Carolyn Denise Smith

I began my journey in the surgical field 16 years ago after finding myself at a crossroads. I was working in a factory in my hometown when they closed the entire facility to move overseas. As a single mother, I decided the medical field seemed stable, so I went back to college and ended up in surgery. I became a surgical technologist in 2010, and it was really difficult, but I made it happen. I practiced as a surgical technologist for 12 years before deciding I wanted to advance my career, so I became a certified surgical first assistant. Just this past September, I transitioned into education and became a full-time faculty member at Linn Benton Community College, and I'm still practicing in the field as well. My days are incredibly busy - I start in my office around 7:30 or 8 o'clock in the morning checking emails and grading student papers, then I teach lab and lecture for 4 hours, and after that I come back upstairs to grade more papers and check more emails. In my extra time, I'm working on developing and spearheading a First Assist program here at Linn Benton Community College - that's become my hobby. I'm also currently working on my bachelor's degree, since when I went through 16 years ago they didn't have an associate's program, and I've decided that since I'm educating now, I should go back and complete it.