Western Kentucky University / P / Elena Platonova

Dr. P is a very nice person one on one. One of the few good things about Dr. P's class is that she gives periodic pass/fail quizzes. To pass, you need to answer half of the 12 or so questions correctly. For every quiz you pass, she will add a point to your overall grade at the end of the semester. She also puts her Power Points on Blackboard for easy access and minimal note-taking during class.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few drawbacks. She is incredibly hard to follow in class. Very rarely will you know what she has talked about at the end of class. You have 3 exams, a presentation, and a research paper to write. The textbook that is used is unfriendly, but if you want an A out of the course, you would do well to read the sections that her Power Points come from. Her Power Points by themselves do not make much sense.

For her exams, make SURE you know key statistics such as what percentage of healthcare is funded by Medicare, Medicaid, etc. Her questions are very, very tricky. She will have a T/F question that will be entirely true EXCEPT the percentage will be wrong.

I liken her tests to what they say about recognizing counterfeit currency. Tellers are taught what the REAL money looks like--not what the counterfeit money looks like. This is exactly the approach you should use with her tests, as so many of her questions appear to be the "real thing." So unless you know the correct answer, you are doomed to fall into her trap. Make sure you pay attention to small details!!!!

She did say that if you scored at least 10 points higher on the second exam, she would forget about the first exam. The exam consists of T/F, multiple choice, and five fill in the blank. The fill in the blank are also killers. Try to predict what she will use for these and go into the test prepared. They can be totally off-the-wall questions, and you will have major difficulties with them.

She does have an attendance policy but gives you some absences, no questions asked. If it weren't for the attendance policy, her class would be one that you would be just as well off to read the book and skip class (and I've never skipped class...ever).

Like I said, Platonova is a nice person and is glad to help. Her intentions are good, but there aren't very many who enjoy her classes. Unfortunately, you have no choice of instructors for this class at this time, so just grit your teeth and prepare, prepare, prepare.

i feel SORRY for the students looking forward in the healthcare administration field because platonova is by far the WORST teacher in history!!!!! everyone has to take her for the HCA intro class, theres no way of getting by that. she talks and talks the ENTIRE class period and her test are very TRICKEY.... and she tells you they are. how can a student learn when your twisting the questions around in her OWN words and not by what the book explains??? you really don't need the book, all the notes are on blackbored. but the test are nothing like she says they are going to be..... i can go on and on...just take her and you will see what i am talking about. a student CHANGED majors because she didn't want to deal with PLATONOVA for future classes....HONESTLY

Dr. Platonova is extremely knowledgeable in the area of health care. She is from Russia, but she has been in America long enough that she is very easy to understand. Many students don't like her teaching style, but I really find it to be beneficial myself. I think she does a great job presenting the material. For example, students criticize her for reading directly from the PowerPoint slides, but who would actually read the chapters on their own? Besides, she adds her own knowledge when it is pertinent. I really enjoyed the class and actually learned a lot of new things that I did not know previously. She is a teacher that if you give her respect, she will give you respect. She is a new teacher in the department and she is going to be teaching several HCA classes, so we might as well like her.

Overall, this class is a class that does take a little extra work, but anyone can manage it. Study for the test and quizzes and you will do fine.

If you choose HCA as your major than NONE of the courses should be hard, it just seems that the professors tend to make it more difficult than need be. Dr. Platonova is very smart, but she has a hard time delivering class material. Her quizes do count for extra points, however they aren't on the powerpoint slides, instead she goes through the chapter and picks a single sentence and either changes a word in to make into a true/false question or she takes a word out and makes it a fill in the blank. Just be prepared, she's not Dr. Young.

Dr.Platonova is very nice. She cares a lot about her students. The class can get kind of boring b/c she just sits in the front of the class and reads the notes verbatum. She posts the notes on Black Board and you print them out before class. You don't have much choice for 340 for who your teacher is, but she's good. :-)