In recognition of Companion Extraordinaire 'Trained to Care' teacher Ann S. Pryor

Ann S. Pryor, MS, RN, ANP, teaches “Trained to Care” classes for Adult Continuing Education at Companion Extraordinaire.

Ann has been teaching with Trained to Care for 4 years. Last year was an adventure for everyone, including the company, whose instructors had to learn how to teach online, and operate multiple platforms – all brand new.

Ann has been a nurse for 49 years and has taught in person all her life. When the company needed to re-evaluate how to train its students through an online platform, Ann was integral in assuring that safety and regulations for education were met with excellence.

Students had to continue to perform skills assessments in person, and Ann was able to create a way to safely assess the students and have them show their aptitude in learning those skills.

Ann found creative ways to convey the tedious education to the students so that they remained engaged and focused. She developed games that caused the students to remain actively listening and learning. Instead of simply covering material, Ann made it come to life and fun to learn.

In 2020, Companion Extraordinaire had our very first ESL (English as a Second Language) training class. Due to the amount of translating and information, the class could only go for two hours at a time. A one-week class became a one-year commitment. Ann saw the student to the finish line and the student finished with high marks thanks to Ann’s patience and determination to create an environment where she felt at ease and in time sections she could handle.