On September 23, Ms. Kayla Jimenez filled in the position for the ROP medical class that previously had no official teacher and became the new instructor.

Jimenez has currently been teaching the ROP subjects Patient Care 1, Sports Medicine, and Medical Terminology. Jimenez has had a passion for the medical field and has previously worked as a medical assistant since 2013, and has also been in the educational field at Valley community school five years ago as a health assistant and worked under a registered nurse. Jimenez said, “I’ve been going to school to be a teacher. I like helping students. I’ve been working for the last five years in the high school setting with students from the healthcare aspect, so I wanted to get into the teaching part, the educational part of it.”

Isabella Rodriguez (12) is currently taking Patient Care and really likes how Jimenez puts things into practice, goes really in depth beyond the textbooks and puts a lot of effort into teaching. Rodriguez said, “She’s really nice. The work is hard, but it teaches me a lot, and I think she’s really good at her job.”

It took Jimenez a month and a half to complete the hiring process due to the requirements needed such as applying to a CTE credential, and waiting to get accepted into a CTE credential program. Jimenez is currently enrolled in the CTE program to clear her teaching credential.

Additionally, Jimenez is working to create more opportunities for the students as far as getting them placed into job worksites, learning how to network in the medical field, and exploring the different careers offered. Jimenez’s main goal is to enhance the students’ passion for the medical field.

The staff had been friendly and helpful during Jimenez’s transition here, and she enjoys working on campus.