Biography and Contact Information:
Jeanette "Jen" Reynolds is starting a new role as Infection Preventionist at Haywood Regional Medical Center, January, 2024. Jeanette is a Medical Laboratory Scientist, microbiologist and college professor and writer who loves Biology, Microbiology, and all things science and health, whether it be Physics, Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology. She has a Master of Science degree in Biology, with emphasis on Cell Biology, Microbiology and Emerging Infectious Diseases. She earned certification in Emerging Infectious Diseases in 2009, and graduated from the University of Saint Joseph with highest honors, Suma cum laude, with a 3.97 GPA and was a candidate for class valedictorian. She earned her Technologist in Microbiology certification through the ASCP (M-ASCP) in 2009 and worked in microbiology research on MRSA and Multidrug-resistant organisms from 2007-2010 in Landstuhl, Germany. She earned her Medical Lab Scientist certification in 2013 through American Technologists Association (MLS-AMT). She earned her seat-based instructor certification at the Basic Instructor Course through the United States Air Force at Lackland AFB in 2013. She earned her online instructor course certification through Midlands Technical College in 2021 and has been teaching Mycology and Parasitology online for Lexington Medical Center's Medical Lab Science program for the past several years. She earned EKG Specialist/Cardio Tech certification through Midlands Technical College in 2021.
Her most beloved area of Biology is Microbiology, A&P and microscopic work and biochemical testing. While earning and after earning certification through the ASCP as a Clinical Microbiologist, she spent 15 years in that particular field, including the specialty areas of Parasitology, Mycology (fungi), Mycobacteriology/AFB, and Molecular Biology. She is also a certified Medical Technologist/Medical Laboratory Scientist through the AMT and worked as a Generalist MLS in a hospital rapid care lab and as a chemist in the clinical chemistry lab. She has worked in a variety of US Army Hospital laboratories and civilian hospital laboratories, and has had the opportunity to spend several years working in research (MRSA and MDROs), as well as the opportunity to write curriculum for and provide classroom and laboratory instruction for the US Navy and Army Medical Laboratory Technician Program (MLT) and Lexington Medical Center's MLS program.
Professionally, she has provided college instruction for a variety of colleges and universities in the Biological Sciences and Allied Health departments and continues to teach Biology and Medical Lab Science courses, which she immensely enjoys. To date, she has taught the following courses: Introductory Biology, Survey of Biology, General Biology, Human Biology, Anatomy and Physiology I and II, Pathophysiology, Microbiology, Hematology, Blood Banking and Transfusion Medicine, and Urinalysis and Body Fluids, as well as Parasitology and Mycology. Prior to Biology and Microbiology lab work and instruction, Ms. Reynolds spent 13 years working as a Physiotherapy and Chiropractic Assistant prior to that, and served as an Assistant Manager of a Chiropractic Clinic, while teaching piano lessons on the side during the years of being a military spouse when her children were little.
Currently, she is beginning a new role sought after for many years as an Infection Preventionist, utilizing her background in Emerging Infections Diseases, Infection Prevention and Control, and providing clinical education. Recently, she has been a professor at a local college, and is a science writer and editor for two contracting companies, in addition to working PRN in Microbiology laboratory teaching Mycology and Parasitology. She also enjoys working on her websites, exploring many things with her microscopes at home, writing poetry, reading, traveling, shopping, relaxing with a candle and coffee, watching movies, and taking pictures. She has works being published as continuing education studies for MLT/MT/MLS individuals in the lab, as well as curriculum and tests. She has published poetry books, including "Between the Lines", a Kindle and Nook e-book, and others.
She loves life and people and helping people learn and discover new things about life and writing about these things. She has lived and traveled around the world and enjoys composing piano music, reading, writing, cooking, designing websites for learning, working on a pictorial atlas, crafts, traveling, playing piano and flute, writing music, making earrings and shopping in her free time. She was born in Louisiana and was raised in the southern states, and has 3 kids, 2 of which are grown adults, and a grandmother herself of an adorable grandson.
