Ashley Jent says that she fulfilled a career goal when she returned to Bluegrass Community and Technical College to teach the Certified Medical Assisting program she graduated from in 2010.

Jent has been a full-time instructor at BCTC since 2015, following two years working as an adjunct and two more working in the field.

Jent said as she was taking her classes, she came to the realization that she wanted to be able to teach others.

“I told my mom that’s what I wanted,” she said. “I wanted to do what my instructor did, to work in the field, then come back and teach.”

Jent helped to resurrect the CMA program at BCTC and expand it to Winchester, and since taking over the program, 27 students have either graduated or are preparing to graduate with two-year degrees.

Jent said that medical assistants have to do a wide range of jobs, from clinical work like injections and phlebotomy to administrative work like referrals and insurance documentation.

The program also requires more than 200 hours of field work before graduation, meaning Jent has to ensure her students are ready for what will be expected of them before they have completed the program.

Jent said that she wants the CMA program to help people become more successful, whether they are looking for a career in medical assisting or using it as a stepping stone to reach other career opportunities in the medical field.

“Any student can come my way,” she said. “I still have the same goal.”

Jent said that since she began teaching she has missed some of the work she once did in the field. She said that while being a CMA is no longer her career, she has begun doing volunteer work at a clinic in Lexington because she still enjoys it.

She is also studying at Midway College to earn a bachelor’s degree in health care administration. When Jent isn’t staying busy teaching, volunteering or studying, she said she likes to spend time with her daughter and son, who are 3 and 1 respectively.

“It’s a lot, but I like staying busy,” she said.