about them and showing students how important it is to stay aware and educate themselves.小蝌蚪APP