Medical Assisting Program Instructor Sees Healthcare Through a Patients Eyes

For such a young woman, Shannon Lillard brings a lifetime of experience to the classroom. She teaches Medical Assisting at the Richmond/Moorefield campus; and while she does have significant experience as a health provider, it’s what this 36-year old mother of two has experienced as a patient that really resonates in the classroom.

Diagnosed with diabetes 26 years ago, she has since endured a series of health threats of a magnitude that’s almost impossible to overstate. First, she suffered a pulmonary embolism, then a heart attack, and just over a year ago she received a kidney transplant. Yet when talking with her, there’s not even the slightest hint of self-pity. Having always wanted to be a teacher, she’s grateful for her students and grateful to be alive.

“I try to use my personal experience with the healthcare system to make the lessons a bit more relevant,” says Shannon. “I hope my own stories give them some perspective and allow them to understand the impact they can have on patient care.”

The impact she has had on her own students is without question. They know she cares deeply about them and so does everyone on campus. “The morning she was being prepped for her kidney transplant she was texting me to get updates on her students,” says Campus Director of Academic Affairs Ashley Richards. “Her dedication never ceases to amaze me! She always seems more worried about other people than herself.”

It should come as no surprise that many of her students came to visit her at the hospital and enthusiastically welcomed her back when she returned to campus just six weeks later. Now, she’s back teaching classes, setting up free health screenings all over town so her students can get hands-on experience, and waiting for yet another transplant. Doctors have told her she needs a new pancreas. Does the prospect of yet another surgery get her down? Not a bit.

Shannon is facing the next challenge as she has all the others. “She is incredible,” says Richards. “She is always so positive, always smiling. Her enthusiasm is contagious. Her students feel it every moment they are in her class. Hiring Shannon is without a doubt the best decision we ever made!”

Are you interested in a fast path to Medical Assisting? ECPI University offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Health Science, Medical Assisting that you can complete in as little as 1.5 years! Contact us TODAY! It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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