Teanna Campbell, RN, a seasoned healthcare professional with over two decades of experience, has embarked on a remarkable journey from a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) to a Registered Nurse (RN) and instructor. Her dedication and commitment to improving the quality of education for CNAs led her to establish Resilient Healthcare Academy. This school program aims to equip aspiring healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills they need to excel in their careers.

After the death of her grandmother, her mother, also a CNA, convinced Teanna to join a CNA program to spend time with other older adults who had more time on this earth than her grandmother did. Her grandmother passed away young, in her 60s.  Initially uncertain about starting a healthcare career in high school, Teanna took the leap and fell in love with connecting with patients and providing assistance. “Just listening to stories and what they did in their past, all of that, I just took an interest in it, and that's why I started. That's what got me into it,” Teanna explained.

“Just listening to stories and what they did in their past, all of that, I just took an interest in it, and that's why I started. That's what got me into it,”

Teanna's motivation to teach CNAs originated from her admiration for her own CNA instructor, who left a lasting impact on her life. She recalled her instructor saying, “Her name was Mrs. Rogers; she was absolutely amazing, and she kind of just really paved the way for me.” Witnessing the care, compassion, and respect her instructor demonstrated toward patients ignited a desire within Teanna to make a similar difference. After finishing the program, Teanna realized that she wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, as her instructor has.

After ten years of working as a CNA, she decided to gain further opportunities and knowledge in the field and went back to school to become a (Licensed Practical Nurse) LPN.  During her LPN program, she dealt with a range of issues, from financial to personal health. Teanna was pregnant during her program and had severe hyperemesis— a condition during pregnancy that causes severe vomiting.

She went to school with an (intravenous) IV fluid bag to maintain her hydration levels. While in the LPN program and pregnant, she had to stop working as a CNA, her husband was able to work and support her, but the lack of income created financial issues during school. Despite all of this, she was able to graduate and begin working again as an LPN. “I had a whole lot of complications trying to get my LPN. We went through some financial issues, and it's crazy because I always hear people say they go through financial issues in nursing school, but we did; we went through some financial issues, but I made it out,” she mentions.

“I had a whole lot of complications trying to get my LPN. We went through some financial issues, and it's crazy because I always hear people say they go through financial issues in nursing school, but we did; we went through some financial issues, but I made it out,”

Teanna worked as an LPN for another ten years gaining experience in several areas of expertise. For a while, she even worked as the Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON).  While working as an LPN, she noticed a significant lack of knowledge and skills among CNAs she encountered on the job. Determined to address this issue, Teanna took it upon herself to provide guidance and instruction to bridge the gap. As an LPN, she began working as an instructor at a technical school, educating CNAs as part of her passion.

In pursuit of her goal to establish her own school program, Teanna faced initial challenges due to regulations that prevented LPNs from teaching CNAs directly. The classes she taught as an LPN were restricted to teaching services such as medication passing for Medication Technicians. Even though Teanna strived to be the amazing instructor she had when she took her CNA course, in order to do so, she needed to go back to school to become an RN.

After her difficulty with the LPN program, going back to school was not something that Teanna was originally wanting to do until her cousin convinced her to join the program and go back to school together. After passing the entrance exams, she was able to save up and pay for her nursing program without the help of financial aid. Teanna completed the LPN to RN bridge program successfully and was able to start working as a nurse at a hospital.