Contact Information: [email protected] or [email protected]
Linked-In Profile: www.linkedin.com/in/jeanette-reynolds-65547b192
Facebook Profile: Jen Reynolds
Kahoot Profile for Studying for Quizzes and Exams for General Biology 1,2, Parasitology, Mycology, and Microbiology: biogirl73113
For more learning, check out her other websites:
Learning Management Systems Used:
Media Platforms Used for Class Recordings and Meetings:
Technology Used in the Classroom For Learning Aids:
Recommended Apps for Smart Phone:
Additional Recommended Websites:
Philosophy of Teaching:
I teach because I love it! I love helping students learn, sharing the wonder of life, cells, microbes, diseases, the body's structure and function, personal experiences, and how all of this ties into healthcare. It is very rewarding watching students learn, become interested in science, ask questions, grow in knowledge, and have "aha" moments where the information "clicks" and relates to them personally. From day one, I try to get to know my students, what their goals and interests and hobbies are, what areas of science and healthcare they are interested in and why, how they feel they best learn, what helps them learn, and then personalize and tailor each class to the students so that their research and my own ties in and relates to them personally. I believe in doing my best to reach all learning styles, because each student is a unique individual and learns differently. For that reason, I love to incorporate many different things in the classroom that bring out their creativity, promote and build critical thinking skills, teamwork, writing skills, and use many visual aids and hands-on examples, rather than rely on traditional assessments alone. My classroom is full of posters and concept graphs that serve as reminders of important concepts, structure and function, and medical terminology. I have students draw these things in a scientific journal throughout the course to reinforce the material and give them a chance to have a useful tool for studying those key concepts.
I promote a positive atmosphere in my classroom and one of encouragement and kindness. I have observed that when students are enjoying themselves, their mental states are receptive for learning. When I am obviously enjoying the content or structure of a lesson, students will mirror my interest and enthusiasm, and I am always very enthusiastic about Biology, Microbiology, A&P, Pathophysiology, all of the courses I have had the privilege to teach. My greatest reward is seeing students acquire a deep understanding of Biological concepts and I know that this will only happen if I capture their imagination and stimulate their curiosity so I encourage them to ask questions during the lecture, engage in discussion, share their own personal examples and experiences, and have fun with the material. Most healthcare students, I have found, are very hands-on and visual learners, so they love the labs. In my most recent courses, I had the privilege to use a mannequin to demonstrate and tie in the Microbiology material, review of A&P, and Pathophysiology to Health Assessments, the next course the nursing students take to begin hands-on assessments. Any visuals are so helpful, and I try to do whatever it takes to find what I can to use these visuals in the classroom: a simulated hands-on urinalysis, a set of reagents to test for pH with an explanation of acidosis and alkalosis, a culture of their choice of swabs of their cell phones and computers and doorknobs to show how microbes are ubiquitous, slides I made from real patient samples for microscopy viewing, a pond water wet mount to view living protozoans, slides of the microbes that cause food-poisoning, models of the heart, eye, ear, brain, body and body cavities, a skeleton, the use of clay for lab groups to build cells, pamphlets created by student groups to educate patients about cancer, research papers on a disease of their choice, and a final project with a 3D cell of their choice, labeled, and a trifold poster displaying the scientific method and facts about the cell they chose are just a few of the labs and projects I use in the classroom that students learn from and love.
I am conscious of setting a personal example with my own demeanor in the classroom and beyond through professionalism, kindness and compassion, empathy, punctuality, work ethic, respect, inclusion, diversity, equality, teamwork, organization, cleanliness, mindfulness, and professional appearance. Mine is an important role as a positive, supportive adult in their lives, and I believe in being a good listener, understanding, and being flexible. I recognize and value individual differences in students, adapting to each individual students’ abilities, processing rate, interests, culture, and social circumstances. I make effort to see the world from a students’ perspective in general, and to the extent possible, consider individual students circumstances. I work to help students do their best given their individual situations. I offer extra credit to all students as a means of bringing up their grades, while still meeting all course and material objectives, recognizing that students often have strengths in creativity and writing and hands-on projects they get to choose themselves. I am flexible with most grading when I can be and enable students to keep working on homework throughout the course, even if it is late, and try to offer test makeups and enable students to sit in on my other sections in order to make up for missed class time and absences, which works out very well, or enable them to Zoom in when possible.
I use a variety of instructional strategies to meet the needs of all students. Students with varying skills and knowledge are given equal opportunity to highlight their creative strengths, show mastery of the content material and to find an appropriate challenge to do more than the minimum requirement. I work hard and am dedicated myself to preparing for every class, to research material and provide them the most updated information, to be prepared and ready to answer questions, to research and seek out the answer if I don't know it (we are all human and all learning and growing, and I learn as much from them as they do).
Teaching is a very complicated profession. It demands broad knowledge of subject matter, curriculum and standards. It demands enthusiasm, a caring attitude and a love of learning. It demands knowledge of classroom management techniques. It demands a desire to make a difference in the lives of people. I am proud to have made teaching my life’s work and even more gratified by the successes of my students and encourage them to make learning a lifelong journey and to never give up and help them to see the value in learning and growing and that they, as individuals, are worthy, are valuable, are accepted, and are enough. I let them know I appreciate them, I appreciate the time and effort and work that goes into one's studies while juggling work and family life and other courses. I encourage them to keep going even when it gets tough, because it is a short period in life that will give them knowledge and skills that they will have and can use for a lifetime.
In 2024, I will begin a new role at a hospital as an Infection Preventionist, which I am very excited about. Educating people about the importance of infection prevention, supporting colleagues, keeping our hospitals and communities safe, training students and new employees in infection prevention and control, are important facets of public health, particularly in the day and times in which we live. This website explains the role of what an infection preventionist does: https://apic.org/monthly_alerts/who-are-infection-preventionists/
Her most beloved area of Biology is Microbiology, A&P and microscopic work and biochemical testing. While earning and after earning certification through the ASCP as a Clinical Microbiologist, she spent 15 years in that particular field, including the specialty areas of Parasitology, Mycology (fungi), Mycobacteriology/AFB, and Molecular Biology. She is also a certified Medical Technologist/Medical Laboratory Scientist through the AMT and worked as a Generalist MLS in a hospital rapid care lab and as a chemist in the clinical chemistry lab. She has worked in a variety of US Army Hospital laboratories and civilian hospital laboratories, and has had the opportunity to spend several years working in research (MRSA and MDROs), as well as the opportunity to write curriculum for and provide classroom and laboratory instruction for the US Navy and Army Medical Laboratory Technician Program (MLT) and Lexington Medical Center's MLS program.
Professionally, she has provided college instruction for a variety of colleges and universities in the Biological Sciences and Allied Health departments and continues to teach Biology and Medical Lab Science courses, which she immensely enjoys. To date, she has taught the following courses: Introductory Biology, Survey of Biology, General Biology, Human Biology, Anatomy and Physiology I and II, Pathophysiology, Microbiology, Hematology, Blood Banking and Transfusion Medicine, and Urinalysis and Body Fluids, as well as Parasitology and Mycology. Prior to Biology and Microbiology lab work and instruction, Ms. Reynolds spent 13 years working as a Physiotherapy and Chiropractic Assistant prior to that, and served as an Assistant Manager of a Chiropractic Clinic, while teaching piano lessons on the side during the years of being a military spouse when her children were little.
Currently, she is beginning a new role sought after for many years as an Infection Preventionist, utilizing her background in Emerging Infections Diseases, Infection Prevention and Control, and providing clinical education. Recently, she has been a professor at a local college, and is a science writer and editor for two contracting companies, in addition to working PRN in Microbiology laboratory teaching Mycology and Parasitology. She also enjoys working on her websites, exploring many things with her microscopes at home, writing poetry, reading, traveling, shopping, relaxing with a candle and coffee, watching movies, and taking pictures. She has works being published as continuing education studies for MLT/MT/MLS individuals in the lab, as well as curriculum and tests. She has published poetry books, including "Between the Lines", a Kindle and Nook e-book, and others.
She loves life and people and helping people learn and discover new things about life and writing about these things. She has lived and traveled around the world and enjoys composing piano music, reading, writing, cooking, designing websites for learning, working on a pictorial atlas, crafts, traveling, playing piano and flute, writing music, making earrings and shopping in her free time. She was born in Louisiana and was raised in the southern states, and has 3 kids, 2 of which are grown adults, and a grandmother herself of an adorable grandson.
Contact Information: [email protected] or [email protected]
Linked-In Profile: www.linkedin.com/in/jeanette-reynolds-65547b192
Facebook Profile: Jen Reynolds
Kahoot Profile for Studying for Quizzes and Exams for General Biology 1,2, Parasitology, Mycology, and Microbiology: biogirl73113
For more learning, check out her other websites:
- Clinical Microbiology (Bacteriology, Mycobacteriology, Mycology, Parasitology, Molecular Biology and Virology): https://www.microbiologylearning.weebly.com
- Anatomy and Physiology, Human Biology, and Pathophysiology: https://www.essentialsofanatomyandphysiology.weebly.com
- Hematology (Blood) and Transfusion Medicine (Clinical Lab Science): https://www.hematologylearning.weebly.com
- Urinalysis and Body Fluids (Clinical Lab Science): https://www.urinalysisandbodyfluids.weebly.com
- Clinical Chemistry: https://www.jensbasicchemistry.weebly.com
- Study Skills: https://www.jeanetticsofstudyskills.weebly.com
Learning Management Systems Used:
- Canvas
- Blackboard
- Moodle (New)
Media Platforms Used for Class Recordings and Meetings:
- Zoom (live and recorded)
- WebEx
- Microsoft Teams
- YouTube (for uploaded recorded lessons/lectures as needed)
- Google Meet
Technology Used in the Classroom For Learning Aids:
- Anchor Podcasts - Play on Spotify, Apple Music, and Many Others (Study Guides)
- Kahoot! - Study guides as games for learning and studying
- Quizlet - Digital flashcards for learning
- YouTube
- Microscopes
- iPhone images of microscopy slides
- McGraw-Hill Connect Virtual Lab Simulations, Videos, Etc...
- Pearson-Vue
- MediaLab
Recommended Apps for Smart Phone:
- Weebly
- Khan Academy
- Canvas
- Blackboard Mobile Learn and Blackboard Student
- Science Daily
- Science News
- The Weather Channel
- Pearson MyLab/Mastering
- Talkboard
- Temperature
- Fibonacci
- Golden Ratio
- Molecules and Molecules Animated
- The Elements
- In Action
- Mitosis
- Mendelianum
- Mild EleMints (Periodic Table of Elements)
- APWeinberg (Biology Videos)
- TED Talks
- Science Dictionary
- Smithsonian Channel
- NASA
- PBS
- EPA (Air Quality Index)
- CDC
- Voice Recorder (record notes)
- Quizlet
- StudyBlue
- Flashcards
Additional Recommended Websites:
- Khan Academy (Great animations and recaps of lessons)
- Study Blue (Great study tool)
- Quizlet (Great study tool; Make flashcards then test yourself; You can get it to read them back to you to study terms)
- Grammarly (Awesome for proofreading papers)
- NASA
- CDC (Updated statistics for diseases and outbreaks in the USA)
- WHO (Updated statistics for diseases and outbreaks across the globe)
- PBS Nova (Awesome videos and documentaries)
- TED Talks (Great videos and lectures from well-known professors)
- iTunes University and Coursera (FREE courses to expand your knowledge and learning; You can take FREE courses, not for credit, to expand your knowledge from places like Harvard, Yale, MIT, etc... on just about any topic)
- Tutor.com offers online tutoring
- Studyskills.com and howtostudy.com are good tools for teaching you methods of how to study
Philosophy of Teaching:
I teach because I love it! I love helping students learn, sharing the wonder of life, cells, microbes, diseases, the body's structure and function, personal experiences, and how all of this ties into healthcare. It is very rewarding watching students learn, become interested in science, ask questions, grow in knowledge, and have "aha" moments where the information "clicks" and relates to them personally. From day one, I try to get to know my students, what their goals and interests and hobbies are, what areas of science and healthcare they are interested in and why, how they feel they best learn, what helps them learn, and then personalize and tailor each class to the students so that their research and my own ties in and relates to them personally. I believe in doing my best to reach all learning styles, because each student is a unique individual and learns differently. For that reason, I love to incorporate many different things in the classroom that bring out their creativity, promote and build critical thinking skills, teamwork, writing skills, and use many visual aids and hands-on examples, rather than rely on traditional assessments alone. My classroom is full of posters and concept graphs that serve as reminders of important concepts, structure and function, and medical terminology. I have students draw these things in a scientific journal throughout the course to reinforce the material and give them a chance to have a useful tool for studying those key concepts.
I promote a positive atmosphere in my classroom and one of encouragement and kindness. I have observed that when students are enjoying themselves, their mental states are receptive for learning. When I am obviously enjoying the content or structure of a lesson, students will mirror my interest and enthusiasm, and I am always very enthusiastic about Biology, Microbiology, A&P, Pathophysiology, all of the courses I have had the privilege to teach. My greatest reward is seeing students acquire a deep understanding of Biological concepts and I know that this will only happen if I capture their imagination and stimulate their curiosity so I encourage them to ask questions during the lecture, engage in discussion, share their own personal examples and experiences, and have fun with the material. Most healthcare students, I have found, are very hands-on and visual learners, so they love the labs. In my most recent courses, I had the privilege to use a mannequin to demonstrate and tie in the Microbiology material, review of A&P, and Pathophysiology to Health Assessments, the next course the nursing students take to begin hands-on assessments. Any visuals are so helpful, and I try to do whatever it takes to find what I can to use these visuals in the classroom: a simulated hands-on urinalysis, a set of reagents to test for pH with an explanation of acidosis and alkalosis, a culture of their choice of swabs of their cell phones and computers and doorknobs to show how microbes are ubiquitous, slides I made from real patient samples for microscopy viewing, a pond water wet mount to view living protozoans, slides of the microbes that cause food-poisoning, models of the heart, eye, ear, brain, body and body cavities, a skeleton, the use of clay for lab groups to build cells, pamphlets created by student groups to educate patients about cancer, research papers on a disease of their choice, and a final project with a 3D cell of their choice, labeled, and a trifold poster displaying the scientific method and facts about the cell they chose are just a few of the labs and projects I use in the classroom that students learn from and love.
I am conscious of setting a personal example with my own demeanor in the classroom and beyond through professionalism, kindness and compassion, empathy, punctuality, work ethic, respect, inclusion, diversity, equality, teamwork, organization, cleanliness, mindfulness, and professional appearance. Mine is an important role as a positive, supportive adult in their lives, and I believe in being a good listener, understanding, and being flexible. I recognize and value individual differences in students, adapting to each individual students’ abilities, processing rate, interests, culture, and social circumstances. I make effort to see the world from a students’ perspective in general, and to the extent possible, consider individual students circumstances. I work to help students do their best given their individual situations. I offer extra credit to all students as a means of bringing up their grades, while still meeting all course and material objectives, recognizing that students often have strengths in creativity and writing and hands-on projects they get to choose themselves. I am flexible with most grading when I can be and enable students to keep working on homework throughout the course, even if it is late, and try to offer test makeups and enable students to sit in on my other sections in order to make up for missed class time and absences, which works out very well, or enable them to Zoom in when possible.
I use a variety of instructional strategies to meet the needs of all students. Students with varying skills and knowledge are given equal opportunity to highlight their creative strengths, show mastery of the content material and to find an appropriate challenge to do more than the minimum requirement. I work hard and am dedicated myself to preparing for every class, to research material and provide them the most updated information, to be prepared and ready to answer questions, to research and seek out the answer if I don't know it (we are all human and all learning and growing, and I learn as much from them as they do).
Teaching is a very complicated profession. It demands broad knowledge of subject matter, curriculum and standards. It demands enthusiasm, a caring attitude and a love of learning. It demands knowledge of classroom management techniques. It demands a desire to make a difference in the lives of people. I am proud to have made teaching my life’s work and even more gratified by the successes of my students and encourage them to make learning a lifelong journey and to never give up and help them to see the value in learning and growing and that they, as individuals, are worthy, are valuable, are accepted, and are enough. I let them know I appreciate them, I appreciate the time and effort and work that goes into one's studies while juggling work and family life and other courses. I encourage them to keep going even when it gets tough, because it is a short period in life that will give them knowledge and skills that they will have and can use for a lifetime.
In 2024, I will begin a new role at a hospital as an Infection Preventionist, which I am very excited about. Educating people about the importance of infection prevention, supporting colleagues, keeping our hospitals and communities safe, training students and new employees in infection prevention and control, are important facets of public health, particularly in the day and times in which we live. This website explains the role of what an infection preventionist does: https://apic.org/monthly_alerts/who-are-infection-preventionists